According to James, many of the American denominations include a Canadian on their four-person writing teams. The United Church is contributing, as its share, a Kindergarten to Grade 8 Multi-Age program, developed by the Division of Mission in Canada and produced by the Division of Communication. This provides an energy that s difficult to muster in a class with only two or three children. While the 27 in Atlanta get ready to introduce BibleQuest, writers for The Whole People of God are working away at another edition of the lectionary-based curriculum. Wood Lake s director of customer services, Lois Huey Heck, says it really makes sense for the church to offer a range of choices that fit the ethos of the United Church.
Wood Lake is still committed to the valuable, ancient tool of the lectionary, though.
Not that it s for all local churches, or all denominations, she says. But after 13 years we expect some people to look for a change, for the long or short term. But Huey Heck expects many congregations will continue with a lectionary curriculum. She finds something wonderful in the linking of worship and education, outreach and music, and the way the same Scriptures are spoken and prayed over and engaged around the world as the day goes on. While there has been a slight decline in The Whole People of God sales in the United Church, sales in the U.S . and overseas continue to increase.