Saying, ‘I Appreciate You!’ to Pastors

Thanks to Kathy Noble from Resource UMC and Christa Meland at the MN Annual Conference UMC for creating and sharing this Great Idea for Pastor Appreciation Month - October! Gratitude is a gift we all need to receive. Genuine gratitude (or…

Using Godly Play with Senior Adults

Thanks to Building Faith's Kat Mercer for this Great Idea! Mercer, quoting Rebecca Nye in her 2009 book, Children's Spirituality: What It Is and Why It Matters (Church House), writes, "'Their reality is messy, made up of having a voice and…

Pandemic Lighting of the Advent Wreath

Rev. Elsa Anders Cook shines as usual with this pile of Great Ideas (there are lots in here!). First, Rev. Cook highlights a congregation that formed zoom groups early on in the pandemic - groups which continue to meet often. These groups…

Drive-Through Journey to Bethlehem

Thanks to Building Faith and Rev. Keith Anderson for this Great Idea of a drive-thru Nativity visit. Rev. Anderson's article includes an outline of the scenes used by Anderson's congregation last year, tips for developing each station including…

Helping Children Prepare for Worship

Thanks to Building Faith and Rev. Sylvia Miller-Mutia for this Great Idea! This is a Great Idea for those preparing to return to in-person worship, especially for families with small children who haven't participated in in-person worship much…

Moving into Our Joyful Zones

Recently newsletters from both the MN Conference UCC and the MN Annual Conference UMC highlighted creative ways congregations are getting together as meeting in-person - and indoors - continues to be a health risk for our most vulnerable. Thanks…

Coffee, Kids, and Chaos

Thanks to Jessica L. Anschutz for writing up this Great Idea in the Lewis Center for Church Leadership's Leading Ideas post. Jessica Anschutz writes about an initial attempt to reach young adults through Theology on Tap gatherings which seemed…

Indigenous Peoples’ Day Observances

Thanks to the Synod of Lakes & Prairies for sharing Gail Strange's article from October 14, 2019 as inspiration for honoring Indigenous Peoples' Day, October 11, 2021. Here's the Great Idea: Strange shares background on the observance…

Feelings and Faith

Rachel Doboney Benton of Building Faith shared this Great Idea. Benton writes, "These days when I talk to fellow families, I hear the same echoes in our voices. We're weary. We need encouragement. The world around us brings emotions that…

CINEMA AND THE STREET

Thanks to Christa Meland for sharing this Great Idea from Rick Belbutoski of Hennepin Avenue UMC. Rick Belbutoski, director of youth and young adult ministries at Hennepin Avenue UMC in Minneapolis, recently got to thinking about a way to…