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Editor: Jon Messer is education coordinator for the Center for Baptist Heritage & Studies in Richmond, Virginia. He is a seminary graduate with a Master of Divinity with Christian Education degree and has worked as a children’s minister, Minister of Education and Family Ministry consultant. His love for children and desire to prepare a firm foundation upon which children can grow led to the creation and publication of Heritage Seekers magazine. If you would like to contact Jon please email him at editor@heritageseekers.org

Advisory Board: An advisory board was brought together to discuss the concept of a children’s magazine devoted to teaching Baptist heritage using the family as the teaching setting. The advisory board consists of leaders in the area of children’s ministry and writing who have shown themselves to be advocates of Baptist principles in their work environments. The advisory board discussed each content area of the magazine, the concepts being proposed, some design elements as well as suggestions for making the product more user-friendly for the parents and the children. The advisory board was consulted on an ongoing basis during the first several issues to help create and sustain a high quality children’s magazine that benefits children, parents and local Baptist congregations. The following members are on the advisory board of Heritage Seekers.

Educational Theory: Heritage Seekers is a 24-page, plus an 8 page family guide, magazine produced quarterly by the Center for Baptist Heritage & Studies for children 8-12 years old. The magazine is designed to teach children timeless Baptist principles through stories introduced by C. J. Key, the children’s guide for every issue. Every issue focuses on one Baptist principle or distinctive. Each issue contains a story about an historic Baptist figure to help explain the issue’s theme from a past perspective and a current story about a Baptist figure of today to explain the issue’s theme from a current perspective. The principle is explained in the child’s terms in a separate article. The children are also introduced to related Baptist stories through the “eyes” of C. J. Key’s “family”. To further enhance the child’s ability to grasp the concept of the issue, games and activities are used.rn

Recent brain research indicates that learners learn best when given a comfortable, familiar environment in which to learn. This is best accomplished in the magazine format by providing a consistent but challenging product. The child needs to know that certain components will always be a part of the magazine although the components will look different from issue to issue. Children within this age range also seek ritual as part of the learning process. The C. J. Key character provides the ritualistic aspect for the children to follow throughout each issue and will guide the children’s learning process.

Brain research also indicates the importance of multiple age groups and multiple learning styles. Each issue will present other children pursuing the concept of the current or previous issue which provides the child with feedback from peers and older/younger children. The use of multiple means to introduce the concept being taught allows the child to engage the content within many different facets in order to process the information.

The desire to learn about values or to discover who we are is innate to the human brain and is the content of learning about heritage. This vital concept, heritage, needs to be taught to children to satisfy the brain’s natural desire for this information at one of the most important times in human development: 8-12 years of age. Heritage Seekers does not want to simply teach children principles or historical facts but desires for the children to engage in learning by doing these time-honored principles. The movement from information to formation is intentional in this magazine and will be addressed using the activities, children’s stories and the family guide to engage in “doing” these principles. Since cultural context is important and the setting for teaching these principles is limited Heritage Seekers has chosen a different educational approach.

The educational approach guiding Heritage Seekers is unique to teaching heritage. Children learn best in the family setting so it is therefore important to provide adequate support within the family structure to teach the heritage component. Heritage Seekers provides this support through a family guide, website support, and interactive components for the parent/guardian and children. Heritage Seekers wants to create a learning environment that fully immerse the children in a unique educational experience that is well organized and clearly put forth.

Writers: Each issue is written by different writers. A husband and wife team of religious educators, Nancy and Leon Castle of Charlottesville, Virginia, wrote the premier issue. Nancy is a graduate of Mary Baldwin College and attended the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. She is a free lance writer and consultant who has written broadly and widely for many Baptist publications. Leon Castle is a graduate of Carson-Newman College and received his master''s degree from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has served several churches, primarily as a minister of education, in Virginia, Kentucky, Georgia and Tennessee. In his long career, he has served as a design editor and editor of children''s materials for several Baptist organizations. The Virginia Baptist Religious Education Association honored Leon Castle with its Distinguished Christian Educator Award in 1992. Smyth-Helwys Publishing Company recognized him with its Excellence in Christian Education award. Nancy and Leon Castle have practiced Christian education in their own family that includes three grown children and seven grandchildren. If you are interested in writing for Heritage Seekers magazine please send an email to editor@heritageseekers.org with Writer Info in the subject line.

Information about C.J. Key: C. J. Key is a cartoon character key designed after the key from the lock and key of Culpeper Jail housed in the Virginia Baptist Historical Society. The story of the Culpeper Jail, in particular James Ireland and the struggle for Religious Liberty, serves as an entry point into Baptist Heritage. The "key" represents the ability to unlock and open doors for new discovery by the children. The age group targeted by Heritage Seekers, 8-12 year olds, desire consistency in their routines. C. J. Key is the consistent factor for the children in every issue. The children will have the ability to write to C. J. and ask heritage questions and will receive a birthday greeting from C. J. during their birthday month. All stories in the magazine will be told from C. J.’s perspective or at least will begin with his perspective.

One of the most important pages in a magazine is the inside front cover and first page. These pages are read the most and read first. To take advantage of this fact and to give the children the needed learning markers, C. J. will introduce the children to the concept of each issue on these two pages. This will provide the children with the information about what they will be learning, how they will be learning and what they are expected to do with this information.

The inaugural magazine will tell C. J.’s story and the importance of the Culpeper jail to Baptist heritage. C.J. will point out the importance of heritage and the difference between heritage and history. A simple definition such as "History informs, Heritage transforms" or "History is facts, Heritage is meaning" will be used to give the child a clear understanding of this vital difference.

The Key character was drawn by a professional graphic artist and is a trademark of the Center for Baptist Heritage & Studies.

About the Center Link: www.baptistheritage.org

Info about the Center: Established in 2000 following an agreement between the Baptist General Association of Virginia, the University of Richmond and the Virginia Baptist Historical Society, the Center for Baptist Heritage & Studies seeks to champion Baptist distinctives and Baptist heritage and to provide educational opportunities related to Baptist distinctives, history and heritage.

It accomplishes its mission in numerous ways, including making available Baptist records and historical materials and through serving as a research and resource center. The Center offers academic and special interest courses through the School of Continuing Studies at the University of Richmond. The Center also presents lectures, seminars, and workshops.

Center Board is represented by three organizations: the Virginia Baptist Historical Society, the Virginia Baptist Mission Board and the University of Richmond.

Center for Baptist Heritage & Studies, P.O. Box 34, University of Richmond, VA 23173, 804-289-8434