Dear Friends:
I hope this finds you healthy and enjoying the great wonder of God’s presence in spring. We are enjoying spring here in Louisville, finally! It is such a joy to see more than 10 minutes of sunshine.
Several weeks ago I met with the board of the Presbyterian Association of Resource Centers to discuss the issues of that association and how we can work together to help you. Our discussions were, at times, difficult. But, like any good family, we remained faithful to our vision of ministry and shared witness.
We spent time discussing how to improve our service to you through the Resource Center subscription. If you have not renewed your subscription for 2008, please do so now! Operators are waiting. Ha! We hope that as we continue to work together, we can build some strategic alliances with other ministry areas within the Presbyterian Center that will strengthen this shared ministry.
We also talked about the ongoing restructuring of the entity formerly known as the National Training Center for Resource Center Directors. As many of you know, the organization has been reevaluating its role since the retirement of Jo Bales Gallagher, the former executive and founding director. NTC has renamed itself the Ecumenical Resource Ministry Alliance (The Alliance, for short) and is pursuing options for training and mutual support that are very exciting. Mardee Rightmyer serves as the interim executive director, and she joined us for this discussion.
PARC really depends on its members for feedback and for mutual support, so if you have not renewed your membership, do that right away. Also, share what you are doing in your center.
We are very busy here in Theology Worship and Education with plans for the future. Our editors are already working on creating new and exciting changes to We Believe. Watch for information about that in ideas! For Church Leaders. These changes include a new toddler component and fully redesigned pre-school section that will together be called Wee Believe.
You should already have received a letter and chart for possible alternatives to Bible Quest. I hope they are helpful as you discuss this with people. You also should have received the summer curriculum. One of the foci of my discussions with PARC (in its function as the Resource Center Advisory Team) was to talk about how much curricula is helpful. For many, receiving every piece of curricula is not as important as timely delivery of the newest items.
In that vein, we hope to send out to you some sample copies of Faith for Life2. We also make available to Resource Centers the We Believe Workshop links on request. Please send me an email if you need these. Be advised that the links once provided cannot be taken back. Workshops are sold for $89.95 per unit and $14.95 per workshop. There are discounts for quantity orders. The links provided are to be used in the center only.
I hope you find the latest resources helpful. As always, if you find out about a resource you believe we should be sending, please let me know.
Blessings to you during this Eastertide. Christ is risen, Alleluia!
Michael Purintun |
