Before You Start
As soon as your program is scheduled, prepare a calendar with the dates for each session. The more co-leaders and parent volunteers a program includes, the more useful a calendar will be.
Look through the entire curriculum to get an idea of how it moves and which parts you wish to use. Watch carefully for activities, especially Faith in Action activities, for which you might want assistance from other adults in your congregation, and make appropriate notes on the calendar so you can schedule them well in advance.
Post your calendar in your shared meeting space, and duplicate it for each adult leader. Also, if possible, make it available electronically to families, youth, and adult participants.
Communications to parents and families can boost the impact of Amazing Grace. Keep everyone informed of what you are doing, by postcard, email, or in person. Establish a regular way to distribute Taking It Home resources on paper or by email.
Be sure to share your enthusiasm for Amazing Grace with your youth as well as with their families. Sixth graders typically rely on parents for transportation. Their wish to attend your program may be enough to get the whole family into the car.
Name tags are an option in Amazing Grace's materials lists. You should probably use them at least for your first session or two, and again after that if you sense that the group continues to need them.