ADVOCATE
How Can We Keep Our Children Singing?
By: David Gambrell Last night after dinner I heard my daughter chiding her sister: “You forgot to clean the table! Put your dishes in the sink.” Except she wasn’t just saying it—she was singing it, to the nineteenth-century hymn tune Nettleton (“Come, Thou Fount of...
A Fresh Look at Protection Policies
By: At Myers Park, the church where I serve, we’ve had a Child and Youth Protection (CYP) Policy for years. It includes all the elements recommended by experts: sections on screening employees and volunteers; training; guidelines for reporting and responding to...
A Fresh Look at APCE
By: Zeta Lamberson What did you think? How did it go? Did that work? These are questions we ask after a party, a committee meeting, a small group, a conversation to solve a problem, a worship service, an annual event. As educators we know and value the process of...
Resources for Refreshing Your Ministry
By: Mary E. Speedy Joy Together: Spiritual Practices for Your Congregation, Lynne M. Baab. WJK, 2012. In this book, instead of addressing individual approaches to spiritual direction, the author offers help to leaders as they seek to involve small groups or the...
Creativity as a Starting Place
By: Shawna Bowman When God began to create the heavens and the earth—the earth was without shape or form, it was dark over the deep sea, and God’s wind swept over the waters—God said, “Let there be light.” And so light appeared. —Genesis 1:1-3 (Common English Bible)...
If Only I Knew…
By: Karen Horst So, one night I went to sleep, and the world changed around me. How could I ever have imagined that the landscape for Christian Education would be so dramatically different compared to when I first started working in the field? If only someone had...
Retreat!
By: Susan Hetrick Once the province of mystics and monks, spiritual retreats have become common practice in mainstream Christian churches. However, in some cases, mystics might have a tough time recognizing what passes for a retreat today. I was invited to speak at a...
Is there Anybody Out There I Can Talk to?
By: Karl Westerhof “I mean, like, you know, somebody who’s wise and experienced, and who gets me?” Are you talking about a pastor? A therapist? A guru? “I think I want a mentor.” Whatever made you think of that? “I don’t know; I just hear about mentoring from...
My First Five Years…
By: Nakisha DeJong The words “God doesn’t call the equipped, but equips the called” hold a special significance in my life. Growing up in the church, I was exposed to the drama and conflict that often come with helping in ministry, so I told God I never wanted to...
An Educator Survival Kit
By: Anne Wilson Are there days when you feel like you’re barely hanging on? Do you ever feel like you don’t have the energy to attend another meeting? After a tough Sunday morning, do you wonder where to turn for renewal and strength? Being an introvert I don’t often...