The Pilot Project is a first
step of a large international initiative aiming to
create and publish curriculum for children between the ages of 4 and 12 that is
adapted for each country. These introductory books were initially designed for
a specific age range and are then redesigned to fit other ages. They are
opening the doors for an incredible curriculum project covering 9 years of the
life of a child!
Intentionally named "The compass – only for explorers,"
the Hungarian Pilot Project was the result of the partnership between EGM
International and ReMa, our local ministry. While the lessons are based on the
Model Children's Worker methodology, they are only partly created by American
or International writers. The Hungarian team has written a major part of them
making sure that the final product reflects the local characteristics to ensure
that they are culturally and regionally relevant.
We started the Pilot Project
in Hungary three years ago with the involvement of seven
Hungarian individuals (translators, writers, proofreaders, graphic designers,
editors - three of which were volunteers.)
The Pilot Project was also a great
opportunity for Hungarian Christians to become financially involved in the
ministry. Part of the expenses were cover by in-country donations.
Our experience with the first Pilot Project manuals was encouraging. The vast interest proved that the Hungarian
Sunday school teachers really love the curriculum finding it useful. Our plan
is to spread the word so that everyone will know that this is just the
beginning and we are moving forward with the Pilot Project 2.
A touching letter from a children's worker who teaches children with learning disabilities made our day. This person was
amazed with the success she had using the Pilot Project manual. She explained
that the children were really into the
biblical stories and activities like never before. This is how we’ve
learned, once again, that the biblical model of teaching is the best option for
all children alike.
We received the following feedback from another teacher just after
launching the Pilot Project 2: "Recently, I taught the story of Nicodemus
from the Pilot Project 2 book. I hadn’t planned on making a call for a
decision. Still, the Spirit led me this way. Four kids from my class made the
decision for Christ that day! God bless you!"
The Pilot Project isn’t just a nice story. It’s an example of how effective
you can be when you partner with God and with other people all over the world.
The Pilot Project isn’t a finish line, but a first step for incredible,
transformational life stories. Will you
be part of that too?
Written by Marian Zaharia & Andrea Schauermann
