All the Bible stories you ever wanted to tell children – and all in one place, at one time: that’s the promise of Scripture Union’s new LightLive online resource centre launched this week (May 8).
LightLive – more than a year in the making – puts learning material at the fingertips of children’s and youth workers, and answers the cries of hard-pressed busy leaders: ‘make it easier for us’.
The online ministry gives children’s and youth leaders free-of-charge access to a weekly syllabus of downloadable material following SU’s Light programme, for groups aged up to 14.
But LightLive is more than downloadable resources. Now, as never before, leaders can set up and manage their children’s and youth groups online, assign team members to run particular sessions, keep in contact with their team, track chosen session plans – and have access to Scripture Union’s extensive database of resource material on almost every Bible story ever told.
Leaders can follow SU’s Bible-based Light syllabus or customise their own, and monitor their team’s progress in preparation. LightLive takes the worry out of over or under-preparation by automatically calculating running times.
Teams have direct online access to material for their age-group, and can choose to customise their programmes with multi-media content, games, quizzes and other activities. And they can complement their programmes with all-age resources as needed.
And the whole online package is supported through Scripture Union’s regular Light training programme.
Scripture Union’s Publishing Director Terry Clutterham said: ‘In our frenetic society, leaders and their teams are busy people. We know they want material at their fingertips, and we want to equip them. Result – LightLive, an online solution.’
Terry added: ‘The beauty of LightLive is that it integrates seamlessly with our Light printed resources, and gives a much wider choice in the way you can deliver sessions. What’s more, we’re also giving leaders unprecedented access to Scripture Union’s comprehensive database of children’s and young people’s Bible-based resources built up over many years.’
Scripture Union, which last year celebrated 60 years producing children’s and youth Bible-based learning material, sees LightLive as a groundbreaking way to bring children’s ministry within the range of churches that at present have no children’s or youth ministry.
Church work with children and young people is in decline, particularly in rural areas. Between the end of the 1970s and the turn of the millennium, attendance by young people under 15 on a Sunday halved from 1.4 million to around 700,000, and it’s still falling.
Terry said: ‘We want to help reverse this trend. About half the churches in the UK don’t work formally with children or young people, perhaps because they don’t have expertise or lack finance. And around 20% of churches working with children and young people don’t use any formal resources. For the first time LightLive puts resources within their grasp – accessible and easily usable.’
LightLive is Scripture Union’s way to lift the barriers of resource and cost for churches, so it’s free of charge, yet with an invitation to make regular donations to support and develop the ministry.
LightLive will be showcased at the national Christian Resources Exhibition, in Sandown Park conference centre, Surrey, from May 13 to 16, where there will be opportunities to try it out.
Memo to editor
LightLive is Scripture Union’s second major free online ministry. The first, WordLive, was launched in January to provide a creative new experience in using the Bible. WordLive allows online users a wide range of creative approaches to God’s Word, including audio Bible passages, video clips, worship songs and prayer activities, as well as a daily Bible reading and explanatory note.