Yesterday I was blessed with the opportunity to meet with the Children’s Sunday School Teaching team at my church. We gathered to set our schedule, to touch base about how everything was going, and to share our success stories and powerful teaching moments. These women humbled and inspired me. They came with thoughtful hearts, open minds, and strong voices.

Because Sunday School is once a week, for a short amount of time, filled with fun activities, creative story telling, and exciting learning, it can be easy for forget how important Sunday School really is to the development, inclusion, and faith formation of the Body of Christ. Today, I was reminded of the passion, heart, vulnerability and wisdom that it takes to take this responsibility and privilege head on as a teacher. [Read more →]

My sister called me yesterday with a blog post primed and ready.  She told me that her young kids have been playing with their childs nativity set the last couple weeks and out of their play she saw something that stuck out.  Unlike the picture on the box, and most nativities set up by adults, my niece always sets the nativity up with everyone looking directly at the baby Jesus.  I will leave it to you to parse out the plethora of meanings that are possible from this story, but will emphasize one. …. [Read more →]

Will your pageant be AWESOME or AWFUL?

Angels and Shepherds and Kings, Oh My! Ah yes, Pageant season is “all up ons”.

As I sit down to write the script for our church’s annual Christmas pageant, I am reminded that a lot of work goes into re-creating the Christmas story. Every year I wonder why the children, youth, parents and Christian Educator spend so much time on this one event, indeed the whole of Advent culminates with our Pageant. Why?

Sometimes I wonder if it is all worth it, but deep down I think the Christmas Pageant, in all its glory, is one of the best events, indeed ministries, of the Holiday season. The pageant tells the story of the birth of Christ, it allows the children to lead and to shine, and allows the congregation to connect in ways they don’t on a normal Sunday morning. The pageant is a great ministry, but it doesn’t always seem that way.

Should the Advent season be the “Pageant Season?”…….

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