Announcing Two Zoom Workshops for Educational Ministry

Thank you to Mike Fox and unsplash.com for this image

Hooray!!!!!

Our churches have reopened and are now beginning to consider their educational ministry options for the fall.

In light of this good news I’ve been getting lots of phone calls and emails asking for help in two specific areas in particular.

The first has to do with Sunday school curriculum.

Many of our churches feel like they are back to square one trying to figure out what curriculum resource might work best for their church this fall. Old curriculum resource subscriptions may have expired, the number and ages of Sunday school participants may have changed, and calling teachers and leaders into this ministry has become more challenging than before. All of these factors might be calling you to consider a curriculum resource change. If you want to know what’s out there that is suitable for your Presbyterian/mainline Protestant/Reformed context along with your church’s size and situation this Zoom workshop is for you.

Wednesday, June 29 at 7 pm EDT I will be hosting a Zoom workshop for anyone who’d like to talk about curriculum. We will talk about which of the options might best fit your present situation, how to critique these options, and how to go about viewing online samples to help make a well-considered decision. When you register for this Zoom gathering you will be sent two handouts, one listing resource options and the one offering guidelines for considering these options theologically, educationally, and financially. These handouts will be used during our Zoom meeting and will continue to be helpful after the workshop as you consider your options with your CE Committee, Sunday school teachers, parents and the session.

To register for this Zoom gathering and receive the Zoom link along with the handouts email me at torismit@gmail.com.

Thank you to Jason Goodman and unsplash.com for this image

Our second Zoom gathering will take place on Wednesday, July 13 at 7 pm EDT. With this gathering we will talk about our approach to reopening the many education and faith formation programmes and activities of our churches.

Many church leaders are feeling pressure to put everything back in place that existed before the pandemic as quickly as possible and perhaps add even more besides. Research is telling us that our instinct to get it all back up and running ASAP may be the wrong and most challenging approach for our churches to take. Instead, pausing to consider what has been done in the past, what was working and what wasn’t, what you’ve discovered during your church building closures, and listening to your people will offer significant key insights for moving forward. This exercise of reflection before leaping will help you edit, refine and prioritize what ought to be put in place for your church context.

In this workshop we will hear what other churches have discovered and how this has shaped their plans for next year, and we will walk through a resource that guides churches of any size through an evaluation and visioning process for the days ahead.

To register for this Zoom workshop please email me at torismit@gmail.com and you will receive a Zoom link along with a handout we will be using during our time together.

I look forward to seeing you on Zoom in the weeks ahead.

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