Association of Presbyterian Church Educators meets in Louisville

Annual event theme is ‘Deep & Wide: Boundless Hospitality’

by Gregg Brekke and Paul Seebeck | Presbyterian News Service

Rachel Pederson (left) and Rebecca Kirkpatrick (center) of Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church in Pennsylvania helped train Christian educators in the new PC(USA) confirmation curriculum — part of opening day activities at the Association of Presbyterian Church Educators annual event. (Photo by Paul Seebeck)

LOUISVILLE — The Association of Presbyterian Church Educators (APCE) begins its annual gathering here today under the theme of “Deep & Wide: Boundless Hospitality.” The four-day event features worship services — two with Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Stated Clerk the Rev. J. Herbert Nelson, II preaching — along with forums, interactive plenary sessions, a spirituality center and more than 75 workshops.

Expanding on the message of Matthew 25:35 where Jesus says, “I was hungry and you gave me food. I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me,” the group expects to explore how to best live out this welcome through unending hospitality.

The gathering annually draws more than 1,000 attendees and includes those serving in educational ministries, as ministers, professional or volunteer educators, or students, in the PC(USA), the Reformed Church in America, the Presbyterian Church in Canada, the Moravian Church in America and the Christian Reformed Church in North America.

Pre-conference events included workshops on inclusion and disrupting racism, a Presbyterian Youth Workers Association confirmation gathering, a certification course on biblical interpretation, a daylong tour of Louisville, and a contemplative visit to the nearby Abbey of Gethsemane where Trappist monk Thomas Merton spent most of his life.

Other pre-conference training events were held by Presbyterians Organized in Nurture and Teaching (POINT) at the Presbyterian Center.

Training was given on:

• New confirmation curriculum for the PC(USA) Big God, Big Questions, which will be available in early summer. Sample studies are available at APCE.
• How to use Growing in Grace & Gratitude children’s curriculum to minister to children with special needs.

Big God, Big Questions authors the Rev. Rebecca Kirkpatrick and the Rev. Rachel Pederson of Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church in Pennsylvania listened to Christian educators as they spoke about the goals they have for confirmation — and the challenges they face in achieving those goals.

Topics included how to help youth claim their own faith and how to engage more adults and involve mentors to create a meaning experience of spiritual formation, as opposed to going through a process. Making Presbyterian heritage interesting and relevant, along with time, commitment and having kids with lots of and little no church experience was also mentioned.

“These educators who serve their Presbyteries are an amazing gift,” said Pederson, associate pastor for children and families ministry.  “As they get now to know our resources, they can help churches address the goals and challenges they are facing.”

“Based on what I heard, I feel good,” added Kirkpatrick, associate pastor of adult education and mission. “The goals and challenges Christian educators face are the exact things Big God, Big Questions is trying to address.”

The Rev. Deborah Huggins of Central Presbyterian Church in Summit, New Jersey, led the training session on how using how to use the children’s Grace & Gratitude curriculum to welcome children with special needs.

Huggins worked as a special education teacher in inclusive classrooms in New Mexico before becoming Central’s associate pastor for Christian education and youth.

“Every aspect of the curriculum thinks about ways to be inclusive,” she said. “It is a great tool for Sunday school teachers to be thinking about what they might do to be more welcoming of all children.”

As Central’s children and youth become active in the inclusivity of welcoming children — across race, ethnicity, socioeconomics and abilities — Huggins sees them beginning to mentor other children and youth on how to be inclusive.

She emphasizes that this kind of learned inclusivity happens peer to peer — and as the children and youth grow in their inclusivity, they find their identity and place of belonging. “Every one of us wonders, at times, where do I belong,” Huggins said. “But the story of our faith is each of us has a home in Christ.”

POINT representatives also received training on the new Six Themes Everyone Should Know, Being Reformed Bible Study series.

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The complete conference schedule is available online, and Presbyterian News Service will provide daily updates from the event.