ADVOCATE
Partners in the Wonder of Nurturing
By: Larry Schuyler Sarah sat at the table thinking about plans for next quarter’s eighth-grade class at Covenant Reformed Church. The task of contextualizing lesson plans in a creative and relevant way always seemed to be a lonely experience. “I feel like I am...
An Enduring Foundation
By: Eva Stimson “Education embraces all the ways we seek to understand and embody what it means to be faithful disciples of Jesus Christ.” (from the Christian Education Task Force, Union Presbyterian Seminary) In November 1914 “after much consideration and prayer,”...
Resources: Forming Faith
By: Mary E. Speedy Check out a wealth of resources, old and new, that will help you explore faith nurture in today's world. Faith Formation 2020: Designing the Future of Faith Formation, John Roberto. LifelongFaith Associates, 2010. This is a book about hope. Hope in...
Why We Need A Village
By: Timothy Son “It takes a village to raise a child.” This proverb originates from the Igbo and Yoruba regions of Nigeria, from villages where people come together to take mutual responsibility for ensuring the safety, education, and well-being of a child. It’s a...
Who Will Guide Me?
By: Lynn Jostes Few texts in the Bible demonstrate the concept of nurture as clearly as Luke’s story of Philip and the Ethiopian official in Acts 8:26-40. For some it’s a story of conversion, for others an example of evangelism, but for me it’s a classic demonstration...
Families and Faith
By: Robert Keeley Some high school and college students from my church were practicing music with me for a worship service. I thanked Hannah, a college student who was home for Christmas, for joining us. She told me that one of the reasons she picked up the violin in...
Takin’ It on the Road
By: Theresa McDonald-Lee Summer camps have long been a part of the traditional matrix of Christian education for the children in Presbyterian churches. Children would attend Sunday school through the year and head off to a week of camp in the summer, often paid for...
When people change
By: Duane Kelderman Deep change is difficult. That’s why it’s fascinating to explore what motivates change, what pushes people to finally take the plunge. The best literature indicates five factors that are usually present in deep change. 1. The status quo isn’t...
Caring for yourself in transition
By: Donita Robards As I look around at my friends, family, coworkers, and patients, I see that everyone faces times of transition. We will all experience monumental changes in our lives. Change is inevitable. No matter how much we prepare for them, some changes can...
Resources
By: Mary E. Speedy Sticky Faith: Everyday Ideas to Build Lasting Faith in Your Kids Kara E. Powell and Chap Clark. Zondervan, 2011. What we hope for as parents and educators is that our youth will develop a dynamic faith that “sticks” beyond high school....