'An amazing opportunity for Christians who love the Bible'

A ministry that ‘simply teaches the Bible’ has been stunned by a recent spike in demand from schools - and is now appealing for more volunteers to meet this new demand

 
Changes in the Religious Education syllabus at Church of England (CofE) Schools has resulted in a sharp rise in invitations for Walk Through the Bible, which aims to teach the ‘big picture’ of the Bible in a non-preachy way.  
 
Walk Through the Bible has been leading school events for more than 20 years, reaching 600,000 pupils. However, demand is growing rapidly, according to director Paul Keeys, member of Frinton Free Church, a large Baptist church in Essex.
 
‘We have been stunned by the number of doors that are opening up,’ said Paul.
 
‘In the last month we have received invites into 85 separate primary schools and we expect that number to rise by hundreds, possibly thousands more in the next few months.’

With the new CofE new syllabus requiring every child to understand the storyline, not just the stories, of the Bible, schools are increasingly keen to bring Walk Through the Bible on board. 
 
Walk Through the Bible teaches through four different interactive live events: 

• OT MINI - Old Testament overview for school children (aged 9-11)
• NT MINI - New Testament overview for school children (aged 9-11)
• OT LIVE - Old Testament overview for adults in churches (aged 11+)
• NT LIVE - New Testament overview for adults in churches (aged 11+)

 
These events ‘simply teach the Bible’, says Paul. They reveal how the Bible fits together, encourage questions and share keywords to unlock all 66 books. Presenters don’t share opinions, promote particular denominations or particular translations. As such, they are ideally suited to meet the new curriculum demands. 
 
'We fit like a glove for these schools,' continued Paul (pictured below). ‘It’s 100 per cent what we do. Primary school teachers either need to learn the whole storyline of the Bible, or ask one of our well-trained presenters to teach it for them. It helps to solve a problem.’


 
So far Paul has been in conversation with two dioceses - resulting in 100 additional schools signing up. As word spreads about Walk Through The Bible among the 40 other dioceses, he anticipates further interest. Some schools are already using the new curriculum, which will be fully implemented at the start of the next academic year in September. There are 6000 CofE schools in the country.

With such a rise in demand, Paul is now inviting Baptist church members to consider being a Walk Through the Bible presenter. He said that learning to teach the whole storyline of the Bible in a fun and interactive way - without any preaching - takes just three days. Current presenters are a mix of ministers, children and youth workers, and as well as those simply with an interest in teaching and bringing the Bible to life.  
 
‘In 2018 thousands of schools will introduce their children to the storyline of the whole Bible, cover to cover: this is an amazing opportunity for Christians who love the Bible to share its message!
 
‘If a volunteer presenter can offer even just one hour a week they could teach the storyline to six classes every year - to around 200 children. 
 
‘We would love to invite you to join us for one of our upcoming courses.'
 

For more details, or to apply for training, see www.Bible.org.uk, or contact mail@Bible.org.uk