ore than a hundred years ago, Mrs. White wrote that there is no work more important than educating our children.  Adventist education is even more critical in 2017.  How eager we should be to surround our children with every opportunity to fall in love with Jesus and live a life of service for Him!

Our new Adventist Encounter Bible curriculum is designed to do just that.  This curriculum blends best practice in education with a solid Biblical discipleship focus. During the 2017/18 school year, the elementary Encounter curriculum will be introduced in pilot schools across the U.S. and in all elementary schools across Canada.  Like the secondary program, it supports teachers through a series of learning phases, where students use the Bible as their textbook to learn about God’s plan for their lives and for the world, and are given opportunities to develop a relationship with God. They then put their beliefs into practice through sharing their faith and serving others.  A wealth of resources, available through AdventSource, help to bring the teaching of Bible to life.

At a recent elementary Encounter training, teachers described the program as “deeply spiritual,” “a wonderful path to Jesus,” “an opportunity to experience discipleship in my Bible class.”  “Our church is finally taking Bible class to another level,” said another.  “Bible can be the most exciting of all subjects!”

Betty Bayer

Director of Education for the SDA Church in Canada

Betty Bayer has worked in Adventist education for 37 years and currently serves as the Director of Education for the SDA Church in Canada.  During her work as teacher, vice-principal, associate director, and director, Betty has developed a growing interest in the importance of ongoing learning throughout one’s life and career.  She is especially committed to the mission of Adventist education to provide students with opportunities to grow in a personal relationship with Jesus and is convicted that the Encounter Bible program can assist teachers in providing those opportunities.

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