From the archives- Connect Activity and Outcome
*This article by Brian McLaren was originally posted on Sept. 1, 2013 in preparation for the 2014 APCE Annual Event. Before I became a pastor, I was an educator. I taught college English—writing, technical writing, and some literature too. If there’s one habit that...
Why House Church? Summer Series 2019
Why a House Church? “Whose turn is it this week?” “I can host.” “Okay, we will meet up at 6 p.m. See you then.” Every Friday night, a group of ten adults and eight children and two soon-to-be borns gather. This group, our house church, is like a family. We cook...
Pentecost, an Acrostic
People, followers of Jesus the Christ, Excited by his resurrection, Nurtured by his ministry on earth, Together they waited in Jerusalem. Every day wondering and praying, “Come, Advocate, Companion, Spirit of Truth.” On the fiftieth day, the rush of a mighty wind...
From the Archives- Whether at Church or at Home
Congregations need to move past the old paradigm that the church is solely responsible for developing faith formation. Instead the church should be a mentor and someone to walk alongside parents as they develop faith formation in their own children. This is what 21st...
From the Archives- Difficult Times of Children
The Difficult Times of Children: The Church’s Role When Lives Are Troubled by Rebecca Davis The ideal of childhood is characterized by the poet Francis Thompson writing on Shelley: Know you what it is to be a child? It is to be something very different from the...
From the Archives- Children in Worship
The Difficult Times of Children: The Church’s Role When Lives Are Troubled by Rebecca Davis The ideal of childhood is characterized by the poet Francis Thompson writing on Shelley: Know you what it is to be a child? It is to be something very different from the...
From the Archives: Cradle Roll Revisited
How Parents Can Help Involve Children in Worship by Dorothy Henderson Worship is the central unifying act of the whole Christian community. Parents, as well as other church members, believe that children belong in worship and should be fully involved as...
VBS- Together We are God’s Family
The Cradle Roll Revisited: Ensure that the newest generation is not forgotten by Carol Wehrheim When I was a child, a cradle roll was displayed on the wall just outside the Beginners Sunday School room in my church. A large paper cradle was at the top. From it, on...
Easter Greetings from the Advocate!
Vacation Bible School, those words can bring excitement, anxiety, stress and worry as churches look for ways to share the stories of faith with our children. Last year, an idea was born when Eastminster Presbyterian of Simpsonville, SC, Fountain Inn Presbyterian of...
A Prayer for Holy Week
By Ann Weems I think on Easter morning we should throw confetti in church! No? What about a little fanfare? A deafening drum roll? A three-minute standing ovation? What? Have we had the drums beaten out of us That we in the celebrative community can’t...
IDEAS
