Christian educators organization offers support, advocacy
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A UMNS photo by Kathy L. Gilbert The Rev. Grace Imathiu greets students after one of her Bible studies.
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The
Rev. Grace Imathiu, assistant director of development at Kenya
Methodist University, talks to Sherrie Randall, a student at Pfeiffer
University, Misenheimer, N.C., after one of her Bible studies during the
Christian Educators Fellowship conference held in New Orleans, Oct.
14-18. A UMNS photo by Kathy L. Gilbert. Photo #04-488 Accompanies UMNS
Story #496, 10/26/04. |
Oct. 26, 2004By Kathy L. Gilbert* NEW
ORLEANS (UMNS) — Are there any teachers in your church who are
passionate and committed but have never had any formal training? Christian
educators are those "grassroots workers" who are helping churches grow
but often they are left to lead without any formal training, according
to Chris Jackson, president of the Christian Educators Fellowship board
of directors. More
than 700 Christian educators met Oct. 14-18 in New Orleans for the
fellowship’s national conference to network and build relationships with
others from around the United States. The
need for trained Christian educators is "bubbling to the surface" as
churches start to understand the need to concentrate on Sunday school,
noted Corinne Van Buren, a fellowship director. "From
what I hear through seminaries and the United Methodist Publishing
House, churches are becoming more aware that Sunday school is needing
the attention that perhaps it hasn’t had in the last few years," she
said. "So the need for people to be trained and feel supported in the
teaching learning ministries of the church is bubbling to the surface
again." The
Christian Educators Fellowship is an organization that will help "brand
new" Christian educators and those who have been teaching for 20 years,
Jackson pointed out.
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A UMNS photo by Kathy L. Gilbert The Louisiana Christian Educators Fellowship Children�s Choir participated in the Saturday worship service.
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The
Louisiana Christian Educators Fellowship Children�s Choir, made up of
children from several churches throughout southern Louisiana,
participated in the Saturday evening worship service during the
Christian Educators Fellowship conference held in New Orleans, Oct.
14-18. A UMNS photo by Kathy L. Gilbert. Photo #04-489 Accompanies UMNS
Story #496, 10/26/04. |
"One of the things we
are doing now is trying to meet the needs of those brand-new Christian
educators who may have been in public school education in their local
communities, or social workers that have felt a call to get involved in
their local church," he said. "They are coming to Christian education
with a lot of passion and commitment but not a lot of formal education."The
fellowship’s mission is to nurture, support, challenge and advocate for
any person with responsibility for fostering discipleship through
Christian education, he explained. The fellowship meets every two years
and has recently "crossed a new barrier" by increasing its membership to
1,003 educators. "The
Christian Educators Fellowship was founded in 1968, (and) we were the
first organization to establish a relationship with the new United
Methodist Church," he said. "Our first conference was held right here in
New Orleans in this same hotel. We want to be able to continue into the
future with that close relationship with the church." A
large number of participants in this conference were students from
seminaries and United Methodist-related schools as well as many ethnic
minorities and members of Pan-Methodist churches. Their presence helped
make the conference’s theme, "Reflecting the Face of God," really show
the church’s diversity, Jackson added. A
seminar introduced before the conference, "PEP: Professional Education
Preparation," covered the basic competencies involved in the
responsibilities and tasks of a Christian education position. "We hope
to offer this seminar in other settings throughout the year," Van Buren
said.
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A UMNS photo by Kathy L. Gilbert The Broadmoor United Methodist Church liturgical dancers shared during the Saturday worship service.
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The
Broadmoor (Baton Rouge, La.) United Methodist Church Youth Singers and
Liturgical Dance Choir participated in the Saturday evening worship
service during the Christian Educators Fellowship conference held in New
Orleans, Oct. 14-18. A UMNS photo by Kathy L. Gilbert. Photo #04-490
Accompanies UMNS Story #496, 10/26/04. |
By attending a
seminar such as PEP, Jackson hopes to help those new to Christian
education go on to more extensive training, such as certification
courses offered by the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and
Ministry or courses taught in a United Methodist seminary or college.For
Karli Pidgeon, a second-year student at United Methodist-related
Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, the conference was a "wealth
of information." "The
worship services have been phenomenal, and I have really had the
freedom to network with other Christian educators," she said. Each
day featured a morning Bible study lead by the Rev. Grace Imathiu,
assistant director of development at Kenya Methodist University. "I
am delighted with the presence of so many students this year," said
Peggy Eshelman of the Missouri Annual (regional) Conference. "The Bible
study with Grace has been a highlight of the conference for me. It has
been done with such care, and the power of something done so carefully
honors the Scriptures." Sherrie
Randall, a student at Pfeiffer University, Misenheimer, N.C., called
the conference was "a great opportunity to gain the experience of older,
more experience Christian educators." The workshops "gave me new ideas
and reinforced what I am learning in school." In
addition to Fleming and Imathiu, other conference leaders were the Rev.
Jeremy Bassett, Church of the Servant, Oklahoma Annual Conference; the
Rev. Carol Cotton Winn and the Rev. John Winn, directors of Spiritual
Formation, Louisiana Annual Conference; the Rev. Victor McCullough,
pastor of the historic Mount Zion United Methodist Church, New Orleans;
and the Rev. Deborah Kaye Wallace-Padgett, Prestonsburg (Ky.) District
superintendent. Jorge A. Lockward, a native of the Dominican Republic
and Global Praise Program coordinator for the United Methodist Board of
Global Ministries, served as music director. The
2006 Christian Educators Fellowship conference will be held in Lake
Junaluska, N.C. For more information about the fellowship, contact
Corinne Van Buren at P.O. Box 24930, Nashville, Tenn., 37202; (866)
629-3113; or e-mail cef@cefumc.org. *Gilbert is a United Methodist News Service news writer in Nashville, Tenn. News media contact: Kathy L. Gilbert, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
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