Advent is coming! Let’s get ready! These four wonder-filled articles featured in the Advocate over the past few weeks are designed to help you prepare for the season of Advent. If you missed out on reading them before now, we invite you to grab a tea or coffee...
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...
In a follow up to our post on Christian education and social justice from Rev. Jimmie Hawkins, director of the PC(USA) Office of Public Witness to Washington, D. C., we offer this timely piece from The Advocate archives, Summer, 2007. Creating Anti-racist Educational...
It started with some noticings. We noticed that our Sunday morning church school attendance was getting smaller. We noticed that children were attending less frequently—we’d have a child in class one Sunday and then not see that child again for the next three weeks....
*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...
“Our Soldiers have been deployed for 15 months in Afghanistan. Now that they’re back, some are having trouble reintegrating into family life. Let’s come up with something we can do to help.” That was the “front line” challenge given to me when I arrived at U.S. Army...
Old Stone Church in Cleveland, Ohio has been meeting on Public Square in the heart of downtown Cleveland since 1820. Incorporated as the First Presbyterian Society in 1827, its first permanent building was dedicated in 1834. The church has maintained its place as “a...
Many congregations today find themselves questioning their purpose. With Christianity on the decline in the global north, the obvious question of most churches is, “How will we survive?” A deeper question that surfaces is, “What is our mission?” Congregations that ask...
Anxiety creeps up my neck. I’m in a last minute dash—fidgeting with uncooperative AV equipment before the start of Bible study. Do I have time to run off hard copies for the group? I silently pray as the chairs fill up. I glance at my watch. I’m teaching a five-week...
Ministry with Youth in an Affluent Community Birmingham, Michigan. If you have lived anywhere near this area, you know that the stereotype of our population is well established. Recently someone in the area created a meme that linked the leading characters of “The...
