When I picture people who are ‘nurturing faith’ I usually
picture a group of folks sitting in a circle, sharing Scripture and talking
about how it connects with daily life.
The good people of Peace Lutheran Church have shown me that
it’s that…and much, much more!
A couple weeks ago Peace provided some surveys for folks in
an attempt to see how well we are living up to our Mission Statement: The mission of
Peace Lutheran Church is to call people to Christ, nurture them into the faith,
and send them out in witness and service.
Last
fall we did away with Sunday School and replaced it with more family
activities. We added some Wednesday
night events for elementary and Middle School youth. In the midst of change we felt it especially
important to check in and see how well we’re accomplishing our goals.
People’s
responses showed four main areas where they felt that God works through Peace
to nurture their faith. Faith is
nurtured in worship, in community, in family events, and in age specific
events. Not every person experiences God
in the same way. A variety of ministry
opportunities provides the best way to impact the lives of faith of the most
people.
Here
is our proposal for future ministry based on these responses. How might these themes fit your ministry?
Nurturing Faith in
Worship
Worship is at the heart of Peace’s ministry. It is a time for families of all kinds to
gather together to encounter the living God and grow in faith. Peace is intentional about including all ages
in the service. The lessons and sermons
are presented in a format that provides Biblical background to the stories,
proclaims the grace of God, and helps people find ways of turning their faith
into action.
Nurturing Faith in
Community
The Christian life was never intended to be a solo
exercise. Faith is nurtured as people
have an opportunity to get to know others and build relationships with them,
providing a strong basis of support in the faith. The Hospitality time following worship is an
essential portion of this community building.
Other community building activities such as game nights, bowling trips,
meals, campfires, Christmas decorating, and other events provide the people of
Peace with the opportunities to grow close together as a community.
Nurturing Faith in
Families
Research shows that the faith of children is significantly
impacted by the involvement of adults in their faith formation. In Livin’ the Faith (9th grade or
higher) and First Communion (2nd grade) Peace has a history of
successful youth/parent activities. We
will build upon that by providing additional times for youth and parents to
come together to learn about important aspects of the faith. Providing a regular schedule will ensure that
no group ‘falls through the cracks’ and misses an essential portion of their
faith formation. Many of these times
will be held on Sunday mornings at 10:30 in the separate classroom (to not
conflict with Hospitality time).
The full list:
·
Using the Jesus Storybook Bible (one time,
Kindergarten)
·
First Communion (two times, 2nd
grade)
·
Using the Bible (two times, 3rd
grade) – they will receive a NIrV version of the Bible at this time.
·
Prayer (two times, 5th grade)
·
Using a Study Bible (one time, 6th
grade) – they will receive a Study Bible at this time
·
Human Sexuality (two times, 7th
grade)
·
Livin’ the Faith (nine times, 9th
grade or above)
Nurturing Faith in
Specific Age Groups
There can be great benefit in gathering people together in
specific age groups to provide time for faith formation and community building. For five weeks in the fall and four weeks in
the winter Peace will take time on Wednesday evenings to provide faith building
activities for the following groups:
·
Pre-K
·
Early Elementary
·
Upper Elementary
·
Middle School
·
High School
·
Adult
The Middle School and High School youth will have additional
activities planned:
·
Cardboard Box City in October
·
Waterpark trip in December
·
Rochester Supernight in February
·
Mt. Olympus in the Dells in August
·
On overnight mission trip in the summer
Vacation Bible School provides a time for 3 year olds
through 5th graders to gather together to grow in faith.
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