A life grounded in love and shaped by the wisdom of communal stories can lead us from oppression to freedom; inner turmoil to culture shifts; loneliness to belonging; and being our whole, True Self. ONE OH, my goodness! Check out this book with Some Daddies (Beaming) – living out of and into diverse cultures, contexts, and […]
This week’s list is all about you, dear leader, to encourage social transformation, expand biblical studies, hone pastoral care, develop new mentors, reorient preaching, strengthen personal awareness – or simply support you, if all this feels like a quagmire. ONE The Flag and the Cross: White Christian Nationalism and the Threat to American Democracy (Oxford […]
Thanks to the MN Conference UCC for sharing this Great Idea in their weekly COMMAnts newsletter. I share it here, verbatim: The Federated Church of Morris celebrated Holy Humor Sunday on Sunday, April 24. For centuries in Eastern Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant countries, the week following Easter Sunday – including the Sunday after Easter, which […]
Baptism is the two-fold Divine promise that we are deeply loved and forever part of God’s Beloved Community. Here are resources for exploring the True Self and our eternal interconnectedness. ONE Help your Littles glimpse the promises with Glenys Nellist‘s latest gem, Baptized in the Water: Becoming a Member of God’s Family (Zonderkidz). Encourage youth and […]
This is my own, dare I call it, Great Idea. I hope it offers you some food for thought:) Food is at the heart of all family and community gatherings. We live in extraordinarily divisive times. Could food bring us together? Could something as simple as bread bring us together? Invite the entire community to […]
Healthy children become empowered youth become capable leaders: find resources for developing resilience, strength, and determination in the face of crisis, marginalization, and dehumanization – all for a more hopeful tomorrow. ONE Start by creating a community ready to address the ‘spiritual emergency’ brought about by climate change with, In Deep Waters: Spiritual Care for Young […]
This is my (Emily’s) idea, which popped into my head after writing up and reviewing other Ideas, such as Pentecost Prayer Stations, Pentecost Affirmations, and Celebrate Diversity – Pentecost Style – to which this Great Idea is linked. As part of the Pentecost celebration of diversity, create this opportunity to explore cultures, climates, and current […]
Thanks to Theresa Cho from Building Faith for writing up this Great Idea! The article gives clear and complete directions – with photos to inspire set-up, prayer-prompt samples, and clear material lists – for creating three distinct Intergenerational Pentecost Prayer Stations: Station #1: Flame – includes a group candle-making project with a prompt to explore […]
Easter + Earth Day = Creationtide: when New Life emerges through healing nature, dismantling racism, refreshing perspectives, renewed theology, soothing anxieties, and empowering young leaders. ONE Environmentalist Bill McKibben and artist Stevie Lewis celebrate “the power of human cooperation and the beauty of life on Earth” in, We Are Better Together; extend the hope and […]
Thanks to Rachel Casper and her amazing team at Eden Prairie United Methodist Church, for letting me sit in on planning meetings for this Great Idea! Rachel pulled together a team of retired and current Special Education teachers, parents of children with special needs, and others trained to work with young people on the autism […]