A rally cry for lifelong formation

Christian Formation Week begins Sept. 8

by Beth Waltemath | Presbyterian News Service

The theme of “bee-longing” energizes the start of the Christian formation year at Woods Memorial Presbyterian Church in Severna Park, Maryland, in 2023. (Contributed photo)

With the start of the new school year, churches often reimagine how to focus on Christian formation. For some churches with dedicated times for classes and small groups, this may mean a big celebration; for others, it may mean an intentional space in worship and special decorations during fellowship time. No matter what the size of the program or the celebration may be, there is a shared sense of the renewal made possible through the Christian life.

The PC(USA)’s Office of Christian Formation has collected and updated resources for congregations of all sizes wishing to celebrate Christian Formation Week, whether it be the designated week of Sept. 8–14 or before.

“The best part of the new Christian Formation year is the noise!” said the Rev. Rachel Watson, associate pastor at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Staunton, Virginia. Watson noted the shift from quiet summer Sundays and dark, empty classrooms to a more boisterous space.

“On Rally Sunday, we hear laughter and chatter and movement in the Christian Formation wing,” Watson said. “We get to catch up with our friends and hear the stories of Flat Jesus, who’s been traveling all over the place with our families.”

Covenant Presbyterian Church celebrates Rally Day with a Sunday School Kickoff during the Christian Formation hour, which includes breakfast, a few energizers and singing before teaching teams and children meet and explore the classrooms. Adults remain in the fellowship hall to learn about opportunities for adult education and discipleship at the Activities Fair.

In worship, major milestones are honored with Bibles for second graders and T-shirts for sixth graders as they move up to the “Youth Division.” After church, people of all ages gather for a picnic potluck, crafts and games. “We are using the resources on the Christian Formation webpage as a way to dream of new ways to celebrate our traditions,” said Watson, who pointed out how helpful the resources were in planning for intergenerational connections. “We will be including conversation starters at our tables to build intergenerational conversation on Rally Day!”

For JoAnne Sharp, director of Faith Formation at Hodges Boulevard Presbyterian Church in Jacksonville, Florida, the first week of September is a time “to remind the folks that faith formation is a lifelong process that doesn’t end at confirmation or graduation from high school.” Over her career as a Christian educator, Sharp has seen the traditions and patterns of the church change in regard to Sunday school and how formation is approached.

“It is hard to get people to let go of the old language of Rally Day,” said Sharp, who explained how the term worked “when society rallied at the end of summer to start the new program year.” Now, Sharp acknowledges the church attendance trends and “the struggle to see families more than twice a month during the program year.” Currently, Hodges Boulevard Presbyterian Church doesn’t have a dedicated faith formation time on Sundays, so there is no promotion to new classes as part of Christian Formation Week. But Sharp pointed out there are still ways to recruit and honor participants through recognizing volunteer leaders during worship and hosting a “covered dish brunch with ministry teams’ information booths.” The church has renamed the occasion “Celebration Sunday,” and will use the Office of Christian Formation’s QuickSheet with recommended liturgy and worship for the occasion.

“Balloons may or may not be involved on Celebration Sunday as folks are coming into worship. Confetti will not be in play, nor glitter!” said Sharp.

Woods Memorial Presbyterian Church in Severna Park, Maryland, celebrates the return to Christian formation programming with “puppet parables” in worship. (Photo by Kat Green).

Recently, the PC(USA)’s Office of Christian Formation hosted an online community circle focused on listening to the needs of small churches. “So often in a small church you feel like resources for Rally Day don’t fit because you feel you aren’t kicking off something,” said Sandy Safford, a Christian educator and commissioned lay pastor. In her work as a consultant and coach in Denver Presbytery, Safford encourages leaders to adapt resources to scale and to take their time with launches. One leader shared that in her church of fewer than 75 members, they don’t try to bless the backpacks, commission the new teachers and throw a launch party all on the same Sunday. Instead, they space each of these special celebrations out over August and September.

Safford said that small churches tend to be “community-oriented” and recommends that small neighboring churches rally together to host such an event for the community.

Nametags and balloons are essential accessories for Sequoyah Hills Presbyterian Church’s annual rally day in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Contributed photo)

Miatta Wilson, associate for the Office of Christian Education, is hopeful for what may come from the rallying cry that came out of the 226th General Assembly (2024) that approved a resolution to research and develop curriculum and resources in the small church context (CF-01). The Office of Christian Formation has already compiled existing small church resources and looks forward to adding more.

No matter the nature of the rally — to bless teachers and students, to start a new program year, to gather neighbors at a picnic table, to garner resources for small church use — marking the season when people come together to be shaped and formed by love and service is a sacred time. Whether it’s a Sunday morning packed with activities, blessings and balloons, or a slower season to savor each project, person or prayer that shows up to learn or volunteer, the transition from summer to fall invites churches to celebrate how Christ calls people of all ages and stages, inside and outside of its sanctuaries, to rally around each other in beloved community.