Each year in Oregon, there is a “Hood to Coast” run. Known as the ‘Mother of all Relays’, the event takes 8- to 12-member relay teams 196 miles from the iconic timberline of Mount Hood to the beaches of the Pacific Ocean. The picture shows the tip of Mt Hood to the city of Portland, approximately half of the journey.
The CSCF Project is a bit like that run. It is an enormous task that requires teamwork to complete. And, it is a bit of a relay, where individuals and groups are involved in pieces of the task even though they don’t see the whole journey. However, they celebrate together and reflect on each milestone as they move forward toward the next leg of the relay.
Each update will include an ever-increasing list of milestones we can celebrate together. It will also include some prayers for next steps in the journey.
Milestones to celebrate
- March: Over 250 leaders and teachers of Christian Studies provided feedback about the 2015 version of the CSCF
- April: A Reference Group of 15 people used the feedback and came to consensus on the vision for the project. Specifically, they agreed that we would rebuild the framework and revise the curriculum.
- May: The Reference Group continued its work, identifying the specific Focus Groups that would be required to achieve the vision.
Prayers for next steps
Two focus groups continue their work in June and early July.
Rationale and ‘why’
You may be familiar with Simon Sinek’s Ted Talk on starting with the ‘why’. A subset of the Reference Group is crafting clear statements that encompass the reason that we teach Christian Studies as a learning area. In doing so, they grapple with the distinction between Christian Education and Christian Studies. Christian Studies is a distinctive and critical part of Christian Education, but not synonymous with Christian Education. As they continue their work, they will seek ongoing feedback from multiple stakeholders.
Big Questions and Concepts
The framework will be rebuilt around big questions such as “Who is God?”, “What is God’s plan?” and “What is my Purpose?”. In addition to identifying the key questions, the group will identify the concepts underlying each of the questions. This group’s work is foundational for other groups that will focus on the revision of Learning Statements, explicit theological connections, suggested evidence of learning and more.
We praise God for the many members of the ‘relay’ who have contributed so far and ask for God’s blessings as we continue our work together.