Linnae Peterson
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Choosing curriculum

2/8/2017

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Next year! Really, I have to start thinking about the 2017-2018 year now! I know it feels out of sync to begin planning for next year, however if you are considering changing your curriculum now is the time to look over your options so that you can jump on the early discounts.
While content is important in Christian formation, formation goes beyond the conveying of information. We are creating a place where all those involved can encounter Christ. As you look at the lessons on the page of any program, look for places where we many find God and be found by God. Look for the places of wonder.

There are many factors in choosing a curriculum that will work best in your situation. As you look over the options remember that no curriculum is going to be perfect. Each one will require some modification. That may mean adding information; this is often true for baptism, communion and saints. On the other hand if the curriculum has lessons specific to another tradition you may need to drop or modify those section.


Sharon Ely Pearson at Church Publishing has put together comprehensive information of options. You can find them on her blog Rows of Sharon in the resources recommendations section. https://rowsofsharon.com/resource-recommendations/


As you look over the list here are some questions (in no particular order) that I have found helpful in sorting through your options.


Questions about who we are:
1)      Who may be teaching? what kind of experience do they have? What are they good at? Are there others that might help with a specific lesson (altar guild member? Potter? Woodworker? Food pantry volunteer? Storyteller?)
2)      Who are the students? How many in each group? Are they active or crafty? Musical or always ready of a debate? Do you have students with alternate learning styles or challenges?
3)      What is your space like? Do you have room to move around? Do you need to be mindful of noise? What kind of furniture and supplies do you have access to?

Questions about perspective:
Educational- Catechesis of the Good Shepherd and Godly Play both reflect their Montessori roots and require particular training that other curriculum will not. It would be helpful to have a teacher in your congregation give you some guidance on what might work best with your students. Remember you do not need to use the same curriculum with each group.  Does this curriculum use a variety of learning styles? Will it work with the teachers you have? The space you have? The time you have?

Theological – Each curriculum will have a particular theological perspective. Most will have a short theological statement that you can look at. Some things you may want to look for include, how do they view the Bible? The sacraments? How do they deal with social issues? Look over these items with your priest and discuss what is compatible with the focus and values of the Gospel and with your congregation.

Lectionary based or Not
This is one area where I will weigh in from my two decades of experience, and my perspective has changed. The idea of having a lectionary-based curriculum is that parents and children would be hearing the same stories on the same day and could have a conversation about those stories during the week. Like the adults the students would eventually hear the all the critical stories over the course of the 3 year cycle.
There are a number of issues in how this actually plays out.
1)      Since there are several readings for each Sunday, the adults and children may end of focusing on different readings.
2)      Without some significant help, families rarely discuss what they heard on Sunday.
3)      Children need a consistent narrative in order to understand the whole story. For example, hearing only the story of Jacob wresting with the angle one week, and Moses and burning bush next, makes it very difficult to figure out how they are related to one another and how those incidents fit into the larger stories of Jacob or Moses.
4)      Even with inconsistent attendance, most students have the opportunity to hear several stories with the same main focus over the course of a month or more in a non-lectionary curriculum.
Because of these challenges I believe that a story- based curriculum generally has a better outcome for younger children and topic to theme-based curriculum for older youth or teens.  


As always, I am available to work with individual congregations to help sort through all the options and come up with the best one for you.  You can contact me at linnae.peterson@gmail.com

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Reaching Out and Reaching In

1/9/2017

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We all want to make a difference, especially teens. Recently I’ve heard of a number of parishes that have refocused their youth activities around helping others. Most gather once a month to participate in a service activity. Many include a conversation around the Biblical roots of service, hospitality and caring for others. This shift to service learning has had several advantages;

1) The teens are making a difference and are willing to make time in their overly busy lives
2) They feel more comfortable bringing friends to a service activity
3) They are exposed to a variety of adults who live out their faith in a number of ways
4) You can tailor the activities to match the learning styles and interests of those in the group
5) It can be done as part of ongoing outreach activities
6) Pairing with another church or service group in town is an option.


One caution, service learning of this type requires significant planning, both of the activity and for leading the conversation reflecting on the activity. Although encouraging input from the teens on ideas is one way to start, doing some research beforehand will help the planning process.


Here are some ideas to get you going (adapted from the Forma Facebook page)
For outgoing teens
  • Tech day- Have a time to teach less tech-savvy folks to use email, Facebook, hashtags, Smartphones, apps they might enjoy. Could happen at a Senior center or even coffee hour.
  • Performances- Work up a series of skits or musical numbers. Perform them at the local nursing home or hospital.
  • Animal Shelter- See if the local animal shelter could use a day of help.

For crafty teens
  • Cards- Make cards for shut-ins
  • Hats- Have someone come in and teach the kits to knit hats. They could go to the local homeless shelter. Mariners http://seamenschurch.org/christmas-at-sea, or children’s hats for local schools (check with the school nurse)
  • Blankets- Invite a local quilter, knitter or crocheted to teach the teens to make small blankets for Project Linus http://www.projectlinus.org/about/
  • Cooking- Have a casserole night to make and freeze casseroles of various sizes for parishioners in need. (Side benefit, teens get practice cooking and working together)

For active teens
  • Help out Seniors and Single parent families- rake leaves in the fall, clear walkways of ice in the winter, yard clean up in the spring, do “heavy lifting” indoor projects
  • Skill projects- Invite a carpenter, plumber, handyperson, to each basic repair skills. Offer a “repair day” to those who need it. (Have your skilled person come along to oversee the project).
  • Road clean up- Check with your town to see where they could use help

“Gathering” projects

There are always groups that are in need of specific items. Contact them and see how your group can help. Some groups to check out are; food pantries, homeless shelters, animal shelters, domestic violence shelters, local elementary schools, and Head-start programs.

I’m sure there are many other options and that you have much that you could add to the list. Let me know and so we can share our experiences.

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Faith Online

12/5/2016

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Recently an older member of my parish remarked that she had misplaced her cell phone for several days. She was amazed at how difficult it was for her to function without it. That small device had replaced not only her phone but her calendar, flashlight, map and yellow pages. For all of us, our connections online are a significant part of our daily life. There are also an increasing number of resources available online to help us deepen our faith. Here are some that I’ve found helpful and interesting. Look them over and see what you might find helpful.

Pod casts
My son loves to listen to podcast while he does chores. Others listen when waiting for appointments, driving to work, or all those other in between times. These podcast offer short audio reflections and conversations on topics of faith.
http://thirtysecondsorless.net/
http://scrappapertheology.podbean.com/
http://moonshinejesus.podbean.com/
 
Scripture
These video’s are just fun!
The Gospel of John in 3 minutes  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lQkLSU4dAA
The Book of Acts in 3 minutes  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJIHgMR7LP0
 
Emmanuel Episcopal in Wakefield MA has created some wonderful videos of Biblical stories using Legos.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC35ioUakw4mAUdqfgBK9tIQ
 
The Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd in Kingwood TX offers ways for families to interact with the upcoming Sunday lessons. With ways to engage children, youth and adults, this is one you will want to use weekly. http://www.biblicalencounter.com/home
 
Daily Prayer and Meditation
The Daily Office https://dailyoffice.wordpress.com/
If you are interested in praying Morning and Evening Prayer, this is a good resource. It will post to your email or you can go to their site. A weekly webcast enables you to join with others in praying the daily office.
 
Daily Meditations
If you are looking for a way to connect with God at the beginning of your day, any of these are wonderful options.
Barbara Cawthorne Crafton- an Episcopal Priest and author, her daily meditation often use art to illuminate faith. http://www.geraniumfarm.org/dailyemo.cfm

Richard Rohr- a Roman Catholic monk has written extensively of topics of faith and action. https://cac.org/category/daily-meditations/?gclid=Cj0KEQiAx7XBBRCdyNOw6PLHrYABEiQAJtyEQ7x2c9tznVxGwnC-OxUSlLGqKnA8_lPYWKBUuRB08boaAhvE8P8HAQ

Society of St. John the Evangelist-Drawing on the wisdom of teachings of the brothers in the order, these short daily meditations encompass a wide variety of topics and voices. http://ssje.org/word/
 
Online study opportunities:

Church Next-The Big Class
Getting More Out of the Bible with Archbishop Justin Welby
https://churchnextblog.wordpress.com/the-big-class/
Church Next offers a huge variety of video based classes with some of the best people. Most are offered at a modest price (appox. $15 per class). Their “Big Class” offering are free. During Advent 2016, the Big Class presenter is the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby. This 45 min. class will offer ways to read and interact with Scripture.
 
The Five Marks of Love
www.5marksoflove.org
This year’s Lenten offering by the Society of St. John the Evangelist focuses on five marks of God’s mission (Tell, Teach, Tend, Transform, Treasure). With a daily mobile-ready video and daily questions, individuals or groups can participate. The hashtag #5marksoflove will enable participants to share insights with other around the globe. (Free)
 
Darkwood Brew
http://darkwoodbrew.org/
The Faith of Jesus in a Pluralistic World
Listen- hearing the still small voice and finding your own
Hope – A Pessimist’s Guide
These titles are just some of the offerings you can find at Darkwood Brew. Created by Rev. Dr. Eric Elnes, these course are insightful and provoking. Centered around conversations with leading thinkers, scholars and activists, each course provides additional material that will provoke the participant to dig deeper and keep one thinking about the topic long after the class.  (available for free but with a suggested donation of $49 per class).
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Where the People are

11/7/2016

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The one thing that I never seem to have is enough time to do all the things I want to do. This seems to be true of everyone I know. Kids have school, afterschool activities, homework and precious little time to just play. Adults struggle to fit in all the chores, relationship demands, and even a little exercise in the time left after work. Even those who have retired tell me that they have never been busier. As a result, even those who would love to come out for a book group, Bible study or other event find it difficult to come. With this realization, here are some ideas for intergenerational formation activities that can be done during coffee hour. Why coffee hour? Because that is where the people are! (For more ideas go to http://www.linnaepeterson.com/coffee-hour.html)
 
Lent –
During Lent we have the opportunity to pare down, dig deeper, and refocus.
Rachel Held Evans has a wonderful list of ideas for Lent see at http://rachelheldevans.com/blog/40-ideas-for-lent-2012
 
Set out the scripture in a way the folks can read and ponder it.
 
He has not dealt with us according to our sins, *
nor rewarded us according to our wickedness.
 For as the heavens are high above the earth, *
so is his mercy great upon those who fear him.
 As far as the east is from the west, *
so far has he removed our sins from us. Ps. 103:10-12
 
Provide books for Adults and children to read.
Have a stack of vegetarian dinner recipes.
 
Or try this
Put this question in the bulletin the first two weeks before Lent.
 
What are some things in my life that I tell myself I need but I don’t? Can I give one or two of them up for 40 days? 
 
On Ash Wednesday and the first Sunday of Lent, provide paper and pens to write down their decision.
Create a box to put them in near the altar.
 
Baptism
Set out the scripture in a way the folks can read and ponder it.
 
When you were buried with him in baptism, you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. Col. 2:12
 
Decorate the room with anything related to baptism: i.e. Photo’s, parish records of baptisms, baptismal grows, baptismal certificates.
Around the room place photo’s or other items that relate to how your congregation have lived out their baptismal covenant.
For example
Seek and serve Christ in all persons- canned goods that will go to the food pantry
Proclaim by word and example the Good News- a home communion kit
 
Prayer of Adoration
Adoration is praising God for who God is. It is a way for us, as humans to recognize the wonder of God.
Adoration is closely linked to worship and often the topic of hymns.
 
Set out the scripture in a way the folks can read and ponder it.
 
I will bless the Lord at all times;
    his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul makes its boast in the Lord;
    let the humble hear and be glad.
O magnify the Lord with me,
    and let us exalt his name together. Psalm 34:1-3
 
In the bulletin print out one of the hymns. During “Annoucements” describe “Adoration” and ask them to circle phrases that reflect adoration in the hymn, in that days scripture readings and to look for them in the liturgy.
Phrases that reflect God’s
Eternal being, steadfastness, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, faithfulness, love, creativity, persistence, truthfulness to begin with.
 
At coffee hour provide sheets with a format to craft a prayer of adoration.
Some prompts might include:
 
Lord God who is ……
We praise you who are…..
We bless you who is….
 
Prayer of Intercession
Intercession is placing ourselves before God on behalf of another.  Sybil MacBeth has written a wonderful book (Praying in Color) that utilizes coloring as a way of engaging our bodies, as well as our hearts and minds in intercession. She has free worksheets available here http://prayingincolor.com/handouts
 
Set out the scripture in a way the folks can read and ponder it.
 
For this reason, since the day we heard it, we have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, Col. 1:9
 
Explanation
Often our minds wander as we prayer. Praying in color is one way to help focus on our prayers.
Use the sheet (or make your own). Color, doodle, or draw as you keep the person or situation you are praying for before God.
  • Praying in Color sheets
  • Crayons, pens, pencils
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Advent in a Box

10/19/2016

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I just got a reminder that Advent is only 6 weeks away! So I am busily finishing up my plans for Advent in a Box. I first ran across the idea of creating at home activities for households during Advent through Emily Given’s article in the Building Faith blog (http://www.buildfaith.org/advent-in-a-box/). She has some wonderful ideas that can easily be done by any congregation. This year I will be using some of those ideas and a few more.

The boxes this year will have:
  • A Paper Advent wreath with tea lights (see above)
  • Advent story cards (http://redbird-blue.blogspot.com/2013/11/free-printable-christmas-story-advent.html) These printable card tell the Christmas story in small daily bites.
  • Paper Crèche (http://goodgroundpress.com/holyfamilycutouts.aspx) Printed on cardstock paper, these crèche figures can be colored and cut out to create a crèche as a focus for Advent and Christmastide.
  • Advent Kindness chain Add a link to a paper chain for each act of kindness during Advent. Place the chain on your Christmas tree at Christmas.
  • #AdventWord (http://www.anglicancommunion.org/adventword) Created by the Anglican Communion and the Society of St. John the Evangelist, this interactive global Advent calendar is engages both teens and adults. Each day participates are invited to add a photo and/or prayer with that days hashtag. This creates an online Advent calendar from people around the world. (Note: Have a coffee hour tech opportunity for those unfamiliar with the using this kind of digital technology)
  • Music Playlist Here is an eclectic list to get you started. Add or change as you wish!
    • Blessed – Brett Dennen
    • Life in Letters – Lucy Schwartz
    • We Will Be Changed – Seryn
    • More Love – Dixie Chicks
    • Go Tell it On The Mountain – The Branches
    • Lanterns – Birds of Tokyo
    • The Outsiders – Needtobreathe
    • Gaudete- Anuna
    • Nothing More – Alternate Routes
    • O Come O Come Emmanuel – EnyaWherever Is Your Heart – Brandi Carlile
    • Brother – The Brilliance
    • Silent Night
    • Take Up Your Spade – Sara Watkins
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Messy Church, a different way of being church 

9/29/2016

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While Messy Church originated in England, over the past decade, this concept has spread around the world. I was introduced to Messy Church by a friend in Australia. After following their blogs and reading some of the foundational documents, recently I was able to attend a training in Massachusetts. There I learned a bit more about the five core values of Messy Church, they include:
  • All-ages: Messy Church is designed to include people of all ages, children, teens, adults and seniors.
  • Hospitality: Each gathering is created to be accessible to everyone, whether or not they have any previous experience of church.
  • Creative: Life is messy. Messy Church engages participants using all their senses. This may include listening to music, baking bread, crushing mint leaves, or creating a mosaic.  Whatever the activity, it is designed to focus on the theme of the day and encourage conversation among the participants.
  • Celebration: Each Messy Church includes a time to hear the Biblical story and celebrate the experience of learning together.
  • Christ-Centered: Messy church is above all Church. It is a time and place to tell the story of Christ and experience His presence in the community of disciples.
Messy church events are usually held once a month and end with a meal. This enables participants to continue the conversation and learning. Below are a couple of links with further information on Messy Church.

http://messychurch.org.uk/what-messy-church-and-isnt

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsH5ddzUsOo

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Backpack Blessings

8/11/2016

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The end of summer is filled with lazy days and preparations for the fall. While we are all enjoying this less structured time, parents everywhere are making back-to-school lists. Even new school year brings changes:: new classrooms, new teachers, new friends, and new challenges. Sending students off with a blessing reminds them that Jesus is with them as they embark on the new school year. Many congregations have created a “blessing of the backpacks” (click here to read more). Along with the blessing they provide an item as a reminder that can be carried in or on their backpacks such as this back to school prayer by Courtney DeFeo:
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    Roots & Branches Blog

    Sunday school, youth groups, adult studies, incorporating children into worship, using Social Media to learn about or share our faith, creating inter-generational learning events, there are a million ideas floating around that can help us to learn and practice being members of the Jesus Movement.

    This monthly blog is designed to highlight resources that can help us in that task. Designed for the Episcopal Church of New Hampshire http://www.nhepiscopal.org/ , Roots and Branches focuses on resources that can be readily used by smaller congregations.
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    Author

    LINNAE HIMSL PETERSON

    Linnae is the coordinator for Formation Network NH, a group of people interested and involved in Christian Formation in the Episcopal Church of New Hampshire.

    You can find more about this group or join me on Facebook

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Linnae Himsl Peterson M.Div.  ©LinnaeHimslPeterson2014