Jul 30, 2018 |
By: Ken McFayden Since being installed as president at the 2018 annual event, the Association of Presbyterian Church Educators (APCE) has become a more central part of my life. More of my time. More of my energy. More of my focus. And during a period of my life when...
Jul 23, 2018 |
By: Sandy Safford This article from the archives originally ran in 2016. Looking for some new ideas for the coming church season? This post is intended to give you some resources to consider for the months ahead. Maybe it will just remind you of something you haven’t...
Jul 16, 2018 |
By: British Hyrams Among the people I polled, their descriptions of Christmas 2017 included the following: Wonderful! Out of the ordinary. One of the best! On par with ALL of them (emphasis added). Of particular note is that these volunteers were referring to their...
Jul 9, 2018 |
By: Joyce MacKichan Walker No matter where it falls in the week after Christmas, the next Sunday can be a challenge. Another service of lessons and carols? A family-friendly hour that might include all-ages in leadership? Some poetry, liturgical dance – worship...
Jul 2, 2018 |
By: Pressley Cox Did you know that according to a Southern Living article, Christmas in July started in 1933 at Keystone girls’ camp in Brevard, North Carolina. It began as a theme for a summer camp celebration, not in a church or by a marketing company. This first...
Jun 25, 2018 |
By: Shawna Bowman We conclude our series on Faith Formation in a Visual Culture with an article that first appeared in the Advocate in September 2015. When God began to create the heavens and the earth—the earth was without shape or form, it was dark over the deep...
Jun 18, 2018 |
By: Amber Dillon What is the Bible? People have tried to answer this question for years. Some say it is a hodgepodge of inspirational insights; others see it as a controlling, oppressive rulebook. With definitions like these, how can we approach such daunting...
Jun 11, 2018 |
By: Wen Reagan “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1 NRSV). In other words, faith involves more than meets the eye. Yet we are not disembodied souls. The Lord has given us bodies and declared that we need eyes to...
Jun 4, 2018 |
By: Carol Wehrheim In this day when visual images often hold more sway than the spoken word, we ought to pay attention to a spiritual practice that focuses on image: visio divina (divine vision). The same four movements that are found in lectio divina (divine word)...
May 28, 2018 |
By: Pressley Cox For centuries, the Church has relied on visual images as touchstones and reminders of key Bible stories and important elements of our faith. From stone carvings and stained glass images to flannel-board pieces, wooden figures and colorful banners,...
