Six New Things – Week of October 2, 2023

Fill your October with wonder and love as you celebrate LGBTQIA2S+ History Month, recognize Emotional Wellness Month, and live into Church Safety and Security Month (I just learned that was a thing today!!). Here are resources for it all:

ONE

This Fall, nestle in with a book full of beauty and awe: Psalms of Wonder: Poems from the Book of Songs (Flyaway) echoes the Psalms’ ‘wonder and courage, comfort and joy, protection and love’, inviting children and all generations into ‘refreshing new perspectives while holding true to respected biblical translations’. It’s also available in Spanish!

TWO

Introduce Littles and Elders alike to the awe and wonder of St Francis of Assisi with a free, downloadable lesson and coloring page about the creation-tending saint, based on the beloved book, Holy Troublemakers and Unconventional Saints. Watch for a whole new curriculum – coming soon!

Invite folx to walk more intentionally in Francis’ steps with Rooted Faith: Practices for Living Well in a Fragile Planet (MennoMedia).

Find additional resources for St Francis of Assisi Sunday in our lib guide.

THREE

Fan that creation care spark with A Fire at the Center: Solidarity, Whiteness, and Becoming a Water Protector (Skinner), a ‘memoir, history, and cultural critique’ that brings us ‘behind the scenes of the resistance efforts to two colonial pipelines’.

Find additional Water Protector resources in our WaterThreads intergenerational, multi-ministry toolkit.

FOUR

Continue to inspire justice-seeking and reconciliation with The Gospel According to James Baldwin: What America’s Great Prophet Can Teach Us about Life, Love, and Identity (Orbis), a ‘close study of Baldwin’s words and legacy’ that ‘invites new readers and longtime lovers [of Baldwin] into a thoughtful exploration of his continued relevance’.

Has God planted witnesses to today’s justice issues in your congregation? Be sure to Make Room for the Prophets! with this Great Idea.

And, encourage households and your congregation to overflow with love with So Loved Reflection Cards – a simple way to be sure folx know that they are loved.

FIVE

Discover insight and tips for creating and ensuring ‘a safe space for stims [self-stimulating behaviors] and different communication styles to be accepted and celebrated’ with Nick and the Brick Builder Challenge (Beaming), a chapter book featuring five neurodivergent kids discovering and developing their own problem-solving and communication skills.

SIX

To sum it all up – and rather than reinvent the wheel – here’s Yale Divinity School’s October Resource list to cover just about everything being recognized this month: