MEA wants to hear from you!

Mennonite Education Agency wants to know how you plan (or don’t plan) a Church Education Sunday and how you use (or don’t use) MEA’s Church Education Sunday materials. As we begin to plan the Church Education Sunday resource materials for 2010, we would like your feedback to help us provide what would be most beneficial to you and your congregation. Please take a brief online survey atwww.MennoniteEducation.org/Sunday in April.

Thanks to those pastors and church leaders who have already planned Church Education Sundays! While the Sunday designated as the Church Education Sunday in 2009 has passed, you can still have activities that highlight Mennonite education. In the January mailing of Equipping, you received a booklet* with resources for Church Education Sunday (available atwww.MennoniteEducation.org/Sunday). This booklet included material that could be used throughout the year like bulletin inserts or the Mennonite education bulletin board. Browse through the materials again and consider how your congregation might highlight how Mennonite education is part of church.

*Editor’s note: It came to my attention in February that the booklets that were distributed had printing errors. On many pages, certain punctuation marks were replaced with a blank space, i.e. “Sunday s” instead of “Sunday’s.” You can request a corrected version of the booklet fromrachelne@MennoniteEducation.org or access the material fromwww.MennoniteEducation.org/Sunday. MEA apologizes for any inconvenience this may have caused.

Roundabout

Roundabout is the quarterly newsletter providing teaching tips and current information for teachers and leaders of Gather ’Round Sunday school curriculum. Be sure your teachers, pastors and Christian formation workers have access to this helpful education resource. Find a pdf at www.gatherround.org/roundabout.html. Also sign up to receive a monthly Gather ’Round email update, Roundabout Online, at www.gatherround.org/eupdates.html.

Find these downloadable curriculum options for youth and adults at www.mpn.net:

Selected Second Mile peace studies: The Shadow of War, Peace Begins at Home, more.
Selected Good Ground Bible studies for adults (out-of-print titles only)
Gather ’Round quarterly youth leader’s guide—offers systematic Bible study for youth
One on One: Practical Ideas for Adults Mentoring Youth—includes an introductory section covering basics of effective mentoring and 12 reproducible share sheets to guide conversations with youth. Topics include: Alcohol, Community, Growing Up, Life Goals, Living with Parents, Motivation, Peacemaking, Peer Pressure, Possessions, Self-Esteem, Truth-Telling and Vocation.

Mennonite VBS 2009 a “Top Pick”

In an evaluation of 19 different curriculums, Catch the Spirit! Join God’s Work in the World! was selected as a “Top Pick” by the Center for Ministry of Teaching, Virginia Theological Seminary. Catch the Spirit! was cited for its “upbeat and nonjudgmental tone, and strong message of evangelism.” The focus on worship and the original music by Mennonite composer Bryan Moyer Suderman were cited as particular strengths. Catch the Spirit! uses stories from the book of Acts to help children age 4 through grade 8 learn how the Holy Spirit works in their lives, in the church and with God’s people throughout the world. Find more information and read the Center’s complete evaluation atwww.mpn.net/vbs.