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 […]
Thanks to Angela Compton Nelson from BuildingFaith for creating, expanding, and sharing this Great Idea! Angela Compton Nelson writes, “Creating a church lending library is the result of focused, slow, and ongoing attention over many years.” In a previous article – Creating a Children’s Lending Library for Your Church: Where to Start – she outlines how to: […]
Explore the power and importance of embracing personal boundaries to move through grief and trauma toward reconciliation, reparations, and new life – across racial, generational, identity and other divides. ONE Hattie Hates Hugs (Beaming) teaches “the importance of respecting people’s boundaries” and provides an example of confident personal advocacy. TWO All Our Griefs to Bear […]
Thanks to Ellis Reyes Montes from Building Faith for sharing this important article on how to avoid culturally appropriating music, images, and other elements of worship. Often, in a desire to recognize and honor cultures other than the dominant white, European-descent cultures that make up the bulk of Protestant churches, clergy, musicians, and worship teams […]
Spiritual Growth is what it’s all about this week: growing in care and connection; in listening and love; in imagination and meeting the impossible. ONE The Parable of the Fig Tree is fodder for Amy-Jill Levine‘s latest children’s book, The Good for Nothing Tree (Flyaway): the author’s note about the parable’s New Testament origins and […]
Thanks to Rev. Anne Michelle Turner of Grace Episcopal Church, Alexandria, VA for sharing this Great Idea through Building Faith. Rev. Turner’s article highlights the juxtaposition of Christmas and Ascension Day, writing, “In December, we celebrate how the divine enters our ordinary human lives. In May, we honor how all that is ordinary, corporeal, and […]
Thanks to Trevor Noah (go to 6:00), NPR and countless others for reporting on this beautifully Great Idea from West Side Elementary in Healdsburg, CA. Teachers Jessica Martin and Asherah Weiss – inspired by the extraordinary optimism of their students (who have lived through the pandemic, regional wildfires, and everyday challenges) – invited the kids to […]
This week is all about lightening the load and making room: for leaders from the margins and creation tenders; for congregational leaders and family caretakers; for parents and all those looking for a place to belong. ONE Let’s be honest: if we could all learn from the courage, determination, and grace of young leaders of color, the world […]
Thanks to Metro Bloom’s Blue Thumb for inspiring this Great Idea! Blue Thumb workshops are a way to get one-on-one tips for transforming one’s landscape into a more sustainable, resilient, and earth/water/pollinator-friendly space. We highly recommend these inexpensive ways to learn how to transform individual house’s landscaping. Congregation can utilize these workshops as a step […]
Thanks to Traci Smith for highlighting this Great Idea from Sun Hats & Wellie Boots in her Treasure Box Tuesday post. The Sun Hats & Wellie Boots creative team offers templates for prayer doves and an outline of ways to share them with your congregation and broader community. Their tips for including diverse groups, organizations, and […]