ADVOCATE
Pray for your friends and change the world
By: Some of my friends are becoming Christians and I am helping! I want to tell you how so that you can choose to practice those ways and teach others to do the same. But first, two stories. I arrived at the Subway restaurant a little nervous about my lunch meeting...
Living outside our silos
By: One Sunday during the adult education hour, our church youth group interviewed three elderly couples, asking questions about their lives and their faith. As the couples took turns answering the teens’ questions, the atmosphere in the room was electric. People were...
What relational youth ministry is not
By: Youth ministry is the church’s ministry, not just that of specialists who can “relate” to young people. The mandate to be there for young people belongs to the Christian community, not to any individual or group of individuals.”...
A book club can enhance your life, learning, love of God and others
By: Happy are those who find wisdom, and those who get understanding (Proverbs 3:13, Common English Bible). Can you believe she said THAT!?!” “I could not possibly imagine doing such a terrible, frightening, wonderful (fill in the blank)...
Exploring new ways to connect through social media
By: In the words of Inception’s Dom Cobb: “Once an idea has taken hold of the brain, it’s almost impossible to eradicate.” And so it took hold in late summer of 2010—a daily devotional video blog. 30God.com launched its first video on the...
Ways we connect
By: Enduring Connections: Creating a Preschool and Children’s Ministry, Janice Haywood. Chalice Press, 2007. Written for the minister or layperson who leads the childhood ministry in a church, this book gives guidance for developing a ministry that builds...
APCE: Training and advocating for educators
By: “For centuries the church has faced difficult situations with great integrity and faithfulness. We are people of faith—not fear. Let us join together in faith to sustain thoughtful and equitable ways to address the current crisis and to support and meet the needs...
A sense of. . .Self
By: In Matthew 22 we read these familiar words when Jesus tells us, You must love the Lord your God with your whole heart, with your whole being, and with your whole mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: You must love your...
Words Matter!
By: “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rains fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock...
Curriculum: A necessary tool for teaching
By: I have always considered the teacher/leader of a church school class or small group to be the most important factor for contributing to the faith formation of those in their classes or groups. The curriculum they use is important and necessary, but it is only a...