Six New Things – February 1, 2021
One
It’s Black History Month!
Rejuvenate essential conversations and inspire acts of healing with C.T. Vivian‘s Black Power and the American Myth: 50th Anniversary Edition (Fortress) a “prophetic… critique and call to action for a society in deep need of justice and peace”; Open Wounds: A Story of Racial Tragedy, Trauma, and Redemption (Fortress), a “transformative experience of listening and learning” that moves a family and society “toward a just and reconciled future”; and/or Healing Haunted Histories: A Settler Discipleship of Decolonization (WJK): part memoir, part social, historical, and theological analysis, and part practical workbook” to move settler Christians into a “discipleship of decolonization”.
Find more Black History Month resources in our History of Race lib guides: for Children & Parents; Tweens & Teens; and Young Adults & Adults.
Two
Observe African American History Month and Lent with MennoMedia’s Lamenting Racism curriculum, or observe Lent Another Way (Plural Guild), with invitations to get centered and experience compassion – for yourself and the planet. (And don’t miss The Many’s video, Where Jesus Was – a powerful addition to Lenten worship or study.) Richard Rohr and Patrick Boland are just publishing Everything Is Sacred: 40 Practices and Reflections on the Universal Christ (based on Rohr’s The Universal Christ; both from Convergent Press), for a contemplative approach. Find ideas for the whole family or intergenerational congregational practices in these Lenten Faith Formation Resources.
Find more Lent & Easter Faith Formation resources in our lib guide.
Three
Rev. Elsa Cook offers gentleness and grace with A Hopeful Lent (for congregational leaders) and A Hopeful Lent (for families) – depending upon how you are sharing Lenten worship – based on Amelia Richardson Dress’s The Hopeful Family: Raising Resilient Children in Uncertain Times (Church).
[Old Lutheran’s got Ashes to Go for Lent Toolkits.]
Four
Find additional reasons to hope in The New Possible: Visions of Our World beyond Crisis (WJK): 28 unique visions of what can be if, “instead of choosing to go back to normal, we choose to go forward to something far better”.
Find more resources for Hope and Resilience in our lib guide.
Five
Lead your young ones toward Easter with Sparkhouse’s One Year Bible-Reading Plan, which includes suggested readings and accompanying discussion questions, prayer, and intergenerational activities.
Once you get to Easter, help the Littles tell the story with Illustrated Ministry’s Illustrated Resurrection Set.
Find other ways to lead your Littles toward Easter in our Countdown to Easter Great Idea!
Six
The need for marriage care is on the rise. Gain insight with Blessed Union: Breaking the Silence around Mental Illness and Marriage. Check out the trailer and join the Real Talk about Real Marriage: A Conversation on Mental Illness & Marriage with the author and other guests, Feb. 9, 2021.
Seven
Please help us help you: we’d love to facilitate cohort groups to connect leaders and cross-pollinate innovative approaches to ministry. We want your help in determining how to shape these groups and when to offer them. Please complete our five-question survey so we can make our Co-Lab Feedback Loops as user-friendly and helpful as possible!
