Scripture Union

The mission of Scripture Union (SU) is to "help children, young people and their families know God's love, follow Jesus and meet God daily in His Word." We conduct evangelism and discipleship programs for children/youth/families in Pittsburgh, western PA and across the country. We partner with churches to make God's Good News known among children/youth through a variety of methods. These include PrimeTime® faith-based after school programs and SuperKids™ summer outreach.

Scripture Union/USA is headquartered in Valley Forge, PA and is part of a worldwide fellowship of Scripture Union ministries in over 130 countries (Scripture Union International). Each Scripture Union movement is autonomous. There are currently 4.5 million people who use Scripture Union Bible reading guides worldwide.

In 2011, Scripture Union officially launched work in the Pittsburgh region. Two part time program staff were hired and 25 volunteers were recruited. A Regional Council (or Board of Directors) was also formed.

The first major ministry effort in the new Pittsburgh region was to promote and launch a City-wide Bible Reading Initiative in Pittsburgh and western Pennsylvania, which focused on the "Essential 100" passages of Scripture. This "E100" Initiative involved more than 250 local churches and enabled thousands of people to experience the Bible's life-changing message. It also included a specific focus to reach the next generation, especially introducing at-risk children, who are outside the influence of the church, to the Bible and God's love.

Scripture Union Pittsburgh's vision is to create a grass roots network of Bible-based afterschool and summer programs for at-risk and/or un-churched children throughout the Pittsburgh region. PrimeTime for Kids® is our faith-based after school program aimed at children ages 6-12. SuperKids® is the anywhere, anytime outreach program for children. It is often used by churches for their summer youth programming. Our hope is that each of the children reached through a SuperKids® program can continue and maintain that connection through a local Primetime® afterschool program.

The specific neighborhoods in the Pittsburgh region in which we are working with churches in support of at-risk children and will concentrate our work are East Liberty, Homewood, Lincoln-Lemington, North Side, Penn Hills, Rankin and Wilkinsburg.

For two consecutive summers, Scripture Union engaged the Barna Group to survey the children who attended SuperKids®. The survey showed that after participating in SuperKids®, 90% of the children felt more loved by God, and 80% said they learned more about the Bible. Barna's research also indicates that 85% of those who make a decision for Christ do so between the ages of 4 and 14.

SU focuses on ministry to children because childhood is the best time to begin a lifetime relationship with God. Recent studies by the Barna Group, a national research organization, found that the pre-teen years are the most fertile and critical for a person's faith formation. Barna's research affirmed what parents and educators have known for some time: a person's life-long behaviors and attitudes, including their spiritual beliefs, are developed during childhood.

Scripture Union is an organization of volunteers united by a common commitment to meeting God in His Word and sharing God's love with children, young people and their families. We have a small number of dedicated staff who train and equip volunteers to minister to children and to introduce people to the rewards of regular Bible reading.

In carrying out our mission, we partner with organizations such as the Salvation Army as well as local churches to deliver creative outreach programs that introduce children to Jesus and teach them about God's love. A growing partnership with The American Bible Society is intended to help engage people across the country in a new or renewed experience of meeting God through reading His Word.

Scripture Union's ministry focuses in two vital areas: children and the Bible. We strive to share God's love with children and lead them to follow Jesus in obedience to Jesus' command to "let the little children come to me and not hinder them" (Mark 10:14). We work to help people of all ages to meet God every day through Bible reading and prayer because God's word is truly "a lamp to my feet and a light to my path" for all who read and obey it (Psalm 119:105). But why these two areas, children and the Bible, together?