Idea Exchange
Congregations Share What's Worked

Monday, May 26, is the observance of Memorial Day, the day we set aside to remember. Long-time educator Anna Bedford of Little Rock, Arkansas, offers these suggestions for making it more than just another day off from school.

Younger children must be treated sensitively, perhaps introduced to the idea of Memorial Day with soft, reflective music. Ask the children to think about someone (or something) they truly loved, but don’t see anymore (pets, a grandparent who has died, a friend who has moved away, a school or neighborhood left behind, even a favorite toy). Talk about how we miss people and things when they’re gone, but that they still have a special place in our hearts. Invite the children to crayon or paint a picture of their remembered person or thing, or model it in clay. (Don’t supply quick-finish media like marker pens.) Allow enough time so they can complete their handiwork. Talk to children individually as they work; some may share with the whole group when time’s up. Talk briefly about those brave soldiers whom we remember on Memorial Day, who gave their lives so that we can be safe and free. Some may have family members who serve in the armed services; talk about them. Close with a prayer of thanks to God for Jesus who gave his life so that all may live a life full of joy.

Ask if older children have ever visited a cemetery. What are cemeteries like? What other ways are the memories of people and animals we love preserved after they die? Talk about family burial sites (especially historic ones with poems and prayers on them) and national ones. If you have a photo of Arlington National Cemetery, show it, then ask how it is different from a local cemetery. Why? Draw a simple tombstone shape on the chalk board and ask the group to work together to write an inscription for a service member who died. When everyone is satisfied with the results, ask the group how they would like to be remembered after they die. Then ask them to draw their own tombstone on a piece of paper and fill in the inscription they would like to be remembered by. Accept all responses, even the funny ones. Then have the group look up Phil. 4:8 as a guide to a happy life and John 14:1–2 as the assurance of a happy ending to our lives.

Discuss with youth the ways we remember the courage and sacrifice of those who died in war as we work and pray for peace. Tell the story of St. Francis of Assisi, a young knight who was taken prisoner in battle. As a POW, he had lots of time to think, and he realized that war is useless. He decided to make it his life’s work to be a peacemaker. He said, “God revealed a form of greeting to me: ‘God give you peace!’” He lived it out—he hugged a leper, tamed a wolf, and dialogued with a Muslim sultan. He told his followers, “While you are proclaiming peace with your lips, be careful to have it even more fully in your heart.” Talk about Christ’s peace (John 14:27). Then invite the group to make medieval-looking flags or banners of felt or paper, featuring heart shapes and some words of St. Francis, such as those above or from his famous prayer that begins, “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.” At the end of the session, as they leave, have each person clasp the hand of the others in turn, saying, “God give you peace!”

Submitted by Anna Bedford Little Rock, AR, via email.

TOOLs: One Presbytery’s Way of Equipping Church Leaders in Christian Education

Many churches meet their need for someone to organize the Christian education program by giving the job to a willing, but unprepared volunteer or part-time staff person. A number of presbyteries offer programs to give these people some background for their work. When we began to consider how to address the needs of folks in Charlotte Presbytery, we looked at the STEP Program of Middle Tennessee Presbytery for people just beginning to work for pay in the field and at the Volunteer Educator Training Program of the Presbytery of Western North Carolina for churches under 250 members.

We realized that we needed a combination of the two models. Several churches had employed members to staff their programs. We had willing and dedicated volunteers who came faithfully year after year to the events we offered for teachers and youth leaders. We found willing pastors with no training in Christian education staffing their churches’ Christian education programs. With this in mind, we created TOOLs: Educational Ministry Resources for Lay Educators.

Educational ministry resources are the tools we believe that lay educators need. The program was designed for leaders in Christian education in a local church who are ready to deepen their faith and add to their educational skills. We promised that by the end of the nine-month program, graduates would be well prepared to help plan, coordinate, and educate others in the oversight and administration of a church’s educational ministry program.

Participants were enrolled as Associate Members in APCE so they would receive regular denominational mailings to keep them abreast of the latest developments in Christian education in the PC(USA). Those employed by their churches were encouraged to explore the Educator Certification Process.

Sessions were asked to sponsor participants from their congregations, and a nominal fee was set to cover the cost of two presbytery-wide training events, in addition to monthly classes. The program began with a lunch meeting at “Bridges to Leadership,” the presbytery’s annual training event for teachers and youth leaders. There, group members met and received the background materials for the fall classes: A Bird’s Eye View of the Bible, Being Presbyterian in the Bible Belt, and the Book of Order.

Individual class sessions took place one Saturday per month from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in the presbytery office, providing ready access to the Resource Center. The curriculum design covered Biblical Foundations for Education, Being Presbyterian, Polity and Program, Understanding Learners, Teaching Strategies for the 21st Century, Curriculum (selecting, designing, and using), Teachers (recruiting, training, and supporting), Getting Connected (communication skills including creative use of print, Web, and e-mail communication for education), and Faith in Life in the World (living what we learn in Christian education).

Pastors and educators from the presbytery led sessions so that participants met people who would provide ongoing support in their work. Twenty people completed the TOOLs program. Three were seminary graduates and one was a graduate of PSCE. Two were pastors’ wives. Seven were employed by their congregations. The others served on their churches’ Christian education committees.

Response to the program has exceeded our expectations. Graduates were presented with certificates of achievement at the September meeting of the Presbytery of Charlotte. Their home congregations were encouraged to formally recognize them as well. Program participants have confidently agreed to take on increased responsibility in their churches and to accept leadership roles in presbytery committees. We plan to offer TOOLs again beginning in the fall of 2003 and every second year into the future as long as it continues to serve the needs of our churches.

For further information about the program, contact
Jean Floyd Love, or Paige M. McRight, Presbyter for Leadership Development.