ADVOCATE
Resources to Explore: God’s New Things
By: Mary E. Speedy Check out resources from Annual Event speakers and others who will open your eyes to God's new things. When "Spiritual but Not Religious" Is Not Enough: Seeing God in Surprising Places, Even the Church, Lillian Daniel. Jericho, 2013. Playing off the...
The Four Types of Nones
By: Lillian Daniel You probably heard about it in the news. It was called the Pew Study on Religious Participation in America. Some experts went out and surveyed all kinds of people to find out what exactly we are doing with ourselves in this country religiously. The...
Worship at Home and On the Way
By: Luke Hyder The summer breeze was sending ripples cascading across the surface of the lake in front of me. Shafts of sunlight pierced the canopy of tall cedars above my head. And while my fingers were plucking simple chords on a guitar, my body resonated with the...
Having an Open Spirit
By: Nanette Sawyer Recently as I was sitting with my Spiritual Director, I raised my hands in the air and spoke exuberantly to God. I said, “Look at me, God!” I meant it in the sense of “look at all the great things about me!” Does that sound arrogant? When I think...
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:...
Jesus Christ: Captain of Moonshots
By: Alex Wirth What kind of church do you daydream about? Most of us think about our own churches all the time, but what would it mean to really dream about them? Push yourself past the regular and into the impossible. What daydream ministry idea have you pushed aside...
Does Your Church Need an Upgrade?
By: Kirsty DePree Last week, while worshipping at Marble Collegiate Church in New York City, I realized that we, as a congregation, have made a significant upgrade. While it was subtle and occurred over time, we have replaced an old way of doing things with a new...
Goldfish Have Eight
By: On a recent Sunday I passed through the narthex and noticed the large pile of bulletins left by departing worshipers. At least three-quarters of all the bulletins printed for that day were destined for the recycling bin. In each folded paper were dozens of...
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...