If nothing seems to change in your congregation despite your best efforts and great strategies, chances are a “stay-the-course” mentality or an unhealthy culture is to blame. While usually taken for granted and often misunderstood, the culture of a local …
EPA&GNJ Collaboration progress, next steps: December 2023 update
Each month EPA&GNJ Cabinet and staff will be reporting on the progress and next steps, opportunities and challenges in collaborative areas of leadership, database development, ending the sin of racism, youth ministry groups, camp & retreat ministry, finances and benefits, …
Pathways to Transformation: Creating Wholeness and Fruitfulness
The church as a living, dynamic spiritual body is constantly evolving and seeking to adapt to the changing needs of its members and society. Recent upheavals in our world have accelerated changes in our churches that were already underway, thrusting …
EPA, seminaries explore cultivating a Culture of Call
The number of young elders in The United Methodist Church reached a record low number in 2023, the Lewis Center for Church Leadership at Wesley Theological Seminary, reported in October. (The center also published in May, “Who will be God’s …
Learning poignant lessons of Native American culture, history
Drew seminary student connects with Native American Ministries In the summer of 2022, Drew Theological School led students on a trip to the Blackfeet Nation in Browning, Montana. I had just completed my first year as a Masters of Divinity …
View “Home from School: The Children of Carlisle” in November
EPA CoNAM offers free online viewing of this compelling documentary. Contact vmcolliver@gmail.com to get access. November is National Native American Heritage Month, a great time to use and share resources for learning about Native American and Indigenous culture and history. …
Breakthrough creative worship resources impact churches near and far
Breakthrough, the increasingly popular worship resource, is breaking through our over-reliance on ordinary worship themes and patterns, as many churches now enjoy its extraordinary approaches to preaching, teaching, learning and celebrating our faith. The easy-to-use, time-saving worship resources include liturgies, sermon …
CoNAM promotes “Home from School” documentary
Eastern PA’ s Committee on Native American Ministries (CoNAM) invites members to view the Home from School documentary about U. S. Indian Boarding Schools that it showed at a recent gathering. CoNAM leased rights to enable church groups to show …
All the World Needs Our Witness: Celebrating Laity Sunday with Children
Celebrating Laity Sunday 2023 Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” —Matthew 19:14 My husband and I have a small handful of parenting …
Color of Compromise book study to explore church’s ‘complicity in racism’
Some Eastern PA Conference members and others, perhaps from Greater New Jersey and elsewhere, will embark this month on a challenging literary expedition through Jemar Tisby’s acclaimed 2019 book The Color of Compromise: The Truth About American Church’s Complicity in …