Between 1992 and 2002 I was responsible for producing the output of CYFA teaching resources. Over that period I helped to publish about twenty titles in the Bible Based Resources for Youth Groups (BBRYG) series. Some of these (64 page A4) booklets took the Bible and asked 'What can we learn from this?' Others took issues and asked, 'What does the Bible say about this?' All bar one had ten sessions in them and included photocopiable work sheets.
To go alongside this I wrote or commissioned four volumes called Know Ideas (no, I can't take credit for volume 1, Phil Moon and John Simmons did that) which were packed full of ideas for games, ice-breakers etc. Also two volumes of Drama, Verses, Sketches which did what it said on the cover.
I did this from the offices of CPAS (Church Pastoral Aid Society) who have now decided not to sell such resources and have got rid of all their stock. Godstuff is a small charity which supports the work of my friend and former CPAS colleague Bob Clucas. It has bought all the back copies of all of these resources. We plan to make them available for almost nothing. That's right search engines. Find this post if anyone enters free or youth or resources.
The plan is this. The resources are, as you might imagine, dated. We will scan and publish online the first two sessions from each book and sell the books in bundles of five for £10 (a saving of £27.50). If anyone simply asks for a deal we will talk. If anyone is broke we will not worry about the money too much.
Beginning with Didn't He Used to be Dead? a BBRYG book on Jesus in Luke's Gospel which we have few copies of, we will be reworking the material so it is up-to-date and will then invite youth leaders who use it to add their ideas.
If you are an author of this material (I worked with some co-authors) and you are unhappy about this please get in touch. I will be trying to contact all of you over the next few days.
Apart from Urban Saints excellent Energize material I am not aware of what else is around in the youth market these days or of any organisation that has specifically taken on resourcing CYFA and Pathfinder groups from CPAS. Are you?
5 comments:
What an excellent idea, Steve. I'll be first in the queue to get my hands on some.
Thanks Nick. Spread the word. The more people who nag us the more likely we are to get it done.
v happy for whatever small contribution I made to an edition of Know Ideas to be used in whatever way you see fit!
Excellent idea to get the stuff updated and online.
have posted a link on twitter - still use the materials myself, albeit a little updated - some of the best there was.
Thank you so much for seeing a way to keep it available.
tragic and so short sighted of cpas to make the cuts they have done - great idea steve
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