Mission Support Memo: April 2023

Storytelling Engagement

ALL Ages Living Their Faith

A story from our ELCA churchwide organization

Imagine people of ALL ages living their faith, claiming their Christian identity and sharing God’s love in the world in creative and unique ways — that is the hope for ELCA Ministry with Children. The Rev. Janelle Rozek Hooper, manager of the program, knows that children are spiritual beings and that they deserve not merely a place to be told what to believe but creative and careful faith formation that instills a lifetime of experiencing God with and for themselves. Funded through generous Mission Support, the program curates appropriate faith-formation resources for congregations across this church, content that gives children the opportunity to lead, ask important questions and experience loving Christian community.

We all know it’s been a challenging couple of years in children’s ministry; the pandemic showed us that we have taken Sunday school for granted. Yet for over 10 years ELCA children’s ministry has been curating a wide variety of Sunday school, confirmation and youth materials for use in congregations and homes. The ELCA Children’s Faith Formation site at www.elcafaithformation.org includes resources for education, ministry, faith-at-home and seasonal activities, plus it gathers resources from all our full communion partners for a ton of great content.

Yet the site is just part of our ministry to youth. Pastor Janelle thrives on teaching other pastors and children’s ministry leaders, speaking on the subject of effective children’s messages, sharing Scripture through Godly Play resources, and serving on the board and leading the Diversity and Justice Team of the Evangelical Lutheran Education Association (ELCAschools.org), which assists over 300 ELCA schools and early learning centers. This ministry embodies the purpose of the ELCA: “to activate each of us so more people know the way of Jesus and discover community, justice and love.” Please engage in this ministry for yourself, children in your midst and our future church.

Engage with Us

During April, Luther Seminary Faith+Lead highlighted year-round stewardship practice. There are four segments to check out, and we are delighted that one of them is on stewardship and storytelling!

Check it all out here

• Year-Round Stewardship and Narrative Budgets: “God’s Week, Our Line Items”
• Year-Round Stewardship and Preaching: “Stewardship Preaching Without Excuses”
• Year-Round Stewardship and Storytelling: “Longing for Engagement”
• Year-Round Stewardship and Leaders: “Give to a Story”

Grateful

During the first few months of the year we have been blessed to engage with you all in many ways. From in-person gatherings such as the Conference of Bishops and A2B gathering to online connections such as our recent storytelling engagement workshop, we appreciate the opportunity to have important conversations with you about Mission Support, storytelling and the ministry we all engage in together. We are grateful to everyone who has sat down with us for conversation, participated in group discussion, signed on to an online workshop and shared their joys with us. Beyond being able to accompany you in the work you do, we have also learned much from you that will help us continue to grow as your partners.

Blessings from your Churchwide Mission Support Team,

Victoria Flood - Senior Director for Mission Support, Nick Kiger - Director for Mission Support, Karen Kretschmann - Coordinator for Storytelling Engagement