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Special
Needs and Settings
Disabilities
Outdoor Ministries
Public Education and Literacy
Click title for full information about the NCC Committee on Disabilities.
 The
Committee on Outdoor Ministries is the arena where denominations network about
issues related to camping and to church-related retreat and conference centers.
The activity of the committee includes design and creation of the most widely
used camping resources among NCC-related communions. The committee also
publishes other written resources related to outdoor ministries and provides
occasional national conferences for leadership development.
The committee
network comprises twenty-three persons who are either denominational staff or
executives of church related outdoor ministries. The annual meeting of the group
functions as an opportunity for professional development as well as a forum for
sharing resources and strategies. A major focus of its current work is visioning
the future of church-related camping and outdoor ministries.
Garland F. Pierce
staffs the committee.
E-mail: gpierce@ncccusa.org.
Click here for the 2007 Staff Training Devotions
Click
here for information on the 2011 Outdoor Ministry Curriculum
Click here
for information on the 2010 Outdoor Ministry Curriculum
Click here for information on the 2009 Outdoor Ministry Curriculum
Click here for information on the 2008 Outdoor Ministry Curriculum
Click here for information on the 2007 Outdoor Ministry Curriculum
Click here for
information on the 2006 Outdoor Ministry Curriculum
Click here for
the 2006 Staff Training Devotions
Click here for the 2006 Outdoor Ministry Annual Report
Click here for the committee's 2005 annual report.
Click
here for information on the 2005 Outdoor Ministry Curriculum
Click
here for 2004 resources for leaders in Outdoor Ministries
Click
here for information about the 2004 "Join the Party!" Outdoor Ministries
resource
Click for Writer Information, New Earth: Christian Resources for the Outdoors
Click here to download the "Committee on Outdoor Ministries Theological Mission
Statement" brochure
(Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader, click logo to download.)
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New Earth: Resources for the Outdoors
Writer Application
Thank you for you interest in writing for
New Earth:
Christian Resources for the Outdoors, a joint
project of the Committee on Outdoor Ministries of the National Council
of Churches and New Earth Publishers. Please complete the following
application and return it and a writing sample to me via email by May
15, 2010.
PLEASE READ THIS ENTIRE PAGE BEFORE
SUBMITTING YOUR APPLICATION
The following criteria will be used in
selecting writers for New Earth camp curriculum:
All writers will have a deep commitment
to spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ.
All members of the
writing team will be competent writers. Previous publication experience
is desirable. An unedited writing sample is
required.
Age level and
activities writers will have extensive camping experience, including
experience as a camp leader or counselor. Other children’s and/or youth
ministry experience is also desirable, as is a background in education
in childhood development.
Biblical and
Theological Reflection writer will be an experienced exegete. A graduate
degree in Biblical studies, an M. Div. or equivalent and a command of
Greek and/or Hebrew are highly desirable. Experience in teaching Bible
to a lay audience is a must.
As a group, writers
will represent a range of denominational perspectives and will be able
to understand and address the needs of the
mainline Protestant audience.
As a group, writers
will represent a diversity of age groups, races, cultures and
geographical regions, and will include both women and men.
The group will consist of both ordained
ministers and of lay people.
A background in
forestry, botany, conservation, art, drama, music, education, or other
relevant field is particularly desirable.
Adopted by COM-CPA Design Team, January 2002
1. All writers must be able to attend a Writer’s
Conference in St. Louis, Missouri, August 15-18. 2010. The expenses for
the Writer’s Conference will be reimbursed.
2. Assignments will be made by May 30, 2010. Prior to
the Writer’s Conference all writers will receive the 2012 Outlines and a
copy of the first draft of the Biblical and Theological Reflections.
3. The final manuscript will be due on November 1, 2010
and upon acceptance the writers will be paid a fee of $750 for a single
age group section or $500 for the Intergenerational section.
4. Please put your name on each page of your writing
sample. Send the application and the writing sample as single email
attachment.
5. Please note that selection will be made on the basis
of your skills for
writing curriculum –
that is
your ability to write instructions for others to
follow. Do not submit other kinds of writing such as a sermon,
devotional, or reflective paper. You are encouraged to study the
activity format for New Earth and to follow it when writing your
samples. You can find a sampler at:
www.chalicepress.com.
Writer Application
Name
Address
Phone Email
Denominational Affiliation
1. Please describe briefly your Outdoor Ministry
experience.
2. Describe briefly your understanding of the role camps
and conferences play in the life of the
church’s ministry.
3. Designate your first and second choice for the age
group for which you would like to write:
___ Younger Children ____ Older Children ____ Younger
Youth ____ Older Youth
___ Intergenerational/Family
4. Can you attend a Writers Conference in St. Louis MO
on August 15-18, 2010?
5. Attach a writing sample (50-75 words per activity)
for the following activities written in the style of
the New Earth curriculum to the following criteria:
1. Bible study activity on Luke 15:1-10 - The Parables
of the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin
2. Artistic activity for Luke 15:1-10 - The Parables of
the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin
3. Community building activity for the first day of camp
Each activity should be appropriate for your first
choice age group and for the outdoor setting.
Return via email. Attach as Word document to an email.
Nancy Ferguson, Project Manager
37131 Stern Court
Greenbackville VA 23356
757-824-3652
Nanfergi@aol.com
APPLICATION DEADLINE: May 15, 2010
Download a printable copy of the above application
here.
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Formerly known as
the Basic Education and Literacy Working Group, the committee's major focus is
now public education and the need for the churches to recover their history of
support for public schools and the children and teachers in them. The committee
seeks to reinforce the importance of the separation of church and state, both
for the churches and the schools. It works to strengthen support for
public education in our faith communities and to encourage active, appropriate
involvement in public schools by congregations.
RESOURCES
►A
Pastoral Letter on Federal Policy in Public Education: An Ecumenical Call for
Justice
►Department
of Education response to the pastoral letter
►Opportunity
Gaps in Public Education Must be Closed
►Opportunity
to Learn in Public Education: An Alternative Vision ̶
Bulletin insert
►The
Committee on Public Education and Literacy has issued "Ten
Moral Concerns" in the No Child Left Behind Act. (See the press release
here.)
 ►
May 2008: The Committee on Public Education and Literacy provides a
study guide
for congregations to discuss Linda Perlstein's
TESTED, a shocking new book that
exposes problems with federal test-and-punish philosophy of education.
►
Questions to Consider About Charter Schools
► The Committee on
Public Education and Literacy Resources has released a new brochure on the
teaching of evolution in science classes in public schools. Download it
here.
REPORTS
►March
13, 2009, Conference frames agenda for Transforming
No Child Left Behind
►
Click
here for the report of the March 9, 2007, 'Fixing No Child Left Behind'
MISSION
Formerly known
as the Basic Education and Literacy Working Group, the committee's major focus
is now public education and the need for the churches to recover their history
of support for public schools and the children and teachers in them. The
committee seeks to reinforce the importance of the separation of church and
state, both for the churches and the schools. It works to strengthen support
for public education in our faith communities and to encourage active,
appropriate involvement in public schools by congregations.
Affirming that
each child is made in God's image, we believe that each child deserves the
best education available. This is achieved, we are convinced, through quality
public schools. The Committee's primary focus is supporting quality public
education. At a time when public education is under attack from a variety of
sources for a variety of reasons, our mission is to call the member communions
of the National Council of Churches and our nation as well to remember first
and foremost our children, all our children.
We believe our
children deserve the opportunity to explore and develop their God-given
abilities. Public education provides the best opportunity for most
children. While we recognize the role of private schools in the educational
enterprise, we strongly believe the focus of our efforts needs to be placed on
public schools. People of faith can play an important role in support of
public education and in the life of local schools. We believe this role must
be informed by the constitutional understanding of the separation of church
and state, an understanding that protects the integrity of both our schools
and our faith communities.
Guided by the Policy Statement
"The Churches and the
Public Schools at the close of the Twentieth Century",
we work in a variety of capacities.
-
Sharing
information:
At our
meetings representatives from denominations and other private and public
entities gather to share information and strategies related to support of
public education.
-
Collaborating
with partners:
We collaborate with partners from the church and government. Currently we
are collaborating with several agencies on a pilot project in Pennsylvania,
"Quality Public Education for all our Children." We hope this pilot
project will provide a model for church-school partnership that can be used
in other states. The Committee has a close working relationship with the
U.S. Dept. of Education and anticipates co-sponsoring a national conference
for those who are working to establish faith community-public school
partnerships.
-
Developing and
sharing resources with member denominations:
The Committee
has produced annual "Honor education Sunday" resources. We share these
resources with member denominations. One goal for the future is to learn
what new resources can be developed to help congregations understand public
education issues and work appropriately with neighborhood schools.
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Encouraging
Dialogue:
An important
role of this committee is to encourage conversation, dialogue and new
strategies in support of public education within the NCC and our
constituencies. In 1999, we held two dialogues on the proposed NCC
statement on public education. At the NCC's 50th Anniversary General
Assembly, we sponsored a day-long forum:
Public Education at the Edge of a New Millennium.
► See the General
Assembly resolution,
The Churches and Public School,
adopted November 5, 2003, in Jackson, Miss.
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