Tag Archives: thanksgiving

A Zoom Thanksgiving

Events, Seasonal Ideas, Storytelling,

For me, Thanksgiving has been a time of story-sharing from one generation to the next. I recall long tables in the basement of my childhood home filled with grandparents, aunts, uncles, first/second/third cousins, and the random relative or friend who I could never figure out how they fit in the mix. There were often “unrelated” elderly people present who did not have a family to share the meal with. Kids were mixed in with the adults – there was no “children’s table” of isolation. Most of all I remember the laughter and the passing of casseroles, including the jello mold containing unknown substances (shout out to National Lampoon’s Family Christmas).

Continue reading A Zoom Thanksgiving →

Planning Intergenerational Formation

Discipleship, Resources, Seasonal Ideas, Trends, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Four of the volumes of my Faithful Celebration series books.

Many of the formative experiences in life happen when several generations are together. Think about it – when were you fully engaged in learning about Jesus or living out your Baptismal Covenant? Surely it wasn’t when you were alone. Perhaps it was in serving others or immersed in a worship service. Most likely there was more than one generation present. In our society we tend to separate people by age mainly for education and employment. In the recent past, Christian formation programs have made the same separation of generations, but more and more formation educators are offering programs in which adults and children learn together. It is a way to pass on faith – generation to generation. Old learn from young, and young learn from old.

While Sunday mornings may still sadly be the most segregated time in our country (at least for mainline church-goers), it is the most generationally diverse time many of us experience all week. Our worship involved young and old, and every age in-between at worship.

My colleague Eduardo Solomón Rivera recently shared his 7 Steps Toward Intergenerational Discipleship in the Episcopal Church Foundation’s March 2019 newsletter. He shares:

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Faithful Celebrations: At Church, Home, or School

Children's Ministries, Curriculum, Resources, Seasonal Ideas, , , , , , , , , ,

I’m always encouraging “my” authors to promote their books on their blogs and social media. Well, I need to take my own advice – so I’m pleased to share that the first book in a new series that I have been working on has just been published! All books are available at Church Publishing Incorporated as well as Amazon – and I’d love you to write a review on this page!

“The events and seasons of the church year are powerful faith forming experiences for all ages in the congregation and for families at home. Faithful Celebrations helps churches and families make these events central to their faith life with flexible ideas and activities to celebrate the seasons. Churches can use Faithful Celebrations to gather families and all the generations to learn, pray, and celebrate each season, and to equip families to celebrate the seasons at home. This resource is a great way to introduce or enhance family-centered and intergenerational experiences at church.” ––John Roberto, Author, Reimagining Faith Formation for the 21st Century 

Faithful Celebrations is a series of five books for families and congregations to “Make Time for God” at various times of the year. With a combination of sacred and secular holidays and seasons covered, each book offers something for all ages to do (mostly) together. From recipes and craft projects, to prayers and liturgies with Bible stories, each “chapter” focuses on a particular event such as Advent, All Hallow’s Eve, or Valentine’s Day. The ideas can be put together for an intergenerational all-church event, a family celebration, or a block-party in your neighborhood. Continue reading Faithful Celebrations: At Church, Home, or School →

A Blessing

Adult Formation, The Church, ,

A Blessing

As the Junior Warden (soon-to-be Senior Warden this January) in my home congregation, the topic of stewardship comes up all the time – especially now that it is budget preparing season and our pledge campaign is still underway. When I received this blog post from Bishop Greg Rickel, Diocese of Olympia (western Washington state), his words immediately resonated with me as something I needed to share with others.

Here’s a taste . . .

On this Thanksgiving I relay two interesting conversations, and then something I want you to know. My first conversation is actually one that I have had in many different ways, with many different people. It goes something like this, and the answer can come from someone that gives nothing, to the one who gives a lot to other things in the world, but not so much to the church, and the questions eventually comes up, why they don’t give more? The answer is, basically, I am never sure where the money goes, I don’t have any control over it, and if one is really bold enough to say it, words that eventually amount to, the use of the money seems so frivolous, reckless maybe.

Read more here . . . A Blessing.