By Martha Cook, Director
Massachusetts Conference Resource Center
In my local church we call our faith formation program for children and youth, “Faith Discovery.” It operates under the premise that in our lives we have many different opportunities to discover what it is to be a person of faith and live a life of faith. “Faith Discovery” happens in worship, through fellowship, in Faith Workshop (formerly called Sunday school), through acts of kindness, charity, mission, stewardship, justice work, Bible Study, prayer practices, etc. Opportunities abound for discovering and learning what a faith filled life can be.
What “Faith Discovery” opportunities are available to clergy, church leaders and educators throughout our Conference? Take a look at the Massachusetts Conference web site calendar and you'll find it to be filled with opportunities for learning and growing.
One such occasion is merely a month away. Over the last couple of years I have had the pleasure of working with the committee planning the upcoming New England wide conference, “Celebrating Call, Celebrating Challenge: Ministry in a Changing Landscape,” May 4 to 6 at the Westin Hotel in Waltham, which will bring together clergy, students in discernment and educators to worship, celebrate, learn, network, pray and even relax. Top notch presenters will share insights on marks of good leadership, church vitality, pluralism, faith practices, discernment, religious trends and some of the compelling social issues of our time. There will be three opportunities for worship with excellent preachers, great music, meaningful ritual, rejuvenation of the spirit and celebration of the call to ministry. You can register for this event at www.celebratingcall.org. Some scholarship money is still available so do not let the price deter you.
What faith discoveries might you make while attending this event? You won’t know unless you are there. I hope to see you in Waltham in May.
Author
Martha Cook
Martha Cook is the Massachusetts Conference Resource Center Director.