Celebrating Christian Education Sunday
This year, Christian Education Sunday is scheduled to be
celebrated on September 11, 2011. Most churches will be prayerfully remembering
and reflecting on the tragic events that occurred 10 years ago and offering
worship appropriate for God’s people on this particular Sunday, which is both
fitting and necessary.
In light of this, there are a number of alternative dates
and settings in which to celebrate and honor the work of committed and
passionate teachers and send forth students—young and old—into a new cycle of
faith-filled growth and enlivened questioning. Depending on your church’s
schedule, September 4 or 18 (or even late August) would be ideal for such a
dedication. Many congregations intentionally schedule this particular Sunday
around local K-12 and college calendars.
However, if a Sunday service is not a possibility for such a
celebration, why not build a special event into the life of your congregation?
How about organizing an evening gathering? Many churches already schedule “Back
to School” nights for children and youth. Perhaps including a dinner for the
whole family would signal the importance of education and faith formation to
the overall life of the body (Peace United
Church of Christ in Rochester, Minnesota is doing just that). During the
meal, students could gather and work to create a blessing for their teachers,
and vice versa. At the end of the evening, people are invited to share their
prayers in a communal ritual and end with the laying on of hands. Other
congregations honor this particular Sunday by gathering school supplies for
local children and then blessing these items during worship (a twist on the
traditional “Blessing of the Backpacks”). On August 6, Community UCC in San Antonio, Texas
did just that. And, for those more ambitious congregations seeking to engage in
social justice work around education, inspiration may come from the actions of Gunnison Congregational Church in
Colorado that saw a real need in their local high school and worked with
community partners to meet
that need. The possibilities are endless.
This is not to say that Christian Education Sunday and the
events of 9/11 cannot be honored on the same day. After all, as Charles Foster
declared, Christian education must be concerned with “building communities of
faith engaged in quests for meaning and hope relevant to the times in which we
live.” Those who cultivate faith formation in the children, youth, and adults
in our congregations have readily taken on the task of leading these “quests
for meaning and hope” for such events as 9/11 and have been witnesses to the tearful
outbursts, angry questions, silent transformation, and Spirit-led healing that
followed this fateful day. In this regard, it may be very fitting and
appropriate to honor educators on September 11. The 9/11 Plus 10 website provides a
wealth of resources for helping pastors and teachers reflect on this day, with
a special section on resources for talking with children and youth about 9/11.
Below, you will find some additional worship resources that
may be beneficial to you as you plan for Christian Education Sunday. Ultimately,
in whatever ways your congregation honors the lives and work of its educators
and students, may we be reminded that each of us has yet more knowledge and
wisdom to both teach and learn.
Paz (Peace),
Rev. Dr. Kristina
Lizardy-Hajbi
Minister for Christian Faith Formation Research
Resources for Christian Education Sunday
Service Prayers and Liturgies (Online)
For
All Who Teach and Learn
A Ministry of Transformation
Hymns
Come, Teach Us, Spirit
of Our God – TNCH #287
O God, Who Teaches Us
To Live – TNCH #359
Praise the Source of
Faith and Learning – TNCH #411
Teach Me, O Lord, Your
Holy Way – TNCH #465
God, Speak to Me, That
I May Speak – TNCH #531
O Grant Us Light – TNCH
#469
Colorful Creator – TNCH
#30
Open My Eyes, That I
May See
Litany for Recognition of Teachers
One: Teachers are
called to serve the church in a variety of roles – ordained and lay, volunteer
and paid. The United Church of Christ [or
insert your own church name here] recognizes and affirms with deep
appreciation the outstanding, faithful, and dedicated commitment to the
teaching task. Today we honor all those dedicated teachers in the UCC. We thank
you, O God, for the ministry of education.
Many: Gentle and Loving God, through the ministry of teaching we learn
about you, your creation of humankind, your trust in us to be your people, and
your expectation that we will be responsible stewards of your creation.
One: We also learn,
from the Holy Spirit and from our spiritual ancestors, that we have room to
grow in faith.
Many: Priests, prophets, and wise counselors teach us through the
Hebrew scriptures. Evangelists, apostles, and letter-writers in the Christian
scriptures teach us of your love and forgiveness.
One: Most of all, we
learn from your living Word, Jesus the teacher.
Many: That story, always fresh, comes to us through teachers in the
church.
One: We thank you now
and offer you praise for the educational ministry of [names]. Help us to affirm and support them in the ministry of
teaching.
Unison: We pray in the name of Jesus the Christ. Amen.
[Present certificate or other gift, and/or offer handshake or sign of
peace.]
Adapted from the 1999 Excellence in Teaching Awards. Originally from the
Committee on Certification for Church Educators in the United Church of Christ.
