ADVOCATE
Eyes to See and Ears to Hear
By: Jill Duffield Recognizing God right in front of us can be a challenge. Jesus, seemingly irritated with the disciples, asks, “Do you have eyes, and fail to see? Do you have ears, and faith to hear? And do you not remember?” (Mark 8:18) The risen Christ’s refrain to...
Photography as a Spiritual Practice
By: Susan E. Moorefield In the world of Instagram and selfies, it is hard to imagine that photography could even be suggested as a spiritual practice. Everywhere you go, smart phones are photographing everything from a foot-long chili dog at the ballpark to a squirrel...
Wired That Way
By: David M. Csinos Several months ago, I traveled to St. John’s, Newfoundland, to speak at a weekend youth retreat. As is typically the case with youth retreats, the final evening was slated to be a social time, and the leaders had planned a coffee house in a room at...
Welcome to the New Advocate!
By: The Advocate is doing a new thing! As we continue our goal of helping connect, enrich, empower and sustain those serving in educational ministries, we are changing with the times. Over the last year we have transitioned from a quarterly print magazine to a...
Puzzle Centers
By: Priscilla Andre-Colton Last summer I was working on organizing the curriculum and support materials for our two youngest Sunday school classes. The curriculum recommended setting up a puzzle center. So I started looking for puzzles that coordinated with the topics...
Looking Ahead . . . Lent
By: Sandy Safford Looking for some new ideas for the coming church season? This edition of Looking Ahead to includes ideas you can use or adapt to create a program for Holy Week. WALKING WITH JESUS “Walking with Jesus” is a stations-of-the-cross program designed for...
Resources for Renewal and Change
By: Mary E. Speedy The authors in this issue will challenge you to think outside of the box, to try new things, to open yourself up to the Spirit moving in amazing ways. The resources below have a similar flavor and will help you explore new and exciting ideas for...
Improvise
By: Many years ago I worked for an interfaith organization in some of the toughest neighborhoods in Houston, Texas. Our goal was to help congregations connect with their communities. One of the congregations we partnered with overlooked a building that had been...
Finding Space for New Ministries
By: When I began working as a youth director in the church 14 years ago, I had a list of things I thought all youth should know about God. I found curriculum and experiences that helped me check off this rigid list, congratulating myself on graduated seniors that...
Thin Places in Digital Spaces
By: Kimberly Knight Imagine the scene at our church on any given Wednesday. As people begin to arrive, prelude music is playing softly while candles flicker and float in a pool of water. This group has been worshipping together for over a year now, and their joy...