n e w c h u r c h l i f e : m ay / j u n e 2 0 1 7
our current members, many of whom are now parents with families, but were
children when the church was built.
Everyone enjoyed seeing the slides of these young men and women when
they were children, as well as the members who were vital in the building of
the church, but who have passed into the spiritual world, such as Charles and
Helena Brown, Alex and Betty Lindsay, Lee and Flora Horigan, Ragnar and
Dorrit Boyesen, Larkin Smith, Terry Bier and Claudia Lindsay.
We welcome the good wishes of our fellow New Church men and women,
and all God’s children, as we set forth on future ventures in living and spreading
the good news of our Lord’s First and Second Advent.
(See photos on page 253)
gced sunday school conference
Sarah Odhner
General Church Education held a conference for Sunday
school teachers in North America and Europe on a beautiful
spring weekend in Bryn Athyn. The conference took place
at Cairncrest, the General Church’s headquarters, from
April 28-30. Twenty-two Sunday school teachers and
pastors, representing 13 societies, joined us either in person or online.
Conference plenaries and workshops focused on the challenges and
opportunities for Sunday schools in the 21 st century. The opening plenary, 936
Sundays, by the Rt. Rev. Peter Buss Jr. and Sarah Odhner, highlighted the
importance of the 936 Sunday opportunities in a child’s life from birth to age
18 for instruction in the Word, community and service. You may see the talk
at bit.ly/936Sundays.
Additional plenaries provided space for identifying common Sunday
school challenges, and framing the challenges as opportunities for growth.
The final plenary resulted in attendees identifying practical steps that could be
taken to bring positive change in their local Sunday schools.
A variety of hands-on workshops were offered to bolster teaching
confidence, introduce new teaching resources and help leaders manage their
programs. Workshops included: The Big Picture of the Word with the Rev.
Grant Odhner; Core New Church Concepts with the Rev. Kurt Hy. Asplundh;
Teacher Recruitment and Care with Nina Dewees and Sarah Odhner; Teens
and Tweens with Don Blair, the Rev. Michael Cowley and Sarah Odhner;
and Take Your Pick: GCED Resources with Rachel Glenn. One of the resources
introduced was FaithBuilder, a four-year series of video-based lessons for
teens. Attendees also got a sneak preview of GCED’s new resource website,
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