Advocate | Summer 2014
Faith Nurture
Living the Faith at Home
As many of us continue with worship and/or Christian education at home, The Advocate Ministry Team thought these perspectives from Lib Caldwell, long-time APCE leader and friend, provide a timely reminder on the value and importance of nurturing faith at home – it’s...

From the Archives: Living Better, Not Bitter
By: Debby Madden During Lent we will be reposting some excellent articles from our archives aimed at supporting you, the Educator, during this season of reflection, prayer and spiritual renewal. You may find a new idea or two for future Lenten programming, as well....

Why We Need A Village
By: Timothy Son “It takes a village to raise a child.” This proverb originates from the Igbo and Yoruba regions of Nigeria, from villages where people come together to take mutual responsibility for ensuring the safety, education, and well-being of a child. It’s a...

Who Will Guide Me?
By: Lynn Jostes Few texts in the Bible demonstrate the concept of nurture as clearly as Luke’s story of Philip and the Ethiopian official in Acts 8:26-40. For some it’s a story of conversion, for others an example of evangelism, but for me it’s a classic demonstration...

Families and Faith
By: Robert Keeley Some high school and college students from my church were practicing music with me for a worship service. I thanked Hannah, a college student who was home for Christmas, for joining us. She told me that one of the reasons she picked up the violin in...

Takin’ It on the Road
By: Theresa McDonald-Lee Summer camps have long been a part of the traditional matrix of Christian education for the children in Presbyterian churches. Children would attend Sunday school through the year and head off to a week of camp in the summer, often paid for...

Neighborhood Connections
By: Andrew Spidahl "The earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof..." (KJV) These words from Psalm 24 were echoing in my head as I walked through my neighborhood. My wife and I had just recently taken a position as community connectors, and I wanted to talk with...

Partners in the Wonder of Nurturing
By: Larry Schuyler Sarah sat at the table thinking about plans for next quarter’s eighth-grade class at Covenant Reformed Church. The task of contextualizing lesson plans in a creative and relevant way always seemed to be a lonely experience. “I feel like I am...

An Enduring Foundation
By: Eva Stimson “Education embraces all the ways we seek to understand and embody what it means to be faithful disciples of Jesus Christ.” (from the Christian Education Task Force, Union Presbyterian Seminary) In November 1914 “after much consideration and prayer,”...

Resources: Forming Faith
By: Mary E. Speedy Check out a wealth of resources, old and new, that will help you explore faith nurture in today's world. Faith Formation 2020: Designing the Future of Faith Formation, John Roberto. LifelongFaith Associates, 2010. This is a book about hope. Hope in...