Memory Program

The Session of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North Hills (RPCNH), having received the recommendation of the Christian Education Committee, has adopted a Congregational memory program.  It is the hope of the session that this will be a tool that will 1) assist parents in the spiritual training of their children and 2) encourage memorization by all members of the RPCNH.  A description of the program follows:

Content:

The scripture passages we will work on memorizing as a congregation will be taken from a five year sequence developed by Truth:78.  Truth:78 calls their selection of verses “Fighter Verses”  (The length of the passages range from 1-3 verses in a unit.)  We currently use curriculum published by Truth:78 in our Lower and Upper Elementary Classes during our morning Christian Education classes, so there will be a degree of natural overlap between class content and scripture memorization.  We will also work on memorizing one question selected from the Westminster Shorter Catechism every two weeks.  Children under the age of 12, will memorize one corresponding question selected from the Children’s Catechism.  All “Fighter Verses” will be memorized in ESV, the translation found in our pew bibles.

Administration of the Program:

Each week a bulletin insert will publish the following materials:

1) The memory verse from the previous week
2) The memory verse for the upcoming week
3) A question from the Westminster Shorter Catechism (one every two weeks)
4) A question from the Children’s Catechism, that parallels the selection taken from the Westminster Shorter Catechism.
5) The memory verses and Catechism questions will be recited during announcements and led by the presiding elder for the week.
6) Our evening classes will also be used as an opportunity for review.

Also, each week the main page of the church website will be updated to reference the memory verse and Catechism questions.  It also provides links through Truth:78 where one can hear the verse set to music, and to the text of the catechism questions.  The bulletin inserts can also be downloaded from this page.

Charitable Donation:

Participants in the yearly memory work program also have the opportunity to raise money for a charity suggested by the C.E. committee and approved by the session.  (for example, the Bongolo Hospital in Gabon, the Light of Life mission in downtown Pittsburgh, etc.)

  • A credit of $1/verse is given, up to 5 verses/week.
    • Young children may, at the discretion of their parents, recite only the underlined portion of the verse as found in the weekly bulletin and still receive credit.
  • Cumulative recitation at the end of each “quarter” will result in an additional award: $15.00/person.  Requirements:
    • Participant must have memorized one verse per week.
    • Participant must recite all 13 verses from the preceding quarter at the same recitation.
  • Each participant is responsible to find their own “listener”. (Preferably not their own parents.)
  • Listener reports to a central coordinator, who is responsible to help (and monitor) children in the addition of their sticker to the chart.
    • Stickers are placed weekly, so we can see the progress.
  • Any legitimate translation will be acceptable for recitation, however congregational recitation during the announcement period will occur in ESV, the translation of our pew bible. Paraphrases such as “the Message” or “Good News for Modern Man” are not acceptable.
    • Members working on bible memory programs other than the “Fighter Verses” are encouraged to use the verses from their programs towards credit in the church program.

Resources:

Shorter Catechism set to music:  https://www.reformedmusic.com/
Children’s Catechism set to music: http://www.askmewhooo.com/series.html or https://crownandcovenant.com/ (412-241-0436) Ask for the CD entitled Teach Them the Faith
Fighter verses set to music:  https://www.truth78.org/fv-products
Truth:78 offers the following resources on its website:

  • A memory App for Android, Apple, and Kindle
  • Make your own memory Cards
  • Devotionals for each memory verse (helpful for family worship!)
  • Actual memory cards
  • Bookmarks with memory verses
  • Progress charts

This is a parent-driven program, with each family being responsible for what they wish their children to learn. Obtaining signatures from members of the congregation encourages us to fulfill our membership vows and promotes inter-generational relationships.  The session hopes that this program will be easier for families to manage as each member of the family will be working on the same materials simultaneously.  Further, it is hoped that by congregational participation in the program, we as the people of God, will demonstrate the value of the Word of God to visitors and be further built together as we are conformed to the Word together.  Finally, it is hoped that these changes to our memory program will free the teachers in our morning Christian Education classes to focus on the excellent content of the curriculum.

As an alternative resource, the previous memory work program developed by the Reformed Presbyterian Church of the North Hills can be found here.