The Episcopal Diocese of Alabama
About The About TheDepartment of Christian Formation
The Department of Christian Formation is comprised of  16  members, chosen by the Bishop to serve as a voice for Christian Educators in the diocese. We provide parishes with opportunities for training, community building and resource guidance. The committee strives to support all who are involved with education in the parish. We have trained consultants and you may access their gifts and talents! Contact: Kathy Graham at 205.715.2060 ext. 9229 or email:kgraham@dioala.org  We are happy to send a representative to your parish or help you find the resources you need.
Casting our Nets ……Wider - The 2019 ONE conference
Make plans to attend The ONE Conference on Thursday, May 9th at St. Stephen’s in Birmingham-10:00-3:00 PM. The cost is $25 with lunch included.
This conference is designed for formation leaders-children, youth and adult, clergy, parish administrators, communications coordinators, and vestry members. Basically, anyone in our parishes looking for ways to better connect those inside and outside our churches- therefore widening out nets!
This year we welcome Sarah Stonesifer, Digital Missioner, Lifelong Learning @ Virginia Theological Seminary as our guest speaker and one of our workshop leaders. She will join others from our diocese in leading workshops where we will explore topics such as:
  • Communications and Formation
  • Making Videos for Ministry
  • 50+ Tools and Resources for Ministry.
  • Curating Christian Formation
  • Hybrid faith formation
  • How to lead and facilitate a small group
  • Hybrid faith formation-what is it and how do we do it
  • Safe Church and Social Media
  • Respite Care and End of Life Preparation
  • Staying Connected through AccessACS
  • Cultivating faith through confirmation - The Confirmation Project
  • "Hey, Where's My Church?" Asset Mapping
Bring your laptops, tablets and especially your smart phone for hands-on learning! Great info we all need and can use – so plan to attend and bring a team from your parish and let this be your workday- learning, experiencing and casting our nets together!
 
Godly Play
​Core Training Coming to
​St. Stephen's, Birmingham in July!
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 How do we sustain quality Christian formation in the 21st century? Many churches are finding the answer online! ChurchNext offers online Christian Formation that is led by experts in their fields of study and taught from a mainline Christian perspective to help you and your parish to: Form & Shape Disciples, Help People to Cross Important Thresholds, and Build Community. Clergy are invited to learn more about the diocesan ChurchNext Subscription. Reach out! The Department of Christian Formation is here to help.

    ChurchNext Contact Form 
    ​Diocese of Alabama
The Department of Lifelong Christian Formation
 Contact: Kathy Graham at: kgraham@dioala.org
                         
​Just Launched and Perfect for Summer Study:
Holy Grounds: The Surprising Connections Between Faith and Coffee with Tim Schenck
Course Summary: Learn the fascinating spiritual connections to coffee and grow in your faith.
Course Description: The only drink more popular than coffee is water.
And just as we find spirituality in other everyday things like water,
we can find spirituality in making and drinking coffee. Fr. Tim Schenck ought to know,. He's been a coffee connoisseur almost as long as he's been a Christian, and he's written an insightful book on the subject.
In this class, Tim offers four video presentations entitled: 
  • Origins
  • Ritual
  • Christianity
  • Social Justice
This course is ideal for those who love coffee and who look for spirituality in everyday life.The only drink more popular than coffee is water.


Want to know more about the tract of courses that St. Stephen's, Birmingham created for Sunday Christian Formation time? Click the Home Life Series below for a full description of courses. Thanks to the good folks at St. Stephen's for sharing!

​A few words from those who are using ChurchNext Online Christian Formation in their parish:

St Stephen’s, Birmingham
We began using ChurchNext courses for our Sunday morning and Wednesday evening programs. We developed Home Life series course tract using the video courses on topics like Difficult Children, Money Management, Being Single, and Prayer. Our church has responded very well to the video series and the following discussion. Each "For Groups" course includes a facilitator and participant guides that you may download and print.

The Episcopal Church of the Epiphany, Guntersville:
With an iPhone and AppleTV, we had an instant video series that was thoughtful and engaging.
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​The Episcopal Church of the Resurrection, Rainbow City
“I used ChurchNext for Congregations as a supplement to my Adult Confirmation Class. The courses offered a wonderful way for those seeking confirmation to learn on their own time and then come to Sunday class ready for in-depth discussion. I am grateful to our diocese for supporting this extremely helpful Christian Formation resource.” 
The Rev. Michael Goldsmith

Grace Episcopal Church, Anniston
 I found CN very helpful and used it in a variety of settings. In the spring during the Sunday morning Christian Ed time, I used different courses that focused on Spiritual Practices to highlight different practices. I have also used classes for Wednesday evening programming and I used two during Confirmation classes. The format is good for jump-starting conversations in groups. There are usually 4-5 short segments in each course so the time required can vary depending on what is available or how much conversation is generated. The Rev. Dr. Lee F. Shafer




               

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