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Vermont Conference,
UCC
Christian Education (CE) E-LINK
September, 2011
Vol. 3, No.
1
For Pastors - Christian Educators
- Teachers - Superintendents -
Youth Leaders - Parents -
All Who Care About Our Kids and Our Youth and Our
Adults
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If worship is the heartbeat of a congregation, then
Christian Education is the church's soul - and together
worship and education cause hands and feet and voices to reach
out and help build God's Kingdom here on
earth.
So this newsletter is about SOUL
WORK. It includes ideas, resources, articles, stories,
information, inspiration and opportunities. We invite
your suggestions, your ideas, your stories, resources you've
found helpful.
Pam
Rev.
Pam Lucas
Associate
Conference
Minister
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 Communities of Practice for Christian
Educators
by Laurie
Chipman, Church School Director, First Congregational Church
of Essex Jct.
Did you know
that Vermont has Community of Practice Groups for new pastors,
settled pastors and Christian Educators? Currently we have
only one group in the Burlington/Essex
Junction/Charlotte/Underhill area that supports Christian
Educators. The pastors groups have been going for a couple of
years, but this is the first year for a CE group. It is very
exciting! This is a great support group for someone who is
leading Christian Education programs at local church level,
whether a volunteer or a paid staff person.
As the Partner
in Education Representative for the Champlain Association, I
was asked if I would be willing to go through the training to
lead such a group. I welcomed the opportunity to help and grow
a support group for CE educators, for I knew the need existed.
I reached out through our connections to the local churches
looking for interested people doing CE work in their church.
In September of 2010 I began leading this group of eight from
different sized churches and CE programs. We meet once a month
for an hour and a half and begin every gathering with
devotions. We've shared ideas of how we are doing CE, our
highs and lows of ministry. This Community of
Practice group holds confidentiality and supports each other
physically, emotionally and spiritually. This group finds the
networking and collaboration very important and would
recommend it whether you are just getting started in CE or
have been involved for years.
If you would
like to be a part of a CE Community of Practice group in your
area or know someone who would benefit from such a group,
please connect with Rev. Pam Lucas at the conference office
(lucasp@vtcucc.org).
Contact
Laurie at: lchipman@fccej.org
[Note:
Thanks to Laurie for contributing this article. If you
have a newsletter article to share with the wider Vermont
Conference CE audience, please sent it to Sybil McShane,
Communications/Resource Coordinator at mcshanes@vtcucc.org. Thanks!]
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NEAUCE
Turns 40
by Julianne
Nickerson, Christian Education Director. United Church
of Underhill
The
New England Association for United Church Educators
(NEAUCE) turned 40 this past May and it was quite the
celebration! I am Julianne Nickerson, Christian
Education Director at United Church of Underhill and
first timer at NEAUCE. The conference offered me a time
of learning, reflection and worship. Celia Whitler was
the keynote speaker, worship leader and music
inspiration. She offered worship with creativity and
even pushed the limits of comfort as we passed the peace
telling each other "You are Amazing," how we love each
"like chicken" or with no words at all just a looking in
each other's eyes. Her stories of faith were then
reflected in her songs like "Hope Alive in Me" to help
us carry forth our own faith stories.
The
workshops were full of ideas and supports for Christian
education (CE) in our churches. People who are new to CE
and those who have been doing it a long time all can
find creative new ideas to fit the church. It was also
interesting the broad scope of small rural churches and
large city churches serving 100's of children.
Regardless of size and location we all learned from each
other and shared ideas on how to spread God's word to
the communities we are in. I found learning about
curriculums to be so helpful even when I was not sure if
I would use that resource or not. Also creative ideas of
making worship engaging for children and adults- making
prayer beads or flowing streamers was fun and relaxing
for me. The day was not so jam packed because there were
choices. People could learn hands on creative projects,
meditate on the beach, in a labyrinth or just talk with
a new or old friend with the same passion for CE. The
evenings celebrated the 40 years of NEAUCE supporting
Christian educators!
Each
year there is state representative that helps make sure
others know about NEAUCE and help with planning for the
next conference. I have offered to be a part of this.
Vermont is well represented with Christian educators
Nancy Fowler as conference registrar and Laurie Chipman
as the treasurer. I chose to participate in the planning
after only attending once because I thought it was such
a wonderful event and I wanted to be sure to help spread
the word. In my past work I was a conference planner and
I thought if I can offer these gifts to this group, why
not? Vermont had a presence at the conference this past
year with about 20 pastors and Christian Educators.
I hope next year even more folks will make their
way to Cape Cod, Craigville, MA May 8, 9, and 10,
2012 for a wonderful chance to rejuvenated and grow
in their own faith journey as well as those they serve.
Watch for more details in information in the following
months. Plan now for 2012; contact me if you have
questions jcdnicker@gmail.com.
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The KERYGMA Program
Bible Study
for Adults 
Kerygma (Greek: κήρυγμα,
kérugma) - proclamation, announcement,
preaching of the Gospel.
There are
now over 30 Kerygma studies in print ranging from year
long full Bible courses, to shorter studies of four to
fourteen weeks with a focus on single books of the Bible
or familiar portions of Scripture and the Conference
Resource Center owns virtually all the them.
Kerygma is an ideal match for
congregations that want to increase adult biblical
literacy but are looking for an educational approach
that can be characterized as "come and discover" rather
than "come and we'll teach you something."
Because
Scripture is allowed to speak for itself, Kerygma
studies are not doctrinaire. They are currently used by
over a dozen denominations.
Kerygma
studies are intentionally written to avoid any slant or
bias. They are designed to offer a guided reading of the
Scriptures taking seriously the best information on
study and educational methods. They do reflect a
"Reformed" perspective.
Kerygma
materials consist of a Leader's Guide and a Resource
Book, and for newer studies, also a CD/DVD with
background from the author. The Resource Center
has one copy of each Leader's Guide and Resource Book
(and CD if applicable).
For
a Q & A about the Kerygma studies, visit the UCC
Partners in Education website. For more
information on the studies visit the Kerygma website.
For a listing of Kerygma studies in the
Conference Resource Center, click here.
To borrow any of the Kerygma
titles, email: resource.center@vtcucc.org or call
Sybil McShane at 802-728-4999.
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New
AUCE Resource
Announcing AUCE's newest online resource:
Called To Educational and Formational
Ministries: A Guide for Local Churches, Educators, and
Youth Workers.
What's in it?
- Help to determine the type of educator or
youth worker a local church needs
- Education and experience guidelines
- Where and how to find educators &
youth workers
- Resumes, the Ministerial Profile,
position & job descriptions, contracts, and more
- Compensation guidelines for lay and
authorized educators and youth workers
- How to support and evaluate your
Christian education/formation staff person
- And much more!
This Guide will be your primary source of
information regarding educational/formational ministries
in the UCC for doing God's mission through the
transformative power of these ministries.
Click here to view and
download "The Guide." | | |
MISSION:
1 - 11.1.11-11.11.11 
Resources
& Activities
Mission: 1 is the UCC's shared mission
for 11 powerful days (November
1-11, 2011) to feed the hungry and confront
food-related injustice. More general information may be found
by clicking
here.
Christian Education resources
that can be use with Mission: 1
include:
 Heifer
International's Feeding
5,000 curriculum provides provides one-hour-long workshops in Art, Drama,
Geography, Make Your Own Video, Movement/Games, Photography,
Puppetry, Science and Storytelling.
The materials
are available free on-line. Download Heifer's Feeding 5,000
curriculum at: http://www.heifer.org/feeding5000.
 The Presbyterian Hunger Program's
Just Eating? Practicing our Faith at Table
helps young people better understand the relationship
between our faith and our food. The curriculum includes fun
activities, Bible stories and illustrations in story, song and
screen that will challenge teenagers to think about food and
our faith in new ways. Just Eating? is available as a
curriculum for middle school, high school and adult groups
groups.
The materials are
available free on-line at the Presbyterian Church (USA) website.  Click
here for a listing of
hunger activities for all ages and settings from the
Faith Practices resources.
If you
need assistance with any of these resources, contact the
Conference Resource Center at resource.center@vtcucc.org.
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Christian
Education Events
For
Clergy . . .
 Fall/Winter 2011-12 Seminars
- Enroll now in one of Andover Newton's on-line seminars to
grow in your faithfulness and effectiveness as a leader. You
can do it from your own home, on your own time. For a
listing of Fall/Winter Seminars or to register go to the LEARN
website or contact Jeff Jones, Director of Distance
Learning at jjones@ants.edu.
Princeton Forum on Youth Ministry - Save the Date
- April 23 -26, 2012, Princeton
Theological Seminary, Princeton, NJ. Complete details coming
soon. Registration will
open in October, 2011. Check http://www.ptsem.edu/forums2012/ for updates.
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For Christian
Educators . . .
Godl y Play Training
Opportunities Click
here for information about Godly Play
Training opportunities in the Northeast.
 Save the Date - NEAUCE (New England
Association of United Church Educators) 41th Annual Conference
on Christian Education
When: May 8-10,
2012 Where: Craigville,
MA
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For Youth . .
.
 National Youth Event (NYE)
2012
When: July 10- 13,
2012
Where: Purdue University,
West Lafayette, IN
The National
Youth Event, held every four years, provides an opportunity
for over 3000 youth (ages 13 to 18) to gather for worship,
workshops, faith, fun and fellowship. It is planned by the
collaborative efforts of national staff and an NYE Planning
Committee comprised of a diverse group of UCC youth and young
adults.
Registration
opens November 7, 2011.
Check this website for
updates: http://www.ucc.org/youth/nye/
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