Some of you may have had the opportunity to see and participate in this production at the January meeting of the Association of Presbyterian Christian Educators in Denver. Others may have attended one of the regional workshops held around the country. Since so many people have requested copies of this script, we decided to share it with you. Whether or not you choose to perform this skit, we hope you will find the information contained within useful.

Deep in the heart of 100 Witherspoon Street are the curriculum archives. This cavernous repository holds examples of the voluminous curricula published by the Presbyterian Church through the years. It documents our publishing history. As we prepared to introduce We Believe: God’s Word for God’s People, the latest Presbyterian denominational curriculum, we were reminded that this is only the latest step in a long journey. We stand in company with a rich heritage of denominational curricula. While some proved a bit arcane, many of the mission statements for these curricula of the past are easily applied to our current efforts. Here are some of the highlights of our illustrious history:

Reader 1 opens a notebook and begins a “lecture” on the history of curriculum.
Reader 1: Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming today. Curriculum has a long and torrid history . . . (Reader 1 continues to talk as if his/her microphone has been turned down. He/she continues this throughout the entire skit, with the exception of places noted in the script where his/her voice is suddenly heard.)

Reader 4: A History of Curriculum . . . Abridged

Reader 1: In the beginning was the word . . .

Reader 2: (think Maria Von Trapp from The Sound of Music—singing): Let’s start at the very beginning. A very good place to start. When we read we begin with A, B, C . . .

Readers 2 & 3: (repeating and singing) A, B, C.

Reader 2: (singing) In the faith we begin with God loves me . . .

Readers 2 & 3: (repeating and singing) God loves me.

Reader 2 has the following props or pictures and displays for use at the appropriate time: an apple; two stone tablets; bread and fish [we used a box of Goldfish crackers]; and a collar with Geneva tabs [a picture of Calvin might be substituted].

Reader 4: Day twelve.

Reader 1: Then we move on to day twelve. [Reader 2—apple] When Adam and Eve were in the garden. God’s lesson plan was sound, but the students obviously weren’t paying attention.

Reader 3: Don’t eat the apple!

Reader 4: B.C.

Reader 1: [Reader 2—two tablets, à la Ten Commandments] God continued to teach, but decided to employ educational methods more suited to the visual learner.

Reader 3: Don’t, don’t, don’t, do, do, don’t, don’t, don’t, don’t, don’t

Reader 4: C

Reader 1: God’s education theory underwent yet another transformation—the use of manipulatives. [Reader 2—loaves and fishes]

Reader 3: Potluck!

Reader 1: Time passed.

Reader 4: 1509—John Calvin

Reader 1: [Reader 2—collar and Geneva tabs] God proved that engaging the learner in intellectual activity can lead to radical change, thus becoming a successful teaching method.

Reader 3: Everybody think!

Reader 1: Teaching continued.

Reader 4: 1833—Establishment of the Presbyterian Tract and Sunday School Society

Reader 1: In 1833, the Presbyterian Tract and Sunday School Society was established by the Synod of Philadelphia. The overture presented is as follows: “Whereas it is at all times important and peculiarly so at the present, and in the existing circumstances of our Church, that effectual care be taken that our catechism and other doctrinal stands, and also tracts and other publications in which the correct view of Calvinistic truth are stated and protracted, should be circulated abundantly among the people of our denomination; therefore, be it resolved: that it be and hereby is overtured by the Presbytery to the Synod of Pennsylvania to take order for the establishment of a Presbyterian Tract Society.”1

Reader 2: (Reader 4 is poised to run as in a track meet.) On your mark, get set, go!

Reader 3: No, it’s a tract society!

Reader 4: 1838—First book published by the denomination

Reader 1: In 1838, the Presbyterian Board of Publication, the descendant of the Tract Society, published its first book (takes a deep breath): “The Way of Salvation Familiarly Explained in a Conversation between a Father and His Children.”

Reader 2: Come, children, let me familiarly explain in a conversation the way of salvation.

Reader 4: 1845—Coleporteurs are established by action of G.A.

Reader 2: Have I got a deal for you! Only 15 cents! Only 3,000 copies—come get them while they are hot!

Reader 1: In 1845, Coleporteurs [pronounced here Cole Porters] were established by the General Assembly. Coleporteurs were travelers who taught and sold curriculum and established Sabbath schools. They were booksellers and missionaries who expanded the Presbyterian Church through education.

Reader 2: The first POINT people! A traveling resource center!

Reader 3: [Sings a line or two from a Cole Porter song.] You’re the tops! You’re the Tower of Pisa. You’re the tops! You’re the Mona Lisa.

Reader 2: That’s col-por-TEUR!

Reader 4: 1855—One cannot lay the foundation of the Presbyterian Church without books.

Reader 1: In 1855, the General Assembly took the job of publishing quite seriously.

Reader 2: (sets down two stacks of books—or 4 books in each stack—and stands on both stacks and says): The General Assembly rightly noted: “One cannot lay the foundation of the Presbyterian Church without books.”

Reader 4: Civil War

Reader 2: Church split.

Reader 1: War came.

Reader 3: War ended.

Reader 2: Church still divided.

Reader 4: 1872—The fifth National Sunday School Convention

Reader 1: In 1872, the fifth National Sunday School Convention was held in Indianapolis, Indiana. “It was here that the Uniform or International Lesson System was inaugurated.” (“125th Celebration” Committee on the Uniform Series, pg. 6)

Reader 2: By developing cooperative curriculum, the educators were ahead of the rest of the church.

Reader 3: As usual!

Reader 4: 1920—ACE; 1943—TAUPCE (pronounced “acey” and “topsy”)

Reader 1: In 1920 ACE, the Association of Christian Education, met for the first time at Montreat, North Carolina. In 1943, TAUPCE, the associate of United Presbyterian Christian Educators, met for the first time at Wooster College. Both entities were instrumental in the establishment and use of curriculum in congregations.

Reader 2: ACE and TAUPCE became APCE! (pronounced “acey,” “topsy,” and “apsee”)

Reader 3: Yippee!

Reader 4: 1948—Christian Faith and Life (Northern Church)

Reader 2: In 1948 the new curriculum of the Presbyterian Church came into use. An emphatic promise was made that this curriculum not only would employ advanced teaching methods but would embody the ripest fruits of theological thought and Biblical scholarship. In fact, it was assumed and asserted that educational soundness in such an enterprise called for theological soundness—the latter being the foundation without which no curriculum could endure (“Theology in the New Curriculum,” pg. 3).

Reader 2 & 3: Ooooh!

Reader 1: This curriculum was transformed into Christian Faith and Action, a leap of faith as well as a leap in educational practice. Overall, this curriculum line lasted thirty years.

Reader 4: 1963—Covenant Life (Southern Church)

Reader 1: In 1963 the Covenant Life Curriculum was offered to the churches of the South as a new approach to Christian education. This curriculum challenged the church to move forward in a teaching ministry that would take seriously the educational task of the church in our time. It was offered in the hope that God would bless it and in the prayer that through it the faith of our fathers would come alive in the life of each succeeding generation.

Reader 2: Fathers? Did I hear “fathers?” Come, children, come and sit at my feet again for conversation about the faith.

Reader 4: Let’s not forget the MOTHERS!

Reader 3: (singing) “Faith of our PARENTS, living still. . . ”

Reader 4: 1978—Christian Education: Shared Approaches

Reader 1: In 1978 twelve denominations joined together to form the Congregational Educational Ministries, which published the CE:SA materials, Christian Education: Shared Approaches.

Reader 2: The Northern and Southern educators were working together? (asking as if scandalized)

Reader 3: Unbelievable! Inconceivable! Scandalous! Shocking!

Reader 4: 1983—Reunion

Reader 1: In 1983, after many years of consultation, the southern and northern streams of the Presbyterian Church unite and create a publishing entity to oversee the production of denominational curriculum.

Readers 3 & 4 reenact a wedding scene standing front and center of Reader 2.

Reader 1: (singing) “We're getting married in the morning. Ding dong the bells are going to chime!”

Reader 2: I now pronounce you married. You may work together, North and South.

Reader 4: 1988—PREM

Reader 1: Presbyterian and Reformed Educational Ministry, otherwise known as PREM, was truly the firstborn of our new PC(USA) family. Working in partnership with other Reformed denominations, Celebrate and Bible Discovery were founded on the five pillars of PREM.

Reader 2: (Raising hand and wanting to be called upon) “I want to be a pillar!”

Reader 3: Biblically Grounded

Reader 2: (step forward and plant oneself as a pillar) Inteprets the Scripture to promote learning based on the Bible.

Reader 4: Historically Informed

Reader 2: (step to one side and plant oneself as a pillar) Connects the learner with their roles in living out the historic movement of those who confess Jesus Christ as Lord.

Reader 3: Socially Engaged

Reader 2: (step to one side and plant oneself as a pillar) Emphasizes biblical understanding of caring about our neighbors and the Creation.

Reader 3: Communally Nurtured

Reader 2: (step to one side and plant oneself as a pillar) Communicates our understanding of how Christians are to live with each other in worship, study, and service.

Reader 4: Ecumenically Involved

Reader 2: (step to one side and plant oneself as a pillar) Focuses on opportunities for mutual sharing and interaction among persons of different races, cultures, and religions.

Reader 4: 2000—Covenant People, Bible Quest, and The Present Word

Reader 1: As the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) approached the new millennium, we designed and created new curricula. Covenant People was designed by Presbyterians, for Presbyterians, offering flexibility and options and . . .

Reader 3: options, and options, and options . . .

Reader 1: Bible Quest, developed in ecumenical partnership, is a Bible story curriculum for all ages.

Reader 2: (singing) “I love to tell the story.”

Reader 1: The Present Word is the continuation of the Cooperative Uniform Series based on the International Lesson System from 1872, making this line of curriculum for adults the longest running curriculum, now 130 years young!

Reader 2: (step forward and hold up one small birthday candle)

Reader 3: (singing) “Happy birthday to you!”

Reader 4: 2003—We Believe

Reader 1: Which brings us to today with the publication of our new denominational curriculum, We Believe: God’s Word for God’s People. We stand proudly in the tradition of our forefathers, AND mothers, in a rich and fruitful heritage of denominational curriculum. We know that denominational curriculum is of great value to Presbyterians, and we build upon what has come before us to meet the needs for our Presbyterian churches of today. First and foremost, however, We Believe begins and ends with Bible study, God’s Word for God’s People.

Reader 2: (proudly placing or displaying “We Believe” buttons) We believe in We Believe!

Reader 1: God is the one who began this story.

Reader 2: The point of the story is that for hundreds and hundreds of years God has worked with people just like us, the saints never perfect and the sinners never altogether bad. In fact God is working out God’s will with all kinds of people now. And God is working out God’s will in us this very minute.

Readers 1, 2, 3, & 4: (singing) “Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.”

To learn more about We Believe go to www.pcusa.org/webelieve or contact your local POINT representative. Many resource centers have samples of the curriculum to lend.

“A History of Curriculum, Abridged” was developed by Meg Rift, associate for Leadership in Nurture and Training, Congregational Ministries Publishing. Contact her at (888) 728-7228, ext. 5166.