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New Shalom Curriculum Now Available

Diocesan Press Service. August 24, 1973 [73203]

Shalom is a common Hebrew word of greeting and of parting. Its meaning, however, runs far deeper than a mere formality. Shalom is a word which carries the idea of wholeness, liberation, justice, harmony, peace, and fullness of life. In this sense, then, shalom is a vision of the reign of God. In Jesus, the Shalom of God is present among us as a gift, to which we are called to respond and to act.

The Shalom Curriculum, newly created through the interdenominational efforts of the Joint Educational Development program of which the Episcopal Church has been a part, is an educational approach that takes the vision of shalom as its unifying principle. Not simply a package of printed materials, the Shalom Curriculum refers to a course to be run, the route of a journey, a direction of travel. It implies numerous and diverse planned efforts throughout the total life of the congregation, all of which are consistent with the goal of shalom.

The Shalom Curriculum grounds its goals in the very heartbeat of the biblical faith. By taking the total life of the congregation as the context for education, it makes possible a positive program to enable and equip children, youth, and adults to be faithful to the gospel.

Because the Shalom Curriculum affirms the need for local churches to plan their own educational ministries, it offers two kinds of help: leadership training and educational resources. Training events are already under way to equip a core of leaders in every conference of the United Church of Christ to provide help to every congregation which wishes to use the new curriculum. A variety of resources, too, are now ready for use.

An essential aid, both for the leadership effort and for congregational use, is a basic guidebook, Signs of Shalom, by Dr. Edward A. Powers. Within its pages, this manual contains insights into the biblical concept of shalom, suggestions of what an affirmation of this goal might imply for the life of particular congregations, with illustrations of what it has implied in a number of specific situations, planning aids to help local churches to develop educational programs consistent with shalom, and information on the variety of resources available to aid churches in the actualization of their plans.

Shalom calls for new awareness, concern, skill, and commitment. It asks that we strive to understand and to catch a vision of shalom. It requires us to make the total life of our congregation an educational resource. And it offers assistance and encouragement to those who affirm its goals.