People were bringing children to him in order that he might touch them, and the disciples spoke sternly to them. 但当耶稣看到这些, 他愤愤不平，对他们说, “Let the children come to me; do not stop them, for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs.(马可福音10:13,14)
Does your congregation want to faithfully pass on faith to young people? 我们也是.
Do you want to ensure that the good news of Jesus is shared from age to age? 我们想帮你做到这一点.
威尼斯人平台 was recently awarded $1.25 million dollars from the Lilly Endowment as a part of their first series of Nurturing Children through Worship and Prayer grants. 我们的项目, 年龄对年龄: Curating Congregational Rituals to Form Faith With and Within Children, will equip faith communities with accessible, 具有文化竞争力的资源 that strengthen the faith of young people. With professional expertise in theology, 教育, 音乐, 可威尼斯人官网性, 一些, 人类发展, 资本 is positioned to empower congregations of all sizes—and especially those that do not employ professional children’s ministry staff—to provide compelling opportunities to strengthen children’s faith.
每年, 年龄对年龄 will gather ecumenical cohorts of 8 congregations that will meet monthly together to accomplish three goals. 第一个, 通过每月远程会议, we will accompany one another in solidarity as we minister in this precedented era. 第二个, congregations will identify ways that their particular communities might better support faith formation in children. 第三, cohort members will each be matched with a consultant whose professional expertise matches their particular needs. 全年, 年龄对年龄 consultants will create and curate resources for cohort members and then help congregations implement learnings in their specific contexts.
What sets 年龄对年龄 apart from other programs is the intent to create and curate faith formation resources that are both accessible and culturally competent. 这很重要，因为, 让人认识神, precisely because all people deserve to so that our children can form profound faith that appreciates ways that God’s image incarnates within people of all abilities, 种族, 性别, 比赛, 性取向, 和更多的.
我们从耶稣那里得到启示, who demands that the disciples remove the obstacles that prevent children from coming to him, even if the obstacles are the disciples’ themselves and their societal norms. 你看到, sometimes the things that we normally do—that we’re comfortable doing, maybe even the things that we like doing—are themselves hurdles to others coming to Christ. By creating and curating accessible, 具有文化竞争力的资源, we’re ensuring that all children can come to Jesus, 即使这意味着我们, 就像门徒一样, need to get out of the way and do some things differently.
And here’s the beauty of this story: by getting out of the way, the disciples didn’t lose access to Jesus. 而不是, more people could approach Christ in their own way while the disciples retained their particular relationships with Jesus. Accessible and 具有文化竞争力的资源 ensure as many people as possible can engage God’s goodness in worship and can celebrate divine diversity throughout all creation. That’s the vision for 年龄对年龄: a world where all people who use these resources can find themselves within God’s love.
You may already know that I am no longer 资本’s University Pastor, 如果是这样的话, you might be wondering how we’ll accomplish all this. 不要担心! President Kaufman has contracted me to ensure we hire a program director and maintain positive relationships with faith-based funding organizations. My new role at HopeWood Outdoors also opens the door for potential partnerships that could further expand the 年龄对年龄 resources through our outdoor ministry network.
年龄对年龄 will only thrive with your participation. 你怎么能这么做?
1. Do you know someone who would be a great leader in this project? 伟大的! We’re hiring a Program Director for 年龄对年龄 in the coming months. When ready, the position will be posted at http://capital.applicantpro.com/jobs/. Check it out and share the opportunity widely!
2. If your congregation is interested in participating in an 年龄对年龄 cohort, email cfl@sjtutraining.net.
3. Are you aware of accessible, 具有文化竞争力的资源 to share with others? Share that here to add it to the list of curated assets. The forthcoming 年龄对年龄 website will host all of the resources created and curated by consultants, giving free access to these resources to all throughout the life of the grant.
4. Is your congregation is already doing innovative children’s ministries that you’d like to share more broadly so that others might benefit from your wisdom, 让我们知道!
拉塔克