Synod School

Synod School

Synod School is a wonderful week of learning, fellowship and fun in a Christian community held annually the last full week of July. It is held every summer at Buena Vista University in Storm Lake, Iowa, by the Synod of Lakes and Prairies. For more information,...
Advent Practices During Covid-Times

Advent Practices During Covid-Times

Doodle Harris Zephaniah 3:17-18 assures us that even though we are feeling exiled and broken, God is rejoicing over us, renewing us, and restoring us with “loud singing.” I love this idea of God singing loudly with us as I think about Advent. My favorite songs, both...
Souper Supper and Other Ideas

Souper Supper and Other Ideas

Since 1990, Super Bowl Sunday has marked an annual event for churches across the country as youth groups and congregations engage in “Souper Bowl of Caring” activities to address hunger needs in local communities. The aim of Souper Bowl efforts include: “Transforming...

Noticing Gave us a LIFT

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....
Partners in God’s New Creation

Partners in God’s New Creation

Bringing Generations Together in Partnership Back in 1989, the One Great Hour of Sharing program adopted the theme: Partners in God’s New Creation. A member of the congregation I served suggested we build on this theme with congregation-wide OGHS activities that...

8 Ideas to Try With Intergenerational Small Groups

by Karen DeBoer “Profoundly moving.” “Beautifully chaotic.” “An incredible gift.” Those are the words I heard again and again when I asked people to describe their intergenerational small groups. Something else they say frequently: “It’s difficult to find Bible study...

Intentional Intergenerational Ministry

By Tori Smit If I could attribute one tagline to Dr. Rodger Nishioka, past professor of Christian education at Columbia Theological Seminary, it would be “Our faith is communally constructed.” It is through rubbing shoulders with one another, telling stories of our...
Dementia and the Church

Dementia and the Church

By: Karen Nichols Dementia is a disease vastly misunderstood in our world today; yet it is on the rise. In fact, every 66 seconds someone in the United States is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia. It is the sixth leading cause of death in America....
Caring of Older Adults in the Church

Caring of Older Adults in the Church

By: Julie Schaaf My first call to ministry was to serve as the chaplain of the Foothills Presbyterian Retirement Community in Easley, SC. At the time, I was one of five chaplains in our five separate Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRC) located throughout the...