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FaithWeaver Friends Support Home » FaithWeaver Friends FAQs

FaithWeaver Friends®
The children’s midweek Bible curriculum that really reaches out!


  1. Who publishes FaithWeaver Friends?
  2. Does FaithWeaver Friends include any memory work?
  3. How many sessions are in FaithWeaver Friends?
  4. How long is a FaithWeaver Friends program?
  5. How can I customize FaithWeaver Friends for my church?
  6. Do you have resources for children and youth older than 5th grade?
  7. What is the Director Manual and how is it different from the Director Quarterly Update?
  8. Are any of the FaithWeaver Friends resources reproducible?
  9. Are the FaithWeaver Friends resources annual or quarterly?
  10. What is a Boomwhacker™?
  11. Where can I find Boomwhacker notations?
  12. How does FaithWeaver Friends fit in with the rest of the FaithWeaver® family?
  13. Do Kindergarteners go to the preschool or elementary program?
  14. Why are multi-age groups valuable?
  15. What are Fruit of the Spirit Keys?
  16. What are Dogtags?
  17. What is the difference between Dogtags and Keys?
  18. How can I ask questions or make suggestions to the FaithWeaver Friends program?
  19. What does R.E.A.L. Learning stand for?

1. Who Publishes FaithWeaver Friends?
Group Publishing, Inc., an interdenominational Christian publisher whose mission is to equip churches to help children, youth, and adults grow in their relationship with Jesus. To learn more about Group Publishing, Inc., go to www.group.com

2. Does FaithWeaver Friends include any memory work?
Each week, kids learn a Bible Point. If you incorporate memory verses into your program, children will hide God’s Word in their hearts by memorizing and understanding key Scripture passages during the Music & Memory Discovery Center.

Friends helps to know, understand, and memorize God’s Word in child-friendly ways. Music and unforgettable activities help kids capture both the words and the meaning of key verses. Plant Bible truths in kids’ hearts and minds in ways that stick.

3. How many sessions are in FaithWeaver Friends?
Each quarter of Friends includes programs for 13 Bible sessions. There are three quarters, and there are three years' worth of resources (nine quarters in all) before the stories repeat. Then they’ll experience the stories again with a fresh new perspective as they grow in faith, along with some new activities. And eventually you’ll have kids that will be back as youth leaders and adult leaders, your “Forever Friends!”

4. How long is a FaithWeaver Friends program?
Whether you have 45 minutes or 2 hours, Friends fits your needs. Friends is flexible. If you have more or less time, you can lengthen the amount of time spent in Discovery Centers or just pick the Discovery Centers that are best for the kids in your program. The Director Manual includes information about scheduling options for customizing your program to meet your needs and time.

5. How can I customize FaithWeaver Friends for my church?
Think of Friends as a train. The engine is the Opening Celebration — it revs up the entire meeting and starts the program rolling each week. Right behind the engine are six train "cars," the five Discovery Centers, and Journaling Time. Next there’s the caboose: The Closing Celebration.

Each piece is exactly the same size, so you can put your train together with whatever “cars” you want. You’ll always include the Opening Celebration, where kids hear the Bible story, and the Journaling Time where they reflect on what God has taught them. And the Closing Celebration is where kids receive keys to celebrate completed service projects and spiritual growth. Every part of the train reinforces the day’s Bible Point and story. So mixing and matching the pieces of the program doesn’t compromise its effectiveness one bit.

The Director Manual includes more information and sample schedules for you.

6. Do you have resources for children and youth older than 5th grade?
While Friends does not provide specific resources for older children, youth, and adults, this group makes great assistant leaders and leaders for Circles of Friends and for Discovery Centers. Older children and youth also make great Preschool helpers.

7. What is the Director Manual and how is it different from the Director Quarterly Update?
This is a one-time purchase. The Director Manual includes annual planning and organizing tips, recruiting helps, job descriptions, publicity ideas, registration information, and more.

The Director Quarterly Updates include quarterly specific helps, comprehensive supply lists, and quarterly service project information. A copy is included in your quarterly kit.

8. Are any of the FaithWeaver Friends resources reproducible?
The Director Manual includes some pages that are designated “OK to copy.” These pages are great tools and time-savers for use in planning schedules, recruiting volunteers, publicizing your events, registration. and more! The song lyrics in the Music & Memory leader guide are “OK to make one copy” so you can make a transparency or PowerPoint slide for kids to see the words. There is also a visitor journal page in the Director Quarterly Update that can be reproduced so visiting kids have a page to use during journaling time.

9. Are the FaithWeaver Friends resources annual or quarterly?
Most of the resources are quarterly. Some of the support materials are annual or one-time purchases. The leader guides, journals, stickers, and preschool dogtags are quarterly. Most of the keys can be used throughout the year.

You can begin FaithWeaver Friends with any quarter.

10. What is a Boomwhacker™?
A Boomwhacker is a color-coded, tuned percussion tube. With a set of 13 Boomwhackers, everyone can get involved in praising God. Even kids who can’t read music quickly discover they can participate in praise songs and even help lead songs!

11. Where can I find Boomwhacker™ notations?
The Music & Memory Leader Guide includes Boomwhacker notations for easy use!

12. How does FaithWeaver Friends fit in with the rest of the FaithWeaver family?
The FaithWeaver family of resources includes Sunday school, children’s church, and midweek (FaithWeaver Friends). Because each product uses the same Scope and Sequence, children explore the same Bible story in Sunday school, children’s church, and at Friends, each with a different focus. This integrated approach helps kids cement Bible learning in ways that stick for a lifetime and lets the learning go deep in their lives. To review any of the FaithWeaver family of products, ask your curriculum supplier or visit the FaithWeaver website at www.FaithWeaver.com.

13. Do Kindergarteners go to the preschool or elementary program?
You have the option! If you have a preschool program and an elementary program, we’d suggest they go with the preschoolers, but you can make the choice for your particular group of kids.

If you only offer the elementary program but want to include kindergarteners, you have a couple of options. You can designate some of your Circle of Friends to just be kindergarteners, with all of your other Circles being multi-age groups. OR you could have some Circles be for kindergarteners through 2nd grade and the rest be 3rd through 5th grade Circles. That way you can take advantage of multi-age groupings. With this option, you can have the elementary kids use the preschool journal which doesn’t require children to write.

14. Why are multi-age groups valuable?
Think of multi-age groups as “families” of learners. And just like in real families, older children help younger ones master new skills, learn by example, and have a chance to practice what they’re learning. Older children enjoy being the “big kids” too and having an opportunity to show their stuff! Give them the opportunity and they’ll rise to meet your expectations.

15. What are Fruit of the Spirit Keys?
Fruit of the Spirit Keys are inexpensive, fun tokens you can use to celebrate kids’ spiritual growth. When you see a child display, in action, a characteristic such as love, joy, or another Fruit of the Spirit, you can give that child a “key” to celebrate what God is doing in his or her life. Keys also help children to notice Christ-like qualities in others, too! When a child receives a Fruit of the Spirit Key, give that child a second key that they can give to another child outside of Friends as a means of outreach. Each quarter, a different Fruit of the Spirit is emphasized in Friends.

16. What are Dogtags?
Dogtags are used to reinforce the Bible Point for preschoolers. These plastic “tyke-proof” Dogtags are given to preschoolers each week after they experience the Bible story. Each child will place a colorful Bible Story Sticker on their Dogtag to help them remember the Bible story, and they can share what they have learned with mom and dad! Preschoolers keep their Dogtags on their own personal Doggie Collar.

17. What is the difference between Dogtags and Keys?
Very simply, Dogtags are for preschoolers, and Keys are for elementary-aged kids. Fruit of the Spirit Keys are given to elementary kids, as gifts, when they display a characteristic of the Fruit of the Spirit. Dogtags are given to preschoolers, each week, to help reinforce the Bible Point.

18. How can I ask questions or make suggestions?
We’d love to hear from you! You can go to the FaithWeaver Friends message board. You can also talk to other FaithWeaver Friends leaders and directors through the message board to get tips, ask questions, or share stories.

You can send an e-mail to info@grouppublishing.com, or send us a letter (Group Publishing, Inc., ATTN: FaithWeaver Friends, P.O. Box 485, Loveland, CO 80539). Or stop in! We give tours every Tuesday afternoon. We love meeting our Friends face to face!

19. What does R.E.A.L. Learning stand for?
The R.E.A.L. guarantee from Group Publishing is real! FaithWeaver Friends is Relational, Experiential, Applicable, and Learner-Based. Every activity is purposefully designed to involve the child and communicate the Bible Point of that day’s lesson. Children don’t just memorize a lesson in their heads, they embrace the biblical truth with their hearts. R.E.A.L. Learning ensures Group resources produce lasting, life-changing results.