From us, to you

NOTE: Although we may be speaking from experience of teaching teen girls, the “what to teach” resources are just as applicable to use for women of any age — because it’s all about discussing Scripture. So enjoy also using these study bundles for a ladies’ class, women’s small group, college girls’ get-together, etc!

Teaching teen girls can seem like a daunting task. But it’s so much more than what it seems on the surface.

When I found the beauty of the Word of God as a teen, I couldn’t get enough of it. It gave me life in a way that nothing else did. And it still does today.

As teen girls, we hungrily searched for identity. And the years into womanhood are really no different, but rather on a different scale, as we try to find our purpose.

Which is why nearly five years ago, we started LIGHT group at our home congregation. We have seen such a difference in our teen girls and are so excited to share it with you!

We know what it’s like at each stage of teaching teen girls: starting with the idea, having dreams of what could be, starting everything somewhat awkwardly… but also getting to hear their thoughts, watching them grow in God, and being that ambassador of Christ for them in their daily lives.

So we set out to curate and organize what we’ve taught and how we’ve taught it to share with you. We want to help you as much as possible in preparing so you can spend your time in hosting, teaching, and encouraging these girls.

So whether you’re in the dreaming stage or ready-to-forge-ahead stage, let’s see what your next best step is!

The harvest is plentiful. This generation, like any other, has teen girls who are seeking God. And we want to be there for them as God’s hands and feet.

Our prayer is that we can be ambassadors for God in guiding these teen girls in God’s Truth (Acts 8:31) and in helping them keep their lamps burning for Him (Luke 12:35).

What to teach

Studies to teach teen girls or ladies

How to use a study

As you’re getting ready to teach, choose which book you’d like to study. We recommend starting with a LIGHT journal and then using these studies as accompaniments to teach through them!

Each study has four different pieces: teacher notes, lesson videos, phone wallpaper, and study calendars:
- Teacher notes: this gives you a thought and a question to share with each set of verses/a spread*
- Lesson videos: Rebecca talks through each set of verses/spread to help you think about what you’d focus on in teaching
- Phone wallpapers: these each have a different verse from the book of study and design that you can give the girls as reminders of what you are studying together!
- Study calendars: this is to help pace out studying through the journal, whether it’s for a 6-week, 12-week, 18-week, or 6-month timeframes

If you think you only need some of these pieces, here’s how you can get each of them below! If you would like all of them, check out the Study Bundle (with a discount) for all of them together!

Our prayer is that these will help you study God’s Word deeply in preparing so that as you share and nurture these girls in God, you will allow God to do the teaching through you!

*A spread is two pages in a LIGHT journal that goes over a set of verses

Breakdown of the pieces of a study (using Ephesians):

How to teach

Radiant

Definition: using a Radiant journal to teach pre-teen girls (4th-6th grade) the Bible, meeting once a week (around church time), a “bite-size” way to learn about God

Goal: helping pre-teen girls learn how to study the Bible and start to know their God

Price: individual ($25), for full course bundle ($110) see Evergreen Model

Rebecca and Maurisa talk through the starting and continuing a Radiant class, from using Radiant journals to the “celebration” at the end of the year in which the pre-teen girls share what they’ve learned. Below are the different sections as we talk about it all in 7 different videos:

- Intro
- Commit
- Build
- Prepare
- Share
- Nurture
- Radiant Celebration

This course gives you access to the videos that discuss all of the above in detail to help you plan and think through starting your own LIGHT group.

INCLUDED: an accompanying Radiant group workbook (digital download/printable). Each page in the workbook is a way for you to work through what we discuss in the videos so you can literally put pen to paper as you brainstorm!

LIGHT Group

Definition: using a LIGHT journal to teach teen girls (7th-12th grade) in God’s Word, meeting every 2-3 weeks in a home, eating together, and discussing life as a Christian

Goal: hosting, teaching, and encouraging teen girls in God by creating a spiritual haven in which they can safely grow in their walk with God

Price: individual ($50), for full course bundle ($110) see Evergreen Model

Rebecca, Rachel, and Deb (who started LIGHT group a few years ago) talk through each step of starting and continuing a LIGHT group with suggestions and stories as we strive to keep it simple for you! Below are the five different sections as we talk about it all in 23 different videos:

1 - Commit: this is the first step! Before we take this on, we have to be sure we are able and willing to be there for these teen girls because it’s not something that is low-priority. This is about being present for these girls as they struggle past what the devil is trying to say and instead know God and walk with Him.

2 - Build: this second step is about building your team. There are several different ways LIGHT Group can work, but you need to have a core team who will commit together to be teach and nurture these girls. This stage may take some time to find the right people, but we recommend it instead of trying to do it alone!

3 - Prepare: then it’s time to get everything together to host, teach, and encourage these girls. Without this step, the hosting can get chaotic, the teaching can become wrong, and the encouragement can be empty. But if we’re organized in hosting, if we are spending deep time in God’s Word to know what He wants us to share (instead of our opinions), and if we are filling ourselves up first with God, then we can let God

4 - Share: and then it’s time to share! We get to open Scripture to these girls and help them understand what their Creator and Savior is telling them. Sometimes we wrestle through certain passages until they get it and other times it’s as simple as a light bulb turning on in their heads. We discuss any questions they have, any thoughts they have, and we just enjoy sharing in the beauty of God’s applicable Word.

5 - Nurture: this is the last step and yet it can go on for as long as God allows! This is when we get to be the hands and feet of Jesus to these girls. LIGHT Group is a lot of group discussion and activities, but there are times when these girls need one-on-one encouragement, support, or mentorship. And that’s what we build toward. Whether it’s simple or more complex, we are honored to let God work through us to be there for His daughters as they grow in Him!

This course gives you access to the videos that discuss all of the above in detail to help you plan and think through starting your own LIGHT group.

INCLUDED: an accompanying LIGHT group workbook (digital download/printable). Each page in the workbook is a way for you to work through what we discuss in the videos so you can literally put pen to paper as you brainstorm!

LIGHT Retreat

Definition: teen girls hosting and teaching a ladies’ day for the women in your home congregation

Goal: to teach teen girls how to serve in the Family of God, whether by hosting, teaching (ladies), or encouraging others in God

Price: individual ($50), for full course bundle ($110) see Evergreen Model

This course is all about hosting a LIGHT Retreat event! Rebecca, Rachel, and sometimes Deb (who started LIGHT retreat a few years ago) talk through each step of the event planning and the preparation that goes into studying God’s Word to share (with the teens to then share with the ladies)! We’ve broken down how to do everything in the videos below, each in seven different sections with 28 different videos:

1 - The Vision: before we get started, we need to know what it is we’re planning! This section goes through the overview of the weekend, our goals for the girls and the ladies, and the logistics of organizing the event.

2 - Appoint: next, we need to know how who to ask to help make this happen! This section goes through each “job” that would need to be done and details for you to think through before asking one of the ladies from the congregation to help.

3 - Plan: and then it’s time to plan it all out! Knowing what to teach, what the schedule is, what crafts to prepare, what gifts to gather, what activities to plan, and what decor to get together… all of that is addressed here!

4 - Invite: following that, we can then invite the girls and the ladies (as well as the guides — ladies who specifically help the teen girls prepare to teach)!

5 - The Event: and then it’s time for the event! Everything is in place for the girls to come for the weekend as they bond and preparing for the ladies, and then for the ladies, as they come for an afternoon of rest in God’s Word hosted and presented by the teen girls!

6 - Debrief: the last section is for all of us to think the weekend — first for the girls, then the ladies, and the team!

It’s a wonderful time of encouragement, both for the teen girls and the ladies. This course gives you access to the videos that discuss all of the above in detail to help you plan and think through organizing your own LIGHT retreat.

INCLUDED: an accompanying LIGHT retreat workbook (digital download/printable). Each page in the workbook is a way for you to work through what we discuss in the videos so you can literally put pen to paper as you brainstorm!

(Retreat packages coming soon!)

A community

The Teacher Membership

Definition: a membership that gives Christian ladies access to the “what” (study bundles) and “how” (Evergreen model) of teaching teen girls, pre-teen girls, and ladies along with a community where they can ask questions and be encouraged by other like-minded ladies in Christ

Goal: to build a community of Christ-following women to support each other, to answer questions from Scripture or as asked by the teen girls, and to encourage each other as we help keep lamps burning for God (Luke 12:35) and guide teen girls in the Truth (Acts 8:31)

Price: $35/month

Access to study bundles & model

This is why we do what we do.

  • “Do you understand what you are reading?”

    An Ethiopian court official (a Gentile!) was traveling back from Jerusalem, where he had gone to worship God. And on his way home, he was reading from Isaiah.

    His heart was seeking! Just like many hearts today…

    And Philip asked him if he understood. The man’s answer?

  • “How can I, unless someone guides me?”

    It’s heartbreaking.

    Imagine if Philip hadn’t come like God had asked him. Imagine if the end of the story was that there was no one around to guide him— or, worse, that there were people who knew the Truth but no one who was willing to share it.

    But that’s not the end of the story. Because God was taking care of the court official’s seeking heart, just like he is there for the hearts seeking Him today. He is reaching them through his people (like Philip).

  • The question for us is... are we ready?

    Philip was ready.

    When God told him to go down the road that went from Jerusalem to Gaza, Philip didn't question it. He rose and went. And when God told him to go join the chariot, Philip didn't hesitate. He ran.

    It doesn’t take much. God just needs his people to follow through with what he has asked of us. And when we do, we inevitably stand amazed at what he does!

    We just need to be ready— ready for God and ready to help others that he puts in our path.

Join now!

They are seeking.

I wish I could remember all of the questions and conversations we have had with our teen girls these past few years to share some with you. Some are deeper than others, but the fact remains: they are seeking. The sad thing is the devil is good at telling them (and us) that what we are seeking isn’t God, but the world. Will we let them struggle or will we share the Truth in love as Christ would?

From elders and elders’ wives at West Side Church of Christ

What our girls have to say about LIGHT group.

  • It's a great way to connect with others girls with the same beliefs. We can just talk for hours. The journals have taught me so much.

  • LIGHT group is a special place that I can talk and have fun with a special group of girls. I enjoy being able to have a place to come to and unwind and just have a really good time.

  • LIGHT group is something that has become important to me over the years we've been doing it. I enjoy the friendships that have developed.

  • It means I get to be in an environment where other women get to study the Bible with me and we can grow together.

  • It means a safe environment that I can discuss the Bible in.

  • LIGHT group means time with the youth group girls spent bonding and laughing.

  • It's a safe place for me.

What the parents have to say about LIGHT group.

  • The meetings are great!

  • I love having my girls with other girls in the youth group.

  • I love [LIGHT group]! From a mom's perspective I am so thankful for this study and the encouragement they have to get into the word and study.

  • It's very meaningful for [girl] and she always looks forward to participating each time the group meets. She always tried to be prepared and have her journal filled out timely. It's very helpful for the girls to get together to encourage each other and discuss real life issues that affect them every day and how their faith in God can help them overcome these difficulties.

What other elders and elders’ wives have to say about LIGHT group:

  • The LIGHT group has been a blessing to the West Side church. As a result of much time and effort poured into these young ladies, many of them participated in a ladies retreat speaking in front of groups of women. It has been an encouragement to watch these young ladies grow in their faith. This is a wonderful way to mentor young women in the church.

  • I have been encouraged to see how this is affecting the lives of our young women at West Side.

  • I hear many excellent comments about the work that [those with LIGHT group] have done to "build up" the young ladies and to help them understand their value in God's Kingdom.