Advocate | Winter 2015
Experimenting Our Ways into New Ways
Abundant Grace Dinner Church
By: Kristie Webb Finley Abundant Grace Dinner Church in Plainsboro/West Windsor, New Jersey, has a vision: In the abundant grace of God, guided by the example of Christ's love, inspired by the Holy Spirit, we gather together around the table to worship, feeding the...
Claiming Sacred Space at the Bar
By: Danny Trapp Holding a worship service in a bar or restaurant is not a new concept. Google “church at a bar” and you’ll find examples across the country—in Missouri, Virginia, Georgia, and Texas to name a few. Something is happening in Charlotte, North Carolina, at...
If They Ask, They Will Come
By: Carol Wehrheim After teaching the sixth-grade church school class for a number of years, I retired. A few months later, the phone rang. "Carol, I think I have a project that will interest you," began the director for children's and family ministries. I listened...
Puzzle Centers
By: Priscilla Andre-Colton Last summer I was working on organizing the curriculum and support materials for our two youngest Sunday school classes. The curriculum recommended setting up a puzzle center. So I started looking for puzzles that coordinated with the topics...
Looking Ahead . . . Lent
By: Sandy Safford Looking for some new ideas for the coming church season? This edition of Looking Ahead to includes ideas you can use or adapt to create a program for Holy Week. WALKING WITH JESUS “Walking with Jesus” is a stations-of-the-cross program designed for...
Resources for Renewal and Change
By: Mary E. Speedy The authors in this issue will challenge you to think outside of the box, to try new things, to open yourself up to the Spirit moving in amazing ways. The resources below have a similar flavor and will help you explore new and exciting ideas for...
Improvise
By: Many years ago I worked for an interfaith organization in some of the toughest neighborhoods in Houston, Texas. Our goal was to help congregations connect with their communities. One of the congregations we partnered with overlooked a building that had been...
Finding Space for New Ministries
By: When I began working as a youth director in the church 14 years ago, I had a list of things I thought all youth should know about God. I found curriculum and experiences that helped me check off this rigid list, congratulating myself on graduated seniors that...
Thin Places in Digital Spaces
By: Kimberly Knight Imagine the scene at our church on any given Wednesday. As people begin to arrive, prelude music is playing softly while candles flicker and float in a pool of water. This group has been worshipping together for over a year now, and their joy...
Learning by Letting Go
By: Cynthia Campbell Kids and parents arrive for a new and exciting Advent Workshop that’s been promoted and advertised. But what they find is not so exciting—only a couple of tables with craft projects set on them. Along the walls of the room are boxes full of other...
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