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Revised God Loves Me Storybooks Now Available

November 24, 2015

Faith Formation Ministries has published newly revised editions of the popular God Loves Me storybooks. The series is published under the Faith Alive Christian Resources imprint.

More than one third of the 52 books—all of which focus on teaching lessons of faith to preschool aged children at church and at home—received updates which include vibrant, new artwork and updated learning-through-play activities, said Karen Deboer, a member of the Faith Formation Ministries team.

“Old photos were replaced with photos that represent the diversity of all God's children and the illustrations are either new or brightened up, with improved skin tones to more accurately reflect the Old and New Testament cultural context in which the figures lived,” she said.

“The books have more durable covers, and the colorful box that holds each set of the books has a sturdier design.”

Support for this publishing venture came as the result of a process known as crowdfunding. Through this, people pre-ordered and paid for the books at a reduced price, which then allowed the ministries to move forward to publish the series. 

Individuals who pre-ordered the books have received their shipments. Meanwhile, the resource is now available to anyone by contacting Faith Alive Christian Resources.

Revised in 2015 to provide a more contemporary look, each book in the series retells a Bible story in simple language that young children can understand, a prayer, and suggestions for the activities.

Children will learn about God's creation and people such as Abraham, Hannah, David, Simeon, Anna, Peter, Jesus and Paul—and all the stories in between.

 Deboer said the series has been in existence for 16 years and had been primarily used among children in preschool ministries in churches.

But new research has shown that, while church ministries remain important for nourishing the faith of children, the home has increasingly become the place where spiritual formation occurs.

“So when Faith Formation Ministries had the opportunity to revise and update God Loves Me, we saw it as an opportunity both to equip congregations and to support parents as they nurture the faith of children at home," she said.

The crowdfunding campaign—the first of its kind that the CRC has launched for a project such as this—reached the necessary threshold of  $35,000 in revenue, said Tim Postuma, the CRC’s web manager.

“This crowdfunding campaign allowed us to explore a new way to fund publishing projects, and allowed churches and individuals to become more active in the process,” he said.

For more information, view CRC News or visit The Network..