https://network.crcna.org/ The Network en Tue, 07 May 2024 21:44:46 +0000 Tue, 19 May 2020 15:41:58 +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/lets-talk-about/looking-job-these-7-things-will-help-you-nail-it So it’s time to launch a job search. Maybe you’re graduating from college or seminary or you’re exploring a mid-life career change. Maybe you feel God is calling you to a new pastorate, to a nonprofit organization, or to serve your denomination.  Sandy Swartzentruber https://network.crcna.org/topic/spiritual-formation/lets-talk-about/looking-job-these-7-things-will-help-you-nail-it Tue, 28 Jan 2020 16:40:04 +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/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/children-youth/childrens-ministry/sunday-school/forming-faith-through-art-kids Because Sherman Street CRC in Grand Rapids, Michigan, is full to the rafters with kids, we look for opportunities to involve them in worship in significant ways. They light the Christ candle each week, use rhythm instruments to help lead worship, serve as Scripture readers, and more. Sandy Swartzentruber https://network.crcna.org/topic/children-youth/childrens-ministry/sunday-school/forming-faith-through-art-kids Thu, 12 Jul 2018 14:10:26 +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/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/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/worship/special-topics/intergenerational-worship/being-real-power-faith-stories TV scriptwriters know the power of a back story. They create a character, like Sawyer on Lost or the Doctor on Doctor Who, who is mysterious and inscrutable. Then they reveal, week by week, bit by tantalizing bit, the formative events in that character’s difficult past. Sandy Swartzentruber https://network.crcna.org/topic/worship/special-topics/intergenerational-worship/being-real-power-faith-stories Mon, 24 Oct 2016 16:51:27 +0000 https://network.crcna.org/topic/spiritual-formation/faith-nurture/profession-faith-reimagining-council-interview Q. What is most people’s #1 fear? Public speaking. Q. What is traditionally involved in professing your faith in the CRC? Public speaking. Q. Is that a problem? Yes, it is. Sandy Swartzentruber https://network.crcna.org/topic/spiritual-formation/faith-nurture/profession-faith-reimagining-council-interview Wed, 17 Aug 2016 13:09:48 +0000 https://network.crcna.org/topic/spiritual-formation/faith-nurture/honoring-our-elders-faith-stories In the fall of 2015, NPR’s excellent StoryCorps initiative threw down a challenge: on Thanksgiving Day, record an interview with a grandparent or elder and upload it to the StoryCorps archives. Sandy Swartzentruber https://network.crcna.org/topic/spiritual-formation/faith-nurture/honoring-our-elders-faith-stories Thu, 24 Mar 2016 17:17:05 +0000 https://network.crcna.org/topic/spiritual-formation/faith-nurture/three-sentence-faith-stories If someone asked you to share your testimony in a worship service, what would you say? Sandy Swartzentruber https://network.crcna.org/topic/spiritual-formation/faith-nurture/three-sentence-faith-stories Tue, 22 Mar 2016 17:14:25 +0000 https://network.crcna.org/topic/spiritual-formation/faith-nurture/how-do-you-tell-faith-stories-your-church Telling faith stories is a amazingly powerful way to share what God is doing in our community, our churches, and our homes. Sandy Swartzentruber https://network.crcna.org/topic/spiritual-formation/faith-nurture/how-do-you-tell-faith-stories-your-church Tue, 23 Feb 2016 13:17:21 +0000