This Great Idea was inspired by the mural created for the UMC’s Our Movement Forward, 2019 summit. Communities are deeply struggling with hatred, racism, division, and Covid. How might your congregation be a place for open, honest conversations, the accountability necessary for justice, and eventually, reconciliation? A Starting Point: Create a safe space for processing complex […]
Thanks to the Council for Health & Human Service Ministries of the UCC for inspiring this Great Idea! CHHSM folks created a Special Worship Liturgy and Prayers to support a Health and Human Services Sunday, which they have designated for Sunday, January 31 (you can choose whatever Sunday works best in your community). As a few […]
One Illustrated Ministry has a plethora of beautiful offerings: free resources that connect families to RCL texts through ’til Lent six-week Lord’s Prayer or Beatitudes online Sunday school curricula; For Lent: Psalms Coloring Posters, Coloring Pages, and Devotional Guide Lenten resources for families (includes devotions, activities, coloring pages, and more) Stations of the Cross and Seven Last Words devotions and activities […]
This Great Idea is sparked by Traci Smith’s offering of two contemplative practices to soothe little ones in this time of tumult and anxiety. Traci Smith, author of Faithful Families: Creating Sacred Moments at Home (Chalice) has offered two free, downloadable pdfs of contemplative practices developed to calm and quiet anxious young ones: Snuggles under […]
February is African American History Month. Ash Wednesday is February 17. These two things could/maybe should go together! Kick-start events with a robust celebration of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on Sunday, January 17. Check out our related Great Idea or Church Anew’s Martin Luther King, Jr. worship service, for options. Invite folks to […]
This is one of Rev. Emily Meyer’s favorite community-building and community-bonding projects – especially poignant for People of the Word. Build a Little Free Library – or several – as a community project: Invite all generations – whether members or not – to participate in the build: elders can share skills, knowledge, tools, and direction. […]
Rev. Elsa Cook compassionately shares ideas and resources for honoring Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on Sunday, January 17, not merely as a “nice” white discussion about diversity, but as a boldly prophetic and intentional step toward racial equity and ending white supremacy culture. (You can find additional resources for this in our Rev. […]
One Rev. Elsa Cook, in her Cooking with Elsa blog, offers several liturgical pieces for upcoming Sundays, highlighting this video of Shirley Erena Murray’s poignant song, Star Child, (which, by virtue of its title, still works in Epiphany!) and including Pandemic Prayers for Epiphany and Pandemic Prayers for Baptism of Christ (which is also a multi-generational Great Idea!). […]
Thanks to Rev. Elsa Cook, from Cooking with Elsa, for creating and sharing this Great Idea on her blog! Pastor Elsa’s idea offers an opportunity to create something special for Baptism of Christ Sunday without creating a lot of extra work for you. Namely, let this be a Sunday of prayer stations – meaning no […]
One Mark the turning of the year by opening your heart and listening to God in Christos Center’s New Year’s Eve Quiet Pause, Dec. 31; 4:00-6:00 PM CST. Two End 2020 and begin 2021 with some self-compassion: the Center for Mindful Self-Compassion invites any and all to Renew Your Self Compassion for the New Year with two […]