"People were bringing children to him in order that he might touch them, and the disciples spoke sternly to them. But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, "Let the children come to me; do not stop them, for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs."
Mark 10:13, 14 NRSVUE
Capital University was recently awarded $1.25 million dollars from the Lilly Endowment as a part of their series of Nurturing Children through Worship and Prayer grants. Our project, Age to Age: Curating Congregational Rituals to Form Faith With and Within Children, will equip faith communities with accessible, culturally competent resources that strengthen the faith of young people. With professional expertise in theology, education, music, accessibility, DEI, and human development, Capital is positioned to empower congregations of all sizes -- and especially those that do not employ professional children's ministry staff -- to provide compelling opportunities to strengthen children's faith.
Each year, Age to Age will gather ecumenical cohorts of 8 congregations that will meet monthly together to accomplish three goals.
Through monthly remote meetings, we will accompany one another in solidarity as we minister in this precedented era.
Congregations will identify ways that their particular communities might better support faith formation in children.
Each cohort member will be matched with a consultant whose professional expertise matches their particular needs.
Throughout the year, Age to Age consultants will create and curate resources for cohort members and then help congregations implement learnings in their specific contexts.
Age to Age's intent is to create and curate faith formation resources that are both accessible and culturally competent. This is vital because, for people to know God, precisely because all people deserve to so that our children can form profound faith that appreciates ways that God's image incarnates within people of all abilities, ethnicities, genders, races, sexual orientations, and more.
By creating and curating accessible, culturally competent resources, we're ensuring that all children can come to Jesus, even if that means we, like the disciples, need to get out of the way and do some things differently.
Dr. Kris Bjorke
Grant Director, Age to Age Initiative
Email: kbjorke@capital.edu
Phone: 614.236.6374
