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Dwell Digital Available Free

March 25, 2020

Effective immediately, Christian Reformed churches can now have free access to Dwell Digital curriculum.

An announcement about this was planned to come out soon. But now, because many churches are closed due to the coronavirus outbreak, this Sunday school tool has been made available and offers churches and parents a way to keep children's ministry going at home.

“In addition to being part of the team that created Dwell, I’m a Dwell leader at my church and get to experience firsthand the way in which it nurtures kids’ faith.” said Karen DeBoer, who attends The Journey CRC in Kitchener, Ont.

“Those Sunday mornings are the highlight of my week!” she said. “I’m thrilled that more CRCs will have the opportunity to engage kids in God’s story with Dwell.”

Dwell Digital is the online format of the popular Dwell curriculum. Scripture is the foundation of every Dwell session. Unlike many other popular Sunday school curricula, Dwell is not based on human morals or virtues but on God’s actions in God’s big story. It is written from a distinctly Reformed view, and the sessions actively engage kids at every level using games, dramatic storytelling, and fun activities.

“Volunteers enjoy being able to access the lessons at home, which eliminates having to remember to pick up a paper copy, and [Dwell Digital] makes it much more manageable when someone has to fill in at the last minute. . . . ­­Overall, Dwell Digital is a great option!” said the director of children’s ministries at Pleasant Street Christian Reformed Church in Whitinsville, Mass.

A subscription to Dwell Digital provides teachers convenient, online access to leader materials for all 360 lessons in the Dwell curriculum. And now, while many churches are closed, some churches have asked whether they can share lessons with parents. Faith Alive Christian Resources thinks that’s a great idea, so, during the time your church is closed, Faith Alive is extending permission to share full Dwell Digital lessons not only with teachers but also with parents.

"It's been very exciting to see the positive response to Dwell Digital, as leaders experience the benefit of accessing the leader materials for all 360 Dwell lessons from any digital device,” said Jill Bensen, coordinator of the Dwell program. “I'm thrilled that the CRC ministry share contributions make it possible to provide Dwell Digital free to CRC churches, and I can't wait to hear how this blesses our churches."

How does the shared access work? Once your church has established a Dwell Digital account, you may do the following:

  • Email the session plan PDFs to parents so that they can teach their children at home.
  • Or, if a parent prefers, you may add them as an additional “teacher” within your account so that they can access any session within the Dwell curriculum.
  • Children’s ministries will still need to purchase the colorful student materials (printing those at home wouldn't look very good and would cost a small fortune in printer ink!), but getting the leader materials free online could end up saving a church up to $500 per year compared to what others would pay for a Dwell Digital subscription.
  • Children’s ministry coordinators can call (800-333-8300) to establish a free account for their CRC; then they can provide access links to their leaders so that they can also view and use the online resources free of charge.