https://network.crcna.org/ The Network en Tue, 16 Apr 2024 07:21:24 +0000 Tue, 01 Jun 2021 13:41:22 +0000 https://network.crcna.org/topic/spiritual-formation/faith-nurture/life-changing-spiritual-discipline-wonder Nearly a half-century ago, when I was about 7, a moment of wonder changed my life forever.  Sandy Swartzentruber https://network.crcna.org/topic/spiritual-formation/faith-nurture/life-changing-spiritual-discipline-wonder Tue, 01 Jun 2021 13:41:22 +0000 https://network.crcna.org/topic/spiritual-formation/faith-nurture/living-under-hopes-roof As we struggle through this global pandemic, people all over the world have been doing a lot of hoping. But if we’re honest, much of our hope is expressed in running internal monologues that sound like this: I hope nobody stands too close to me in the checkout line. Sandy Swartzentruber https://network.crcna.org/topic/spiritual-formation/faith-nurture/living-under-hopes-roof Tue, 19 May 2020 15:41:58 +0000 https://network.crcna.org/topic/spiritual-formation/faith-nurture/does-worshiping-home-feel-awkward-youre-not-alone There we were, our little family of two parents and two college kids back home because of the pandemic, sitting around our TV on Easter morning. We were streaming the service from our home congregation, and we were all thinking the same thing: “This is awkward.”  Sandy Swartzentruber https://network.crcna.org/topic/spiritual-formation/faith-nurture/does-worshiping-home-feel-awkward-youre-not-alone Tue, 14 Apr 2020 18:14:34 +0000 https://network.crcna.org/topic/spiritual-formation/faith-nurture/sticky-web-how-intergenerational-small-group-changed-our In their very helpful Sticky Faith books, Kara Powell and Chap Clark of the Fuller Youth Institute recommend that parents identify at least five non-family adults who will support their children’s faith in a “sticky web” of caring relatio Sandy Swartzentruber https://network.crcna.org/topic/spiritual-formation/faith-nurture/sticky-web-how-intergenerational-small-group-changed-our Tue, 07 Jan 2020 19:33:30 +0000 https://network.crcna.org/topic/spiritual-formation/faith-nurture/diy-advent-calendar There are few things that I enjoy more than looking for a craft idea that’s “just right.” It has to be something where the process is fun but not overwhelming, and the end result is visually pleasing and virtually fail-proof. Sandy Swartzentruber https://network.crcna.org/topic/spiritual-formation/faith-nurture/diy-advent-calendar Mon, 11 Nov 2019 17:27:44 +0000 https://network.crcna.org/topic/spiritual-formation/faith-nurture/your-church-ready-age-tsunami I recently turned 54, and in the past year I’ve noticed a marked difference in how younger people address me. The sweet kid selling movie tickets asks if I want the senior discount. Sandy Swartzentruber https://network.crcna.org/topic/spiritual-formation/faith-nurture/your-church-ready-age-tsunami Thu, 31 Oct 2019 16:32:00 +0000 https://network.crcna.org/topic/spiritual-formation/faith-nurture/twelve-ways-your-church-can-support-young-parents I’m not proud of this, but on my very worst days as an exhausted young mom I secretly wanted to slap people who flippantly told me to “cherish every moment.” Some days I was barely surviving, and cherishing the moments when I lost my temper or the kids were refusing to nap was not on my to-do lis Sandy Swartzentruber https://network.crcna.org/topic/spiritual-formation/faith-nurture/twelve-ways-your-church-can-support-young-parents Tue, 01 Oct 2019 23:53:56 +0000 https://network.crcna.org/topic/spiritual-formation/faith-nurture/how-lesson-old-coots-could-change-your-churchs-coffee-hour A colleague recently shared a video that left me smiling for hours. Sandy Swartzentruber https://network.crcna.org/topic/spiritual-formation/faith-nurture/how-lesson-old-coots-could-change-your-churchs-coffee-hour Wed, 28 Aug 2019 13:27:15 +0000 https://network.crcna.org/topic/spiritual-formation/faith-nurture/free-family-advent-resource-teach-us-pray The Advent season is almost here! To help families anticipate the coming of Christ, the Calvin Institute for Christian Worship is offering a FREE download of the Advent section of the intergenerational prayer book Teach Us to Pray.  Sandy Swartzentruber https://network.crcna.org/topic/spiritual-formation/faith-nurture/free-family-advent-resource-teach-us-pray Thu, 15 Nov 2018 19:14:53 +0000 https://network.crcna.org/topic/spiritual-formation/faith-nurture/comprehensive-faith-formation-plan-preschool-through-high Faith Formation Ministries recently received a question from a CRC pastor whose church wants to develop a comprehensive discipleship/faith formation curriculum for their children's and youth ministries. Sandy Swartzentruber https://network.crcna.org/topic/spiritual-formation/faith-nurture/comprehensive-faith-formation-plan-preschool-through-high Tue, 16 Oct 2018 15:45:00 +0000 https://network.crcna.org/topic/spiritual-formation/faith-nurture/how-faith-grows-children-and-teens Faith is mysterious. No matter what we do in church or at home, we can’t make faith happen. But, like a farmer, there’s much we can do to till the “soil” that faith grows in. Sandy Swartzentruber https://network.crcna.org/topic/spiritual-formation/faith-nurture/how-faith-grows-children-and-teens Tue, 16 Jan 2018 14:11:13 +0000 https://network.crcna.org/topic/spiritual-formation/faith-nurture/faith-formation-resources-your-fingertips Sometimes it feels like church ministries “just happen.” People arrive on Sunday morning and a meaningful worship service awaits them. They send their kids to Sunday school or youth group. They choose from a variety of other activities and programs designed to build faith. Sandy Swartzentruber https://network.crcna.org/topic/spiritual-formation/faith-nurture/faith-formation-resources-your-fingertips Thu, 29 Jun 2017 15:19:48 +0000 https://network.crcna.org/topic/spiritual-formation/faith-nurture/making-profession-faith-day-remember A high school student was recently baptized by immersion at our CRC church. A galvanized steel horse trough held the water, which the church custodian had labored before the service to fill with just the right mix of hot and cold. Sandy Swartzentruber https://network.crcna.org/topic/spiritual-formation/faith-nurture/making-profession-faith-day-remember Fri, 16 Jun 2017 13:04:26 +0000 https://network.crcna.org/topic/spiritual-formation/faith-nurture/discover-your-gifts-online-survey-now-free-crc How would life be different in your congregation if all members knew what their spiritual gifts were and wholeheartedly used those gifts in ministry? Really . . . think about that for a minute. Sandy Swartzentruber https://network.crcna.org/topic/spiritual-formation/faith-nurture/discover-your-gifts-online-survey-now-free-crc Wed, 14 Jun 2017 12:18:22 +0000 https://network.crcna.org/topic/spiritual-formation/faith-nurture/souvenirs-faith I collect bookmarks as souvenirs when I travel. I love choosing just the right bookmark from my stash when I have a new book to read. Seeing the bookmarks brings back a flood of good memories (with one notable exception: a hair-raising trip up the St. Louis Arch). Sandy Swartzentruber https://network.crcna.org/topic/spiritual-formation/faith-nurture/souvenirs-faith Wed, 29 Mar 2017 18:24:18 +0000 https://network.crcna.org/topic/spiritual-formation/faith-nurture/listening-jesus I’ve always pictured Jesus as a really good listener. Hurting people must have been drawn to him like a magnet, pouring out their troubles as they looked into his empathetic eyes. Sandy Swartzentruber https://network.crcna.org/topic/spiritual-formation/faith-nurture/listening-jesus Fri, 24 Mar 2017 17:21:54 +0000 https://network.crcna.org/topic/spiritual-formation/faith-nurture/25-faith-formation-touchpoints Faith formation is an elusive term. How do we know if faith is being formed in children, teens, and adults, and does faith look the same for everyone? Sandy Swartzentruber https://network.crcna.org/topic/spiritual-formation/faith-nurture/25-faith-formation-touchpoints Fri, 17 Mar 2017 13:03:22 +0000 https://network.crcna.org/topic/spiritual-formation/faith-nurture/4-new-ways-profess-our-faith Now that the Lord’s Supper is open to all baptized members, it’s more important than ever to encourage people to affirm their baptism with a public profession of faith and to celebrate those professions joyfully. Sandy Swartzentruber https://network.crcna.org/topic/spiritual-formation/faith-nurture/4-new-ways-profess-our-faith Tue, 14 Mar 2017 14:13:43 +0000 https://network.crcna.org/topic/spiritual-formation/faith-nurture/no-such-thing-boring-faith-story We’ve all heard someone say, “My faith story is boring. I grew up in a Christian family. I went to Christian schools. I went to a Christian college. And that’s about all there is to tell….” Sandy Swartzentruber https://network.crcna.org/topic/spiritual-formation/faith-nurture/no-such-thing-boring-faith-story Thu, 27 Oct 2016 19:37:28 +0000 https://network.crcna.org/topic/spiritual-formation/faith-nurture/faith-storytelling-toolkit As Faith Formation Ministries (FFM) staff and Regional Catalyzers talk with people at CRC churches, one important need surfaces over and over. Congregations like yours are saying, “We want to learn how to tell our faith stories to each other.” Sandy Swartzentruber https://network.crcna.org/topic/spiritual-formation/faith-nurture/faith-storytelling-toolkit Fri, 14 Oct 2016 15:35:50 +0000