From the archives- Connect Activity and Outcome
*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...
Why APCE? The First of a Two-Part Conversation
By: Ken McFayden Since being installed as president at the 2018 annual event, the Association of Presbyterian Church Educators (APCE) has become a more central part of my life. More of my time. More of my energy. More of my focus. And during a period of my life when...
Reflecting on The Well at Burke Presbyterian Church
By: Arlene Decina For the past five summers at Burke Presbyterian Church (BPC), we have taken a leap—from the traditional Vacation Bible School (VBS) that had always been a highlight of our children’s programming—into something that has been, for us, new and...
The Rite of Way in Faith: Rites of Passage and Youth Ministry
Adolescence, at least US/North American adolescence, can be seen as a seven-year span of age (12–18 years) or grades (6th–12th grades). Over these seven years, numerous adolescent status changes occur: puberty, educational structure, licensing, sexual attraction, dating, working, future forecasting (post high school plans, such as college, vo-tech, travel), and voting.
As youth ministry has taken the great step to shrink the distance between the young person and their faith formation (meaning faith isn’t just about a Sunday schedule), there is significant meaning and impact in connecting youth ministry to to the rites of adolescence or the Rites of Passage.
Balancing on a One-Legged Stool
By: Rodger Nishioka Have you ever tried to sit comfortably on a stool with only one leg? It is pretty much impossible. To be dependable and to support our weight, a stool needs at least three legs. In the same way, throughout much of our North American church history,...
The Lord Will Lead
By: Tori Smit By the rivers of Babylon— there we sat down and there we wept when we remembered Zion. On the willows there we hung up our harps. For there our captors asked us for songs, and our tormentors asked for mirth, saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”...
APCE is Reforming
By: Anne Wilson My husband and I have lived in Houston, Texas, for more than 40 years, and we have lived in the same house for 25 years. Once our two kids moved out, we were ready for some changes. After four years of thinking about what to do with our house, we...
Making space for change
By: Theresa Cho We can all agree that change is hard. We can also agree that change is inevitable. Everyday the world around us is changing. Our reaction to change may vary from holding fast to tradition and what is familiar to embracing what may come with open arms...