Intergenerational

Building a Healthy and Interdependent Church Community

The session presented several practical tools for building a church community that welcomes and embraces diversity in membership. Highlighting examples from churches including members with disabilities, this session offered ideas that allow people to see one another through God's eyes.

January 1, 2009 | 61 min listen
Helping Children Understand the Psalms

The Psalms have been a great source of inspiration for generations of Christians but children seldom get the chance to interact with more than a handful of Psalms in a meaningful way. This workshop will explore how we can help children do this and why it matters.

January 1, 2009 | 63 min listen

Bridging Cultures: Worship Renewal in Culturally Diverse Congregations

This panel of Worship Renewal Grant recipients --from First Christian Reformed Church, Hamilton, Ont.; Eliot Presbyterian, Lowell, Mass.; Rehoboth Christian Reformed Church, Rehoboth, N.M.; and Bridgeway Community Church, Haledon, N.J.-- told their stories of how they are bringing together worshipers of different cultures, experiences, and perspectives. They offered practical ideas of how visual art, music, and testimony can help people honor their heritage and grow in unity.

January 1, 2009 | 51 min listen
Conversations Between Worship Leaders and Worship Technicians

This presentation addressed some of the wonderful possibilities of working well together as well as some of the pitfalls in the assumptions we make about sound in worship.

January 1, 2009 | 64 min listen
Prayer in the Life of a Third Millennium Monastery: What We're Learning

This session featured stories, prayers, and insights from the first year of the Stockbridge Boiler Room, a simple Christian community that practices a daily rhythm of prayer, study, and celebration while caring actively for the poor and the lost.

January 1, 2009 | 61 min listen

Worship that Renews the Me and Transforms the Us

Drawing from their diverse ministry experience, Jim and Rose Dekker --in Latin American ecumenical and spiritual direction-- and Jonathan Bradford --in a U.S. urban context-- explored the biblical concepts of knowing Christ the servant and serving Christ the Sovereign Lord. All of life must really be worship.

January 1, 2009 | 55 min listen
Old Testament Resources for Christian Worship: Surprising insight

Touching the Altar, edited by Carol M. Bechtel, shows how the often-neglected Old Testament is essential to understand the purpose of worship, giving practical ideas any church can apply. A feature story on using Old Testament values in worship.

November 12, 2008 | 11 min read
Sunday Morning Worship: Who's not there and why not?

As churches work toward full, conscious and active participation in liturgy, some are noticing patterns of worship attendance. They're reaching out to those absent from Sunday morning worship. A feature story focused on Sunday worship attendance.

October 29, 2008 | 12 min read

Church Military Support that Any Congregation Can Do

Even if you agree that churches should reach out to armed forces members and their families, you might think your church isn't up to the job. But don't discount what your congregation can do in military ministry.

October 15, 2008 | 7 min read
Becoming a Veteran-friendly Church: Pacifists can do this too

How can churches follow the Prince of Peace and yet minister to warriors? Military chaplains and veterans say that this dilemma keeps many congregations from including war concerns in worship or ministering to soldiers and families. A feature story exploring how churches can become veteran-friendly.

October 15, 2008 | 12 min read
Confirmation and Profession of Faith Practices Are Changing

Two concerns, young adults who drop out of church and adult churchgoers who stop growing in discipleship, are pushing denominations to rethink their approach to the sacraments.

September 2, 2008 | 4 min read