ROOTS is ecumenical in process, development and production. The new developments have been shaped by feedback from ROOTS users in all roles in worship and learning in their churches, and advice from leading practitioners across the denominations.

ROOTS is a flexible resource for churches today, designed to meet the needs of churches in the 21st century, and offering material which can easily be adapted to suit a wide range of patterns and styles of worship and learning.

ROOTS is structured around the Revised Common Lectionary. Each week, ROOTS offers a common thread in the materials across the age range and over both the magazines, so that everyone will have the opportunity to explore the same thread.

ROOTS resources: Tried, tested, trusted . . . and now even better!

From our September/October 2008 issue ROOTS Worship will be called ROOTS Adult & All Age - a clearer title to describe the content. In ROOTS Children & Young People the weekly materials are simplified, but still offer plenty of variety to choose from.

In ROOTS Adult & All Age you will find notes on the Lectionary passages; prayers and ideas for a focal point to prepare the congregation for worship; a selection of prayers for use at different times of worship; jumping off points for sermon preparation; and ideas for times when all ages worship together.

ROOTS Children & Young People provides resources for worshipping and learning with children and young people aged from three up to about 16 years old, with material that can be used with mixed age groups or in age-banded groups; practical advice and guidance; seasonal materials; prayers, reflections and ideas for music; art and craft work; with material presented in two main sections to simplify planning.

On the website to supplement ROOTS Adult & All Age you will find additional prayers; Fast response; drama sketches and supplementary material; the lectionary passages and direction of focus for the next six months. To supplement ROOTS Children & Young People you will find an original story which reflects the events in the Bible passage in a contemporary setting; downloadable templates for craft activities; more prayers; in-depth notes on the Bible passages; and of course our new Take-home sheet for parents and children; and the ROOTS archive.

The best way to find out how ROOTS can help you to help your church is to try it for yourself!

Try out the magazines
You can download sample pages with the new design and materials from the week of 7 September below. You will need Acrobat Reader, as the sampler is in PDF format. Just click on the thumbnail image below to start downloading the PDF file for the magazine you want. The file sizes are given underneath each image. If you are having difficulty downloading these files - or if you would simply prefer - email with your postal address and we will send you a copy of our new 16-page sampler which includes this material.

The website is currently being refreshed to match the magazines' appearance and you will be able to browse a new sample area after the beginning of July 2008. If you have any queries about the website in the meantime, please email Peter Nicholls, the Web Editor ()

ROOTS Adult & All Age				ROOTS Children and Young People
		Click above for ROOTS AAA sample (2 MB)					Click above for ROOTS CYP sample (2 MB)

Note: If you haven't got Acrobat Reader, you can download it free from www.adobe.com.