Journeying through ALL of Holy Week We know that many people experience Palm Sunday and even more worship on Easter, but what about the events in between?  What about the sorrow, the pain, the betrayal?  We can’t truly appreciate the celebration if we haven’t understood the trials of Holy Week.  After seeing a prayer room at one local church, our church offered a Lenten Prayer Room that was open all week starting on Palm Sunday.  If you do not have a dedicated space for this, you could place tables around the church with a guide book leading people to various stations.&nbs ..read more

Sarah Gregory is the Nooks and Neighborhoods Coordinator for Christians Engaged in Faith Formation. Sarah has her MACE from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. Sarah has worked as a Director of Discipleship, freelance curriculum writer, and Worship leader. She lives in St. Louis with her husband Kaleb and son Cecil. How do we know we picked the right curriculum? When I first asked this question, I was really focused on Children’s Ministry. After all, my teachers dedicated so much time breathing life into the lessons, I wanted to be sure we were using the best possible materials for ..read more

Dr. Jack Seymour is a Professor Emeritus at Garrett-Evangelical Theological seminary. He co-chairs the editorial committee of Horizons in Religious Education, the book series of the Religious Education Association (REA). Contact him at jack.seymour@garrett.edu. For a Christian educator, nothing is more important than faithfully teaching the Bible and assisting congregations to build engaging settings for Bible study.  Understanding scripture and drawing on its wisdom is foundational to the Christian life.  In fact, many of the conflicts in the church today a ..read more

Barbara Bruce is a facilitator with a passion for learning and teaching about learning.  She lives part of the year in Western NY and part in Northern Florida. She can be reached at bbcreative@aol.com or www.ministrymatters.com. How Do I Teach Adult Learners? This is an excellent question. Below are some great ways to approach adult learning MULTIPLE INTELLEGINCE THEORY OPENS MINDS! First things first – all adults learn differently.  If you attempt to teach primarily by lecture, you will lose a good number of your adult learners.  Trust me.  Some adults learn by ..read more

Scott Hughes is the Director of Adult Discipleship; Executive Director of Congregational Vitality & Intentional Discipleship at Discipleship Ministries. Scott is an Elder in the North Georgia Conference and received his M.Div. Asbury Theological Seminary and D. Min. Southern Methodist University. Scott is currently the co-Host of the Small Groups in the Wesleyan Way podcast, and creator of the Courageous Conversations project. When first asked to provide a book list for the the Basics of Faith Formation Series, I was overwhelmed at the possibilities. I do not pretend this is a complete li ..read more

Patty Meyers is a deacon in full connection with the Oregon-Idaho Annual Conference. She recently retired from teaching Christian Education at Pfeiffer University. Patty is President Emeritus of CEF and its current Treasurer.  She and her husband Bob live on the Central Oregon Coast with Tacy, her loving chihuahua. My contribution to the Faith Formation series will reflect where I start with most of the courses I teach: biblical foundations. My starting hypothesis: We are children of God. Secondly, we are not intended to stay children, we are to grow into the mind of Christ, and ..read more

Ellen Wehn is the Director of Children’s Ministry at First United Methodist Church Owasso in Owasso, Oklahoma. Ellen also has experience in church daycare and week day preschool ministries. Easter is a time when churches prepare for visitors. Of course we want all of our visitors to feel welcome. We make sure there are volunteers in the parking lot to help with parking, as well as volunteers inside – available to give directions to classes. Easter Lilies line the altar in keeping with the occasion. But what about one of the most important areas for young families visiting your church? The nurs ..read more

Sarah Gregory is the Communications Coordinator for CEF. Sarah has a MACE from Garrett-Evangelical Seminary. She writes as a freelance writer for Deep Blue Rotations and has worked in local churches as a Director of Discipleship, Worship Leader, and Nursing Home Chaplain.   Finding the right resources for Lent and Easter for your community can be challenging. I have highlighted five that I think work well for bridging age gaps and uniting the entire congregation. What resources are you using? #Picturelent is a free online resource. It is a joint project between Rio Texas and Michiga ..read more

Rev. Kathy Wadsley is a former CEF Board Member. She served most recently at St. Matthews UMC in Bowie, MD. We are thankful for this resource she has freely shared. If you would like to make a donation in her honor to continue to support CEF’s efforts to make member-created resources like these available, please use the donate tab on this website. This three-year series of devotional calendars is available in both English and Spanish for both Lent and Advent. Great for all ages and families of all sizes. May be printed at home, or inserted into church newsletters or emails. Each day inclu ..read more

Dr. Jack Seymour is a Professor Emeritus at Garrett-Evangelical Theological seminary. He co-chairs the editorial committee of Horizons in Religious Education, the book series of the Religious Education Association (REA). Contact him at jack.seymour@garrett.edu. Margaret Ann Crain holds the distinction of Professor Emeritus at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary.  She is an ordained deacon in the United Methodist Church and author of The United Methodist Deacon: Ordained to word, service, compassion, and justice. Contact her at margaretann.crain@garrett.e ..read more