Six New Things – Week of July 10, 2023
Stretch the table. Extend the welcome. Dive into the deeply sacred waters of radical hospitality – and emerge renewed and refreshed.
ONE
Yea! The Peace Table: A Storybook Bible (MennoMedia) is finally here!! Its 140 Bible stories and stunning diversity-aware artwork (from 30 illustrators) ‘invite children to see themselves reflected in God’s story’. It includes 12 ‘peace paths’ to explore peace themes woven throughout both Testaments, maps, Bible background information, AND interactive ‘prayer prompts, questions, and action ideas to guide family [or Sunday school] reflection and conversation’.
Extend the table of hospitality with The Sacred Life of Bread: Uncovering the Mystery of an Ordinary Loaf (Broadleaf) and discover ‘spiritual practices that reveal deep truths as well as pathways toward meaningful relationships with ourselves, our communities, and our environment’ [+ 14 recipes!].
We’ve written up some Great Ideas on how bread/baking can expand the table of hospitality; find them here and here.
TWO
Radical hospitality means recognizing and appreciating one another for our full selves, our lived experiences, and how these shape our beliefs, presence in the world, and hopes.
Do Black Lives Matter? How Christian Scriptures Speak to Black Empowerment (Cascade) is ‘a virtual manifesto on the way the Bible serves as inspiration, theological grist, and even the language to be the change to people of good faith everywhere’ as it challenges forces of racism deeply entrenched in church and society.
THREE
Scripture-grounded hope makes for powerful leadership:
Leading While Black: The Intersectionality of Race, Leadership, and God (Fortress) offers ‘conversations and deep attention to the lived experience of leaders… and inspires readers to lead from the context of all that they are’.
Hope discovering a new vision is transformational:
Incompatible: How the Church Cast Out LGBTQ Christians and Where We Go Next (Cascade) is a ‘funny and informative graphic novel [that] explores how the full inclusion of LGBTQ Christians is a faithful witness to the work of the Holy Spirit’.
FOUR
Dominant-culture church people can learn a lot from folx pushed to the margins – about the Divine, about our place in the world, and about awe.
Spirit Wheel: Meditations from an Indigenous Elder (Broadleaf) affirms our shared search for belonging and meaning-making, meeting those longings ‘in the breathtaking moments when insight become an invitation to wonder’.
Create family moments of wonder with Mollie Donohue’s self-published Day by Day Deck of visio divina cards – which includes 32 cards, instructions, and getting-started suggestions.
FIVE
Radical hospitality leads to a sense of belonging – which is the antidote to the loneliness epidemic in our country and our churches.
On the heels of their fantastic Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret discussion, Springtide Research shares another interfaith panel focusing on ‘Queer Eye for the Lambda Chi’: Loneliness, Vulnerability, and the Search for Connection, explores ‘vulnerability and loneliness for young men…[and] expands into an examination of how vulnerability and relationship go hand in hand with young people’s spiritual and religious experiences’.
Build on creating belonging with To Mend the World: A New Vision for Youth Ministry (Fortress), which draws on ideals of social entrepreneurship to provide thoughtful, practical insights for rethinking youth ministry.
Find more on Revamping Faith Formation in our lib guide.
SIX
Inspired by Spring Hill UCC, Spring Hill, FL, The Ministry Lab recorded a sermon based on We Are Water Protectors (and Psalm 13 and Matthew 10:40-42). Water & Welcome shares a message of encouragement in following Jesus’ mission of compassion, hospitality and justice. Member congregations (MN UCC, UMC, PC(USA) and subscription) have free access to this water-infused, community-empowering recorded sermon throughout the summer.
Get the link by contacting Emily Meyer (ministrylab@unitedseminary.
Not a member? Become one today!!
