“Expressions of Older Adult Ministry,” a new online resource created by Presbyterian Older Adult Ministries Network in partnership with the Office of Christian Formation, got a rollout last week during an informational and inspirational webinar attended by nearly 50 people.
In preparation for its annual conference, the Association of Partners in Christian Education (APCE) has announced its educators of the year. Among the honorees is Miatta Wilson, associate in the Office for Christian Formation of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Wilson has been recognized as the Enrich-Educator of the Year for 2024. Two Sustain-Lifetime Achievement Awards were also announced to honor retired educators the Revs. Roberta Dodds Ingersoll and Zeta Lamberson.
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.
September is a month where “we begin new things, restart or reconnect in our small churches,” said Sandy Safford, a Christian educator and commissioned lay pastor who recently served a small church for 10 years.
Fred Rogers was an ordained minister of word and sacrament for the PC(USA) and is a notable public figure whose work around peace and reconciliation is worth remembering. Rogers was also a pioneer in the world of Christian education and formation of young children. March 20 was his birthday, and so it is the day that the PC(USA) has chosen to highlight all we can learn from his work.
When Kat Green first arrived at her current call as director of Children’s Ministry at Woods Memorial Presbyterian Church in Severna Park, Maryland, recruiting volunteers was her first priority.
“A psalm is a song that we sing to God,” writes Carey Wallace, author of “Psalms of Wonder: Poems from the Book of Songs,” a new illustrated book published by Flyaway Books. “Today, the psalms are known in almost every language that humans speak, but something happened as these songs moved around the world: They lost their music.”
“How many people are out of power?” was the opening question in a Tuesday night call between Christian formation leaders hosted by the Office of Christian Formation of the Presbyterian Mission Agency. Mission associate Miatta Wilson welcomed a group of a dozen church leaders, saying, “It’s great to have people who are from various different parts of the country and time zones.”
A special one-time grant program from the Office of Christian Formation suggests that rest may be the hardest thing to learn when practicing what you preach.
“Thanks so much.”
“I am so overwhelmed with gratitude.”
“We are excited.”
“This is wonderful news for our congregation.”
These comments are from some of the leaders in more than 200 Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) churches and worshiping communities — each of them with 150 members or fewer — who recently received free book bundles (listed below) from the denomination.
