This curriculum explains processes of making decisions in Quaker meeting. In three lessons, students learn about meeting for business, clearness committees, and threshing sessions are described along with age-appropriate activties to increase understanding. For...
After many years of planning and three years of full-time work by many hands, the sequel to Rise Up Singing was published in 2015. The format of Rise Again is the same as in Rise Up Singing but the songs are all different. Rise Again expands possiblities to bring...
A beloved group singing songbook containing chords, lyrics and sources to 1,200 songs from a wide variety of genres from Beatles to Broadway, from Bob Dylan to traditional ballads. Rise Up Singing does NOT include notation, meaning that users must either know the...
This curriculum helps children walk gently over God's Earth through interactive and fun activities. Young Friends experience the Earth as our home, see how we share our home with God's creatures, and learn how we can behave in caring ways for our world. Quaker...
Advices and queries on reaching out to families, connecting with each other and enriching all-ages worshipping communities. From Britain Yearly Meeting, "Please use this resource to explore what is happening in your meeting, and consider how you can develop as an...
This book exploring practical ways to be present could be used as part of a lesson on mindfulness and how we prepare for worship. The illustrations are lovely. Melinda Wenner Bradley has created the attached children's religious education lesson plan, "Looking Back,...
A resource for Friends, includes the Passover prayers and celebration of Passover. The purpose is stated in the final prayer of acceptance, "You are not obligated to complete the task of creating a better world in your lifetime, but neither must you refuse to do your...
Quakers using Godly Play® in their religious education program have stories from that curriculum and other resources to choose from during this time in the First Day School year. What follows is by no means an exhaustive list, but some thoughts on what has worked in...
A story about the power of God's love Each spring, as Easter approaches, we see new life all around us. This story of the symbolic transformation from winter to spring, is adapted for Friends from the Godly Play® story The Mystery of Easter* and work by the Faith...
A contemporary and unique children's Christmas book about Jesus' love for all children, That Baby in the Manger offers a needed message about inclusion and acceptance of cultural differences. As the children of a small church struggle with the portrayal of the Holy...
Across cultures, Jesus and his family have inspired countless works of art. Christians around the world have represented the Holy Family. When we use art in our teaching we ignite visual learners and inspire children's own art-making. Using books or online tools,...
Eleven lessons on Old Testament men and women, including Jacob, Joseph and his brothers, Moses, Joshua, Ruth, David and Goliath, Amos, and Jonah. The introduction includes a general approach to teaching the Old Testament stories. Designed for unprogrammed Friends....
Nine lessons on the early Life of Jesus: The Gifts of the Magi, Jesus as a Boy, The Baptism of Jesus, Jesus in the Wilderness, The Calling and Mission of the Disciples, and The Parables of the Mustard Seed. There is an introductory chapter on "How to Teach Children...
This packet includes seven idea sheets which supplement and complete the materials in Teaching Children About Jesus, Part I. This second set of Seeds includes material on the miracles, Palm Sunday, the Crucifixion, the Resurrection, the Road to Emmaus, and Pentecost...
What do you think is most important for a new teacher to know? This query was given to gifted and seasoned First Day School teachers in Philadelphia Yearly Meeting. Their responses were remarkably similar. They range from the practical (Make sure you have all of your...
This free, downloadable brochure offers a starting place for families and meetings seeking to nurture the capacity of children to worship in the manner of Friends. The pamphlet provides teaching guidelines for adults along with reminders of how children can lead...
This 2003 Philadelphia Yearly Meeting curriculum explores the peace testimony in three lessons. It is adapted from Blessed are the Peacemakers, an older PYM curriculum. The packet includes activities for teachers in First-day schools to use in creating lessons for...
An Episcopalian resource, "Holy Week in a Box" uses simple objects tucked into a small box, along with Bible passages to tell the stories observed during the week leading up to Easter. Each item in the box is a symbol, representing a piece of the gospel narrative:...
A weighted compilation of 929 current Quaker titles surveyed and ranked by Friendly Librarians through publication year 2007. The list is arranged according to the reader's experience with Quaker Meetings. Goals are to help Friends meetings without a Friendly...
First Day Stories is a collection of 12 short stories about Quaker practices and beliefs for preschool children. First Day Stories is not a high adventure book offering deep insights. Instead, it is a gentle book with quiet simple practices that present Quaker life in...
Creation's First Light, by Rabbi Sandy Eisenberg Sasso, describes the Light in a way that transcends time, religions, and ethnic origins. Children, teens, and adults can understand this abstract concept in an experiential way. Breathtakingly illustrated to capture...
Finding the Light In You: Bright Silent Worship with Young Friends supportively guides the process of nurturing children's silent worship skills. Guided imagery, richly illustrated with color photos, provides a bridge from abstract adult silent worship to child-sized...
This curriculum with one lesson for each of the 12 queries found in the 1972 Faith and Practice manual of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting. Themes include: worship, ministry, care, education, outreach, social order, race relations, equality, environment, peace,...
Lessons based on 18 Dr. Seuss stories contain questions, activities, songs and related stories keyed to Quaker themes. Each of the stories can take one or two weeks. The curriculum contains an excellent resource list with related Bible or Quaker stories and songs from...
The Quaker Religious Education Collaborative (QREC) is an international, cross-branch, grassroots network of Friends sharing a stewardship for lifelong Quaker faith formation through religious education. We formed in April 2014 and now serve more than 300 Friends in our network. We actively engage and support each other across languages and continents. We gather for regional and annual conferences and offer monthly Conversation Circles via an online conferencing platform.
We share leadership as part of our collaborative mission, making decisions using the Quaker ‘sense of the meeting’ process, sitting in expectant, worshipful waiting for the emergence of shared truth. Read more…
Our work takes place in ‘circles’ or small groups of Friends who labor on a common task, usually meeting by video conference due to the geographic diversity of the membership. Read more…
The QREC Resource Library is a place to share lessons and other educational information in support of our work as Quaker religious educators. This library is a forum for curricula, articles, videos and other educational materials on Quaker themes. You will also find principles, policies and procedures to strengthen operation of your child, youth and adult religious education programs.
Find renewal, companionship, and help for nitty gritty issues in Quaker religious education, all the while opening spaces for Spirit to work and listening together for God’s way forward.
QREC holds an annual conference and retreat. In addition we hold online Conversation Circles and post other religious education events as we learn about them.
Online conferences for Quaker religious educators to share about their work. Conversations are scheduled for two sessions per topic to encourage international participation. Join the conversation…
Religious education events of interest to Quakers from all parts of the world. Please let us know about upcoming online or in-person events happening in your area. See the list of upcoming events…
Home is the heart of faith formation for all families. This is especially true for Friends. As an experiential religion, Quakerism is best learned through living in loving community. Indeed, the vast majority of faith formation for our young Friends happens at home in the busy swirl of daily life.
QREC depends on all of us sharing our gifts and skills as religious educators. Here are some of the ways you can get involved…
