With a big assist from the gifts of music leader Mark Miller, closing worship for APCE’s Circle of Faith event in Chicago ended Saturday where it had begun the Wednesday before, with Hebrews 12:1-2.
One by one, and sometimes in pairs or trios, denominational partners of the Association of Partners in Christian Education rose Saturday to tell those attending APCE’s annual even in Chicago and online how they’re sustaining their faith communities, especially as pandemic obstacles to faith formation enter their third year.
On Thursday the Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis recalled for the recently-renamed Association of Partners in Christian Education the scene — including tastes, smells and lasting impressions — of the first time she took communion when she was 7½ years old.
During opening worship at the Association of Presbyterian Church Educators annual gathering, the Rev. Shannon Johnson Kershner asked some 500 participants gathered in person and 200 joining online to put on “their glasses of Imagination.”
Even with the COVID-related risks, delays and uncertainty that have surrounded the annual Association of Presbyterian Church Educators event, co-chair Candace Hill said what excites her the most about next week’s event is being with people who are close to her heart.
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s Office of Christian Formation (OCF) recently introduced two new resources designed to help congregations, church leaders, communities and organizations navigate the post pandemic world.
For more than a year now, businesses, schools, and places of worship have been closed because of COVID-19. With renewed hope from a vaccine that would allow the world to return to some type of normal, the world is slowly recovering and reopening. People are finding new ways to understand and inspire spirituality, especially as it relates to civic action and bridge-building.
As cohort groups are being formed by the Office of Christian Formation in partnership with the Association of Presbyterian Church Educators and Presbyterian Youth Workers Association, Christian educator Linda Babcock said her cohort was “a real lifesaver.”
After years of difficult work, the Association of Presbyterian Church Educators (APCE) has a new justice and equity statement. APCE’s Diversity Task Force, which developed the statement, hopes it will help the organization in its effort to become more diverse.
