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You’ve probably heard of The Great Adventure Bible Timeline, a popular Bible study program for Catholics from Ascension Press. Parents and educators will be happy to learn that now there is a version of the program just for middle school students!
Encounter is a Catholic Bible study designed specifically for grades 6 to 8. Using the color-coded Bible Timeline Learning System, Encounter reveals the story of our faith and God’s plan for our lives, guiding students toward encounter with God.
Encounter is designed to speak directly to the hearts and minds of middle school-aged kids. The goal is that students will come to a new and profound understanding of who God is—not a distant doctrinal concept, but a loving Father who desires a meaningful and lasting encounter with them.
I had the chance to catch up with Mark Hart, author of the Encounter Bible study for middle schoolers. Hart serves as chief innovation officer for Life Teen International. A graduate of the University of Notre Dame and a 28-year veteran of youth ministry, Mark is a best-selling author of over 20 books, a daily radio host on SiriusXM and an award-winning writer and producer. A popular speaker, Mark is known for his humor and passion for Scripture.
His multiple video series with Ascension – Venture, Encounter, Altaration and The 99 – have helped millions of Catholics, young and old, begin to read and study the Bible and engage their faith in exciting and relevant new ways. A master catechist, Mark also serves as a book editor, speaking coach, publishing and marketing consultant, and as a research fellow for the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology. He and his wife, Melanie, live in Phoenix, Arizona with their four children.
Here is our conversation.
Why do middle schoolers need to read the Bible?
Middle school is a crucial time and age for emotional, moral, and spiritual formation. It’s in the middle school years that young minds and hearts will be formed — but by whom?
In the Bible we learn of not only our origins but our identity as sons and daughters of God. In Scripture we are not so lost as much as we are found, and our lives are seen through a lens of far greater meaning once we understand how God moves and “thinks” and all He desires for us.
Why a Bible program just for this age?
Middle school is a tricky and challenging time for both preteens (or teens!), and their parents. Scripture is already hard enough to understand for adults. Great and intentional care must be given when translating and communicating the timeless Word of God in a timely way to a generation and demographic immersed in insecurity, awkwardness, peer pressure, and social discomfort.
Middle school is a critical time in a young person’s moral development and emotional maturation, and there is no more crucial thing to hand onto them than a greater understanding of their true identity and purpose for life.
How was the timeline customized to fit this age group?
The themes and characters focused on in Encounter were prayerfully and strategically chosen. Modern middle schoolers will connect with themes like peer pressure, bullying, insecurity, and temptation that they and their peers face on a weekly basis.
The characters and stories not only stay true to the original Bible timeline but take middle schoolers into a deeper level of contemplation and understanding, allowing them to find their own story in the stories of others.
How can parents and teachers encourage young people to grow in faith?
It’s in the example of adults — parents, teachers, aunts/uncles, Godparents — that young people are most inspired. If you want to see a young soul grow in reverence, then they need to see your love for God in your own words, in your own actions.
Kids should witness a parent’s faith in the way they pray, genuflect, bow or kneel, receive Communion, and practice their faith. It’s said that the faith is caught more than taught. If we want to raise saints… we need to become saints ourselves.
What do you want people to know about Encounter?
This is not your typical Bible study! From the humor to the animations, from the storytelling to the graphics, this is a fast-paced, engaging, and fun trip through the Bible. Encounter is designed to get middle schoolers thinking, talking… and praying.
