Make Easter and Pentecost meaningful for young people. Help them experience the joy and celebration of the Easter season, and cheerfully proclaim, "Alleluia! He is risen!" Bring the Scriptures alive and give young adolescents creative ways to explore, pray, and reflect on the salvation story, so they are able to focus on the profound mystery of God among us. The leader's guide has nine faith sessions, as well as an extended session, to help young people enter fully into the expectation and the joy of the Easter and Pentecost seasons. In addition to its fully developed sessions, this guide has strategies for encouraging real participation in the liturgical and community life of the parish as it ritualizes and celebrates the Easter season.

In Journey of Faith for Lent, readers take a closer look at this time of sacrifice, of reconciliation, and of fasting, beyond themselves to see the good in every person. The student workbook includes Scripture readings, reflection questions, and topics to discuss with friends and family members. Open spaces allow for writing thoughts or for drawing images during each season. The leader's guide has several faith sessions, as well as a retreat experience--to help young people enter fully into the expectation and the joy of the season--as well as strategies for encouraging participation in parish liturgical and community life.

One of the most surprising discoveries of our time is that the universe is an unfolding and highly creative story: a cosmogenesis. In Journey of Faith, Journey of the Universe, Br. Ivan Nicoletto reveals how very insightful the Scripture and its commentary tradition are to these deep and cosmic perspectives, thus surprising even seasoned Bible-hearers with fresh understanding. It will serve as rich nourishment to anyone involved in the ministry of preaching or who wants to explore the lectionary in a new way. The distinction of the book is Br. Ivan's capacity to speak with depth and originality on both the Scripture readings and the cosmic spirituality, in fact, to blend them usefully, insightfully. This selection of homilies offered on various Sundays and holy days of the three-year lectionary cycle offers fresh insights on the readings for the day to those who are also open to the challenge to theology and Scripture that comes from new cosmology.

"[This book] will be your companion as you journey through the season of Ordinary Time. It will help you understand Jesus's life from his entry into this world to his entry into Jerusalem"--Back cover.

"Has nine sessions and a retreat experience to help young people enter fully into the expectation and the joy of the Ordinary Time season. In addition to its fully developed sessions, this guide has strategies for encouraging real participation in liturgical and community life of the parish as it ritualizes and celebrates Ordinary Time"--Back cover.

The church year is often seen as a framework for church programs, but well-known Alban author Charles Olsen shows readers how it can be a prism through which congregations more deeply understand their own stories. By weaving together our narratives and those of Christian tradition, a congregation can clarify its identity, grow in wisdom, and discover a new vision and ministry. Olsen draws parallels between the church seasons and practices of spiritual formation--letting go, naming and celebrating God's presence, and taking hold. He shows us how these movements are expressed in the three major cycles of the church year--Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost. Focusing on communal narratives, he presents a process for telling a story and forming a corporate memory of the story, and then deepening and reflecting on it by exploring the season of the church year that captures its character.

An essential volume spanning the theology, tradition, and practical considerations of altar guild ministry This necessary and practical guide is designed to function as a theological, formational, and spiritual resource for any altar guild member. Peppered with Scripture and prayers, it examines the history and tradition of the noble office and elevates the altar guild role as a vocation in the life of our church. Offering definitions, instructions, and illustrations, this volume has what you need to prepare for every liturgical season, as well as a guide for special services, including weddings, funerals, ordinations, and visits from the bishop. The volume will address modern challenges for this ministry arising from the Covid-19 pandemic, including health and safety and the rise of virtual worship services, as well as unique opportunities for leadership in a changing ecclesial landscape. The congregations of The Episcopal Church are richly varied in architecture, custom, tradition, style of worship, and practice. The Manual for Altar Guilds will serve as a foundational resource and guide for this essential ministry, providing practical yet flexible guidance that can be easily adapted to meet the unique needs of your congregation and the changing times.