For years, Adrienne De Forrest, a member of Boulder (Colo.) Mennonite Church, had driven a 1991 Subaru station wagon that now had over 250,000 miles on the odometer. The car had been reliable and the engine was strong, but some peripherals were starting to go bad due to age and weathering. Aware that she might have to replace the car sometime, she researched dealers’ prices for used cars and put away enough money to cover the cost if it came to that …
The essence of a missional vision is to align with the purposes of God. But what does that mean? …
Some time ago a friend asked me, “Why have you and your son had long tenures in pastoral ministry but some of us have moved every couple of years? Some of us have left the ministry. What’s your secret?” …
A colleague walked into Sara’s office one day at the seminary and talked about how going to church was causing him to lose his faith. “So much of church is deadly,” he said …
In 2006, more than 2,200 members of Mennonite Church USA completed the Mennonite Member Profile, a survey of beliefs and practices. This profile was a follow-up to two previous studies conducted in 1972 and 1989. Included in the profile was a question about an individual’s frequency of Sunday school attendance …
There is an old treasure that some are glad to claim and others prefer to bury. Traditionally it has been known as Sunday school, but it also goes by Christian education, nurture or discipleship classes. The rationale behind its inception, if we dig deep enough, still applies today …
Something happened our last night in Evansville. It all started around midnight. The adults had gone to sleep and we youth were still up …
My earliest memory of church takes place in a Sunday school classroom. I am 3 years old, seated at a low, rectangular, wooden table with a half-dozen other children my age. Our kind, smiling Sunday school teacher has just finished telling us a Bible story. Then she removes the tabletop, and inside the table we discover an amazing surprise—a sandbox. For the rest of the class session, we play together busily …
The good news of God’s forgiveness has me a bit befuddled these days. Not because I have lost sight of the joy of being forgiven …
With a mad dash to the car and a “Why am I always running late on these mornings?”, I mentally review the upcoming hours, ensuring that all details are in place. Heading north on U.S. 131, I go over the permutations of potential problems, trying to calm my spirit. A thought comes to mind—the marathon I’m running today is not unlike the church service I prepare for most Sunday mornings …
Dhildren today are exposed to many situations that raise questions and can lead to anxiety. Deteriorating social trends, news from the radio and television and information received from friends prompts them to ask questions. They lose their childhood innocence far too quickly …
