Faith Shaping: Empowering Churches to Share Faith from Generation to Generation

What Faith Shaping can do for you:
  • Evaluation of current ministry programs
  • Revisioning workshops for the congregation
  • Consulting for staffing and structure decisions
  • Coaching faith formation staff for success
Faith Shaping is led by Rev. Lee Yates, who has years of experience as a pastor, associate, interim minister and curriculum developer. He served the Christian Church (DoC) of Indiana as Minister of Faith Formation before being called as pastor of Covina Community Church.

Faith Shaping is a consulting service for local congregations that offers support in areas of Christian Education, Children and Youth Ministry, Intergenerational Ministry, and balancing the energy and impact of a congregation’s various ministry programs. Price is based on size of congregation, and UCC congregations receive special consideration.

Rev. Lee Yates, pastor of Covina Community Church, organizes Faith Shaping and can be contacted directly at FaithShaping@gmail.com. You can learn more about Faith Shaping and find lots of free resources at www.FaithShaping.com.

Faith Shaping is a recommended resource by the Southern California Nevada Conference. Lee is not a member of the Conference staff so congregations can connect with him directly.


UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST DISABILITIES MINISTRIES DEVOTIONAL GUIDELINES

The Board of Directors of the United Church of Christ Disabilities Ministries (UCCDM) is accepting submissions of written daily devotionals in our campaign to raise awareness and educate through stories by people living with disabilities and those who care for and about them. The devotionals are to be stories, preferably taken from life experiences, meant to illuminate as well as inspire through a Bible scripture that relates in some way. Lay people and clergy are welcome to participate. Writers may submit as many stories as they like. Please note that not all submissions will be used. Content will be reviewed and determined appropriate for print and sharing by the UCCDM Board of Directors. In making a submission you are granting UCCDM permission to publish your devotional as well as share it with our United Church of Christ partners.

CONTENT GUIDELINES FOR DISABILITIES MINISTRIES DEVOTIONALS

(Adapted from the UCC Still Speaking Writer’s Group Daily Devotionals Guidelines)

Use the devotional to illuminate how your experience with disability informs your personal theology or spiritual experience. These devotionals are meant to be an evangelism tool that helps foster greater understanding of and compassion for people living with disability, so it is important that we write them in a welcoming and supportive tone. Although not all readers may be members of the United Church of Christ, the devotionals may also serve to highlight the importance of wide-ranging inclusion in churches of the UCC.

The Title. Your title is your first opportunity to capture the reader’s attention. Titles should be chosen for relatability and potential to keep the reader reading.

Do not assume the reader has access to an open Bible while reading. The short Bible excerpt may be all the scripture the reader has to go by. Keep it simple.

Have a sharp focus. Be concise but thorough in telling the story. Concentrate on one theme.

Write for understanding by lay people, and include clergy. And not the other way around. Your work may be read by people with varying reading and comprehension levels so please do not use words or acronyms that you need a seminary degree to understand. You do not want to frustrate and ultimately lose a reader.

Devotionals are not propaganda. Do not promote programs or agendas. People turn to devotional pieces to be inspired, possibly provoked into thought or action, and ultimately drawn closer to God.

Be timely. If your story refers to a specific date or season be sure to submit it in plenty of time to be edited.

Please proofread your own work. Before submitting your work, please proofread for clarity and typos. We are all volunteers wanting to offer the highest quality product we can to our readers.

USAGE OF INCLUSIVE LANGUAGE

The United Church Christ and Disabilities Ministries are committed to the usage of inclusive language with respect to God and people. For more information please refer to http://www.ucc.org/worship/inclusive-language/

DEVOTIONAL FORMAT GUIDELINES
Length: No more than 500 words, INCLUDING date, title, your name, scripture, story, prayer.
Title: Must have one.
Format tips: (please put everything in the order stated above)
  • Minimum of 12 point type for everything.
  • Use italics for emphasis and book titles.
  • Use quotation marks around scripture.
  • Scripture citation goes after the verse.
SUBMISSIONS
Submissions should be sent to submissions@uccdm.org.


Wanted: Your Pilgrim Pines Story

Do you have wonderful memories of Summer Camp? Funny stories of your adventures there? Did you discover new depths of faith? Set new goals? Make special friends? Share a never to be forgotten moment? Learn something new and exciting?

Whatever your highlight moment or moments, Connecting Voices, the e-magazine of the Southern California Nevada Conference (SCNC) of the UCC, wants to hear your story! We’re planning a series of articles and mini-articles the share the story of our beloved Pilgrim Pines. Articles may be a paragraph or two or as long as you need to tell the tale and share the wonder.

Send to: Mary Domb Mikkelson, Senior Editor, Connecting Voices, publicity@ucclm.sdcoxmail.com or 4558 Aragon Drive, San Diego, CA 92115.

Questions? Please call 619-265-2698. Photos (ones taken at camp would be great) also wanted (all identifiable people shown must be willing to sign releases for use of the photos). Hoping to hear from you soon!






Does your church have an event, or concern that you would like the rest of the Association to know about? Please submit as a WORD file. Email southernassociation@sascncucc.com