Six New Things – Week of March 22, 2021
First: This week’s Church Anew blog is full of important writing in response to the March 16 shootings in Atlanta. Find lists of ways to engage in the work of anti-racism and ending violence in the Community Engagement section of our home page.
The road to peace is marked with safe places where everyone’s voice is heard, where everyone knows they belong and are loved, and where the work of reconciliation is intentional. Here are some potential maps:
One
Let Walking toward Peace: The True Story of a Brave Woman Called Peace Pilgrim (Flyaway)- inspire folx to step out for what we believe, gathering others to join in the journey. Find a free, printable maze featuring Peace Pilgrim here.
Parents can learn how to raise kids who work for peace with the sandbox revolution: raising kids for a just world (Spark House); written by parents, for parents.
Two
Memory loss can be troubling – for those experiencing it, those who love them, and their care-givers. Arthur and the Forgetful Elephant (Flyaway) explores memory loss from the perspective of those who forget and those around them, reminding us that compassion and togetherness can make even elephantine problems seem a little smaller.
Three
Folx on the autism spectrum frequently feel unheard while sharing personal experiences. Sincerely, Your Autistic Child: What People on the Autism Spectrum Wish Their Parents Knew about Growing Up, Acceptance, and Identity (Beacon) is a diverse collection of autistic voices that highlights how parents (and other care-givers) can avoid common mistakes and misconceptions, minimize anxieties, and make their child feel truly accepted, valued, and celebrated for who they are.
Four
Get ready for a season of peace work for all ages with:
Illustrated Ministries’ Compassion Camp: Changing the World with Lovingkindness – a program in which kids, families, and church communities explore what it means to have compassion for ourselves, others, and the world.
A Sanctified Art’s I’ve Been Meaning to Ask… focuses on community and addresses the overlapping challenges of deep divisions; isolation and disconnect; and our collective desperate need for hope. The four- to eight-week worship series intentionally avoids glorifying a false sense of unity or glossing over inequities and real harm done. Learn more about guest contributors, what the series includes and best practices for implementation in their infographic.
Find a growing list of other summer options in our Faith Formation: Summer – Camps & VBS lib guide.
Five
Lutherans Restoring Creation are developing a free Earth Day Worship Service to download in whole or in part. (Our own Rev. Emily Meyer is singing one of the hymns!) The service will be available soon here.
Keep an eye out for future resources in our developing Worship: Earth Day and ideas for service in our Congregational Life: Climate & Sustainability lib guides.
Six
ConNext planning team member Rev. Diane Shallue was commissioned to write 12 Devotions for Ministry Teams and Committees by the Christian Education Network of the ELCA. They were developed “to equip congregational leaders to find ways to love and serve the world in all the they do”, are ecumenical in scope and free to download here.
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Find last-minute inspirations for Holy Week and Easter in our Great Ideas archive – and the resources to support them in our Lent & Easter Worship and Faith Formation lib guides!
