Community Prayer Tree

First Presbyterian Church in Winnebago, MN, is blessed with a large blue spruce in front of their building. On September 20, 2020, the congregation dedicated this large tree as a community prayer tree with the simple intent of providing a place…

Cultivating Hope

I am confident denominational leaders, clergy and lay leaders, speak of their longings for "when things get back to normal" or "when things are like they used to be", out of a desire to offer pastoral care and a sense of solidarity, but these…

Clergy Appreciation Month

This is not a locally- or in-house generated Great Idea, which we normally want to promote, but it seems like a good idea to share a Great Idea about supporting our clergy. Clergy & Congregational Coach Laura Stephens Reed offers words…

Create a Co-Visitor Team

If you haven’t already noticed: your congregation has at least one or more college and/or high school aged folks with a lot of time on their hands - and parents who would love something constructive for youth to do that doesn’t require undo…

Create a Prayer Booth

Invite your tweens and teens to create a neighborhood prayer booth, akin to that constructed for the 30 Days of Silent Prayer: Healing the Heart of Our City. This could reside on your congregation’s lot, or there could be several that pop…

Create an Outdoor Labyrinth

There are countless variations to this project that extend the blessings of a labyrinth to all ages, abilities and beyond the congregation: get creative with location, builders, size and materials! One option Locate the labyrinth on church…

Engaging Young People in Online Worship

First Covenant Presbyterian in Minneapolis has a great way to engage young people in online worship: Carma Gjerning and her puppet bear discuss an aspect of the day’s focal reading, with leading questions that a young person might ask…