Ages 5-12 · Book 6, Faith · 4,299 places

Faith-Based After-School Program

After-school hours with something in them. Homework help, a story, and a value the children can name by the end of the term.

Built on Ellis Abel and the Disciple — “Difference isn't weakness. It's a gift.” The story carries the value; your church supplies the doctrine.

The five sessions

Session 1
Open with the story, not the lesson — the lesson lands after
Session 2
Small groups: what does moving forward scared look like at school
Session 3
Leaders model it first, with a real time they were the different one
Session 4
Each child writes the one step they will take before next week
Session 5
Follow up by name the following week and ask what happened

Questions leaders ask

Does faith-based after-school program in your area teach a particular denomination?

No. Ellis Abel is a character series built on named values — belonging, courage, accountability, self-mastery, empathy and faith. Book six treats faith as the choice to move forward while it is still hard. The story carries the value; your church supplies the doctrine. That is why the same material is used across traditions.

What ages does this work for?

Ages 5-12. The story is read aloud, so a child who cannot read yet is still fully in it, and the discussion questions are written in two bands so one leader can hold a mixed-age room.

Can volunteers in your area run this without training?

Yes. Every session has a leader script with the questions written out, a note for when nobody answers, and a timing column. A volunteer handed it the night before can run it.

How long is a session?

Thirty to forty-five minutes, structured as story, small group, and one step the child names out loud before they leave.

The rules that make it work

The story carries the value, the church supplies the doctrine

Ellis Abel is a character series. It teaches faith as perseverance and stops where doctrine begins, so a parish, a Baptist club and a co-op can all run it beside their own teaching.

Difference isn't weakness

The line on the cover of book six is the operating policy, not a slogan. A child whose participation looks different is participating.

Faith is a decision, not a mood

Children are told to feel confident and cannot make themselves. They can decide to take one more step, and that is teachable, repeatable and honest.

Volunteers are the constraint

Every session is written for an adult who was handed it the night before. Questions written out, timing in the margin, and a note for when nobody answers.