The titles of two workshops held last week during the Association of Presbyterian Church Educators event — “Killing Church Softly” and “Reviving Church Loudly” — together served up a vision about what intergenerational worship and Christian education could look like in the coming years.
Short testimonial films honoring each of the four educators honored Friday by the Association of Presbyterian Church Educators told the stories of experienced church workers whose dedication, talent, love and fearlessness have enhanced and even transformed the spiritual lives of perhaps thousands of Presbyterians.
Described in his introduction as a lover of Waffle House and the owner of about 250 bow ties, Dr. Tony McNeill described during a Thursday talk at the Association of Presbyterian Church Educators annual event the work that he and others at Johnson C. Smith Theological Seminary are developing to “deliver theological education for the present age.”
It’s been the job of the Rev. Hugh Donnelly to get the 700 people attending this week’s Association of Presbyterian Church Educators event to sing like they mean it and, while they’re at it, make a joyful noise to the Lord.
Third-century Christians were onto something, Dr. Lisa Kimball told the Association of Presbyterian Christian Educators Wednesday meeting at their annual event.
The Rev. Kimberly Bracken Long well remembers the day her six-year-old son brushed his hair in a dramatic upsweep after a bath. “Now” the boy told his mother, catching his image in a mirror, “I look exactly like God.”
The 700 or so people set to gather in Galveston, Texas this week for the annual event of the Association of Presbyterian Church Educators can dip their toes not only into the Gulf of Mexico, but into the swirling, often competing demands on faith formation in a world where traditional Christian education venues like Sunday school don’t necessarily meet people where they’re at.
When Stephanie Fritz heard that the Presbyterian Mission Agency was looking for a person to help lead collaboration with the five PC(USA) missional partner associations that work with “ages and stages” ministry, she was intrigued.
Presbyterian Mandy Manning, in Spokane, Washington, admits she’s “a little tired” of the attention she’s received this year as National Teacher of the Year, but it’s also been a welcome opportunity for her to share her students’ stories. Manning was awarded the title in April by the Council of Chief School State Officers. The honor was first awarded in 1952 and continues as the oldest, most prestigious national honor that focuses public attention on excellence in teaching.
In 2017, when representatives from the United Nations toured the Black Belt of Alabama, one commented that the poverty there was unlike any he had seen in the First World. This area across the southern half of Alabama, once famous for its antebellum cotton production, is now well known for its difficult living conditions. These conditions disproportionately affect the African-American descendants of enslaved labor. Yet, many of these black residents also inherited an indomitable work ethic and have made incredible strides for themselves and their children.
