Aslan’s Explorers

LifeQuest Community Church &
Crosspoint Free Methodist Church | Hilton, NY
Initiative: Resources and Curriculum Development for Midweek Program
2024 Grant: $5,000

Inspiring Faith, Literacy, and Life Skills through the World of Narnia

What started as a love for the Chronicles of Narnia series has become a full-fledged midweek program that runs from October to May, thanks to the collaboration of LifeQuest Community Church and Crosspoint Free Methodist Church. Aslan’s Explorers combines camping and outdoor activities with literacy and life skills development—all through the lens of becoming Kings and Queens for the Lord.

Pastor Rob Dickerson has always been a devoted C.S. Lewis fan, and he enjoys getting creative to incorporate some of C.S. Lewis’s work into his ministry with children. In fact, when The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe movie first came out, he spearheaded a Narnia-themed vacation Bible school over winter break that year. Today, almost 20 years later, he still has the same passion for inspiring youth by intersecting the whimsy of Narnia with the reality of following Jesus.

“My team and I wanted to create something that could reach both boys and girls—something that had scriptural discipleship elements, but also featured exciting, outdoor activities and life skills,” said Rob. “We started looking for curriculum like that, and we couldn’t find it. So we decided to build our own.”

Rob partnered with missionaries through his church to start developing Aslan’s Explorers, and their midweek program began to take shape. Through the Kingdom Advancing Grant, Aslan’s Explorers received $5,000, which will be used to purchase teaching materials, buy sets of the Narnia books for families that participate in the program, and develop video content for the curriculum.

“One of the most exciting things about the curriculum is that it’s going to be used outside of our own community,” said Rob. “We have content contributors from as far away as Scotland and across the United States. All our content creators will have access to use Aslan's Explorers in their communities to reach families for Christ.”

The program focuses on the four virtues of Narnia: bravery, kindness, humility, and faithfulness. Students from kindergarten through sixth grade can enroll in the program, and each year of the program is based on one of the Chronicles of Narnia books. Every week at Aslan’s Explorers, students experience a praise and worship time, group devotional, hands-on snack making, life skill development, Bible verse memorization, and more.

Rob hopes to inspire kids during program hours and to encourage families to engage in conversation with each other at home. Families that don’t have copies of the Narnia books when they enroll their kids in the camp will receive a set of the books to read together as they follow the camp curriculum.

https://www.crosspointfmc.org/
https://www.lifequest.cc/our-ministries

The Kingdom Advancing Grant supports innovative church programs and initiatives that are unique in the way they bring people closer to Jesus, that can be sustained over time, and that can be replicated by other Christian churches. Learn more about the Kingdom Advancing Grant and the Brotherhood Mutual Foundation, including the application deadline and eligibility requirements.