February 2021
Our Mission: Supporting lifelong faith formation in the home and congregation
Prayer Pause
Loving God,

You call us back to you with all of our hearts.
We feel your call deep in our heart.
Give us the wisdom to know how to return.
Make our journey back to you this Lent
one of grace, forgiveness and gentle love.

Amen
President's Message

Dear friends,

February is packed full for youth workers and Christian educators. I was privileged to be able to attend the Extravaganza and the Association of Presbyterian Christian Education (APCE) virtual event: Anything But Ordinary.

The first session at the APCE was A Generous and Expanded Table: Reimaging the Beloved Community. The Rev. Bruce Reyes Chow offered the following advice:

Stop being surprised by how well you and the churches you serve have done
during the pandemic.

Why are we surprised? We are doing the best we can with what we have in the most unusual circumstances. This is a message I need to hear as much as I need to share.

Rev. Chow went on to challenge us to think forward, basing his comments on Exodus 36:1-7. God was reminding the people that God gave them the skills necessary to build a moveable sanctuary. The people saw the vision and brought so many offerings, they had more than enough.

Learning Strategies for the Life of Faith Initiative

Featured Church:
Trinity Lutheran
Moorhead, MN
Pastor Matt Peterson, Education Pastor, shared what Trinity is up to in their congregation and community with our coordinator, Stephanie Pasch.

How many members do you have?

On paper, approximately 3000 members. PreCOVID worshiped around 750/week. Although we had an online presence prior to COVID-19, we now average 1500-1600 “views” online as we both livestream our services and post them online for viewing on demand.

Community Information:

Moorhead, MN has a population of 43,652 (2019 estimate). Moorhead also has 2 four year colleges: Concordia College and Minnesota State University, Moorhead. Moorhead is also part of the Fargo/Moorhead “metro” area, population 229,000. Fargo has a four-year college, North Dakota State University.

Book Review
Title: The Scattering: Imagining a Church That Connects
Faith and Life

Author: Dwight L. Dubois

Reviewed by: Judy Twist, CENetwork of the ELCA

  • Imagine being able to connect everything you do in life with God’s dream of shalom.
  • Imagine all God’s people seeing their family responsibilities, work, and community involvement as ministry.
  • Imagine congregations that equip and empower people for ministry—not just in the church, but in all they do.
  • Imagine leaders and members finding a renewed sense of joy, purpose, and vitality as they give themselves away for the sake of the Gospel.

The Scattering lays bare our preoccupation with the Church as a building or location and transitions our thinking to the Church as missional, where the importance of what happens when we are scattered is as important – or more important – than what happens when we are gathered. To Dwight Dubois, God’s dream of a “shalom church” (the church as God intended) is for a church that has more scattering than gathering.

Dwight Dubois has a varied background as a parish pastor, congregational renewal professional, teacher, speaker, and coach. In recent years he has worked extensively on making the connection between faith and life. In fact, he is a leader in the ELCA’s Life of Faith Initiative. You can join the Facebook group or check out the website for more information!

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Vision Statement
Building a community which equips, encourages and empowers those engaged in lifelong faith formation in a changing world, the CENetwork will:

  • Identify and evaluate resources and educational opportunities
  • Facilitate communication and conversations
  • Offer guidance, networking and mutual support
  • Nurture spiritual growth online and face-to-face



How You Can Support the Christian Education Network

You can become a member or make a one-time donation via PayPal on our website; or, you can purchase from AmazonSmile and diesignate The Christian Education Network as your charity. We receive a percentage of the proceeds!



Contact Us

CENetwork of the ELCA
P.O. Box 9304
Rochester, MN 55903


Phone messages may be left aft (507) 721-0057