ADVOCATE
Forgetting the Past with a Purpose
By: Rodger Nishioka "Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old." Isaiah 43:18 In a recent lecture, Walter Brueggemann, professor emeritus here at Columbia Theological Seminary, said that most people deal with the past in one of two ways:...
Step Out onto the Ledge
By: Thom Cunningham My son wanted to step out on the “Ledge” last year on his 7th birthday. The Ledge is a glass box that hangs 1,353 feet above Chicago’s Magnificent Mile on the 103rd floor of the Willis Tower, the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere. As my...
A Time for Growth and Change
By: Zeta Lamberson Every fall new things happen. School starts back up after a summer break with new teachers, new classrooms, new companions on the journey. New teams are formed in sports leagues. New bands and orchestras are assembled. New teachers, youth leaders,...
Looking Ahead . . . Advent and Christmas
By: Sandy Safford Looking for some new ideas for the coming church season? This column, which we hope to include in each issue of the Advocate, is intended to give you some resources to consider for the months ahead. Maybe it will just remind you of something you...
Exploring Digital Media for Ministry
By: Kyle Oliver Something is happening in Christian education and formation. Ministry models are changing. Curricula and other resources are adapting. Teachers and learners are discovering the joys and challenges of using new media to enrich their faith journeys. For...
Worship Tools for Children
By: Theresa Cho Church educators and pastors often ask me where I find resources to use with children in worship and how to use these resources. Like me, these people are interested in finding new ways to engage children in worship and invite them to participate in...
Is God Calling?
By: Liz Perraud When looking for volunteers to carry out our ministries, we often swing from one extreme to the other. On one end of the spectrum is the “they’re too busy” extreme. We think, “Our folks are so busy. I don’t know anyone who can possibly take on one more...
How Can We Keep Our Children Singing?
By: David Gambrell Last night after dinner I heard my daughter chiding her sister: “You forgot to clean the table! Put your dishes in the sink.” Except she wasn’t just saying it—she was singing it, to the nineteenth-century hymn tune Nettleton (“Come, Thou Fount of...
A Fresh Look at Protection Policies
By: At Myers Park, the church where I serve, we’ve had a Child and Youth Protection (CYP) Policy for years. It includes all the elements recommended by experts: sections on screening employees and volunteers; training; guidelines for reporting and responding to...
A Fresh Look at APCE
By: Zeta Lamberson What did you think? How did it go? Did that work? These are questions we ask after a party, a committee meeting, a small group, a conversation to solve a problem, a worship service, an annual event. As educators we know and value the process of...