Resources Archives - The Evangelical Covenant Church

Practices for Reviving Stories of Faith

God is present in every moment, relationship, and circumstance of life. But when we share the events of our day, we rarely include God in the narrative. In order to share our story with God, we need to reshape the way we look at life and our relationship with God. Perhaps we could consider taking pauses throughout day—giving thanks when things are going well, asking for strength and wisdom when we are struggling, praying for others, and treating those we meet as children of God. It’s not that we fail to share stories, but that we fail to acknowledge God’s place in them.

Helping Children Live into the Season of Lent

What is Lent anyway and where did it come from?

The word Lent comes from the Anglo-Saxon word lencten meaning spring and which is related to the verb lengthen, because this is the time of the year when the days begin to get noticeably longer. It was developed by the early church as a time of preparation for the coming of Easter and is characterized as a season of reflection and contemplation, not unlike Advent.

Why Story Matters

Jesus was the master story teller. He used stories to reflect truth and to provide a window into what God cares about. Stories were also used by Jesus to bring about change in the way we interact with each other, with the hope we would develop an intimate relationship with God and fulfill God’s will in the world.

Making our Churches Safe

At the beginning of a new year, it’s a good time to review what safety procedures we have in place to protect both our children and those who minister with them.

Spiritual Practices – Part Three: How to Dwell with God in the Bible

One of the things we learn from Jesus is that knowing God’s Word requires more than memory or recitation of content. The leaders of faith in Jesus’ day knew the Word of God and its promise of the coming Messiah well but didn’t recognize their Savior when he was standing in front of them.

Spiritual Practices – Part Two: Dwelling with God in Prayer

Prayer is a gracious and powerful gift from God. Often, we just take this gift for granted and often we ignore it. But it’s our opportunity to communicate with God, the one who made us and who loves us and who, through prayer, is always accessible to us. So how do we share this precious gift with our children?

Spiritual Practices to Help Children Experience Jesus – Part One: Dwelling with God of Creation

We can tell children about Jesus and children may believe and recite what we say. But in Mark 10:14 Jesus says, “Let the children come to me.” This is something deeper than simply knowing about Jesus. Jesus makes it clear in this passage that he desires a deep and lasting relationship with children.

Six Principles to Help Children Share Their Stories

One of the key elements of discipling children who make disciples is helping them share their stories with Jesus. Rather than just talking about Jesus,

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