A curriculum that builds God's beloved community.
Rooted in faith, this five-session formation curriculum is designed to help children in grades K-5 understand their own belovedness and the belovedness of their neighbors. Living God’s Dream is a curriculum for children built from activities designed to cultivate the practice of seeing the image of God in everyone. Encouraging children to action, service, and relationships, the curriculum helps children resist ideas that treat others as outsiders.
The leader guide includes full lesson plans with rich content and experiential learning, as well as ideas for games, skits, crafts, and snacks. It also includes suggestions for storybooks that can frame each lesson.
Developed in conjunction with the Absalom Jones Center for Racial Healing and field-tested in churches, Living God’s Dream is designed for use in a variety of settings, including Sunday school, schools, and Vacation Bible School.
Sally Ulrey serves as Canon for Congregational Vitality and Ministry Development on the Bishop’s Staff in the Diocese of Atlanta, where she’s served in the Office of Congregational Vitality since 2018. Prior to joining the Bishop’s staff, Sally spent almost 20 years working in parishes in the Diocese of Atlanta in Christian formation, including youth and children's ministry, using her formal education in Bible, Theology, and Christian Education in those roles. She has served as a consultant and trainer throughout the Episcopal Church in both formation ministries and in congregational development. Sally coauthored the Dismantling Racism Youth Curriculum with Katie McRee, in collaboration with the Absalom Jones Center for Racial Healing. She lives in Oxford, Georgia.
Katie McRee served as Youth Minister at St. David’s Episcopal Church in Roswell, Georgia for over a decade, and has been a consultant for Ministry Architects. She has also written curricular material for the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta. Katie was first inspired by youth ministry through her own youth minister in Central Florida, who mentored and encouraged her to seek out ministry as a career. She attended the University of Florida where she earned a degree in family, youth, and community sciences. She lives in Woodstock, Georgia.
Malinda Shamburger is the Executive Director of Chattahoochee Valley Episcopal Ministry and has served in many leadership positions in her church and community. Currently, she is a member of the Absalom Jones Center for Racial Healing board. Malinda attended Columbus State University and graduated cum laude with a degree in Communication; she additionally graduated from Columbus State’s Servant Leadership program. She lives in Columbus, Georgia.
Living God’s Dream provides practical resources for teaching the values central to the Baptismal Covenant. The activities and lessons bring young people to a deeper understanding of what it means to strive for justice and peace while respecting the dignity of every human being.—David Madison, Executive Director, National Association of Episcopal Schools
This resource inspires us to create a world that celebrates diversity, recognizes the value of every person, and takes action when the world falls short of living up to this dream. With a compassionate approach and practical strategies, Living God's Dream: Dismantling Racism for Children empowers us to build a more just and equitable society.—Roger Hutchison, author of Sparrow's Prayer, The Very Best Day, and My Favorite Color is Blue
Living God’s Dream was a wonderful VBS curriculum. It brought to life the idea of becoming God’s Beloved Community, where all are welcomed, affirmed, and loved. More importantly, it encouraged our entire VBS team to think about what God’s Dream is for humankind and how we can continue living into and being a part of that dream.—Molly Herman-Gallow, Children and Youth Minister, Saint Martin in the Fields Episcopal Church, Atlanta, Georgia (pilot tester of Living God’s Dream)
