Pedagogy

Lenten Study Group on Forgiveness

We’ll meet on Monday nights at my house for a Lenten Study, Learning Forgiveness by Marjorie J. Thompson. You are welcome to participate whether you are coming all 6 weeks, or come once. Hot beverages provided. Every Monday in Lent at 7:00 pm

The Summer Reading Program

On Monday nights throughout the summer I host a weekly gathering to discuss books that are on my Summer Reading list. We will meet at my home from 7:00-8:30 pm.

Previous titles include:
Pastrix by Nadia Bolz Weber
and the New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander.

All are welcome!

Children's Moments

Church is a space where all are welcome. Christ offers us a model of ministry where children are given a special place at the table. As we carry on the mission of our faith in our weekly services, we honor and nurture our youth by taking a moment to address their needs and understandings. In these Children's Moments, we approach the scripture in new ways that touch upon the concrete, the metaphorical, and how we might experience the Word in our day to day lives. Often, children are invited to participate in a brief dialog, allowing the complexities of our Christian faith to be translated through and to our younger members.

Sample Children's Moments are now available.

Church School: Godly Play

For children play is their work. At the heart of Godly Play method young children are encouraged to discover and use the language of the Bible and religious symbol that will allow them to express themselves spiritually and make “meaning” of their faith. When a teacher takes time to listen and observe a child, the teacher can find more effective ways to lead the child into new discoveries.

The Godly Play classroom is a place for children to be themselves, to learn how Christians live in community, to come closer to the mystery of God’s presence, to learn the language of the Christian people, respect for the space and for one another is maintained to help the children feel safe, children are encouraged to form their own community and take care of one another.

Most of us value intentionality in our work, home-life and relationships. The Godly Play method is intentional throughout, in the preparation of the storytellers in memorizing the story, in classroom preparation, in the greeting of the children, in the careful use/ cleanup of the space/materials, in the attentiveness of the children, storytellers and shepherds. Through this intentionality we want to communicate to children:

• They are welcome. 
• They have value. 
• They are loved. 
• They are respected. 
• They are accepted just the way they are. 
• They are capable. 
• They are our primary concern during this time. 
• We trust them to make good choices. 
• This is a safe space to wonder and find meaning. 
• The community is important and will be supported. 
• There are limits and expectations in this place. 
• This is a place of imagining. 
• A different language is spoken here. 
• The stories have value 
• We love the stories. 
• We can use the stories to make meaning. 
• We love God. 
• God is present in this place.