Reverse Advent: For Families and RE Programs, An Activity to Teach the Spiritual Discipline of Reaching Out
In December, young people and their families have an opportunity to connect a story of the season with service to a local food cupboard or shelter. While Friends do not always “celebrate Advent.” the story told in this way over the weeks leading to Christmas is a useful tool. You can focus on different parts of the nativity story each week and connect people’s needs during their journeys to Bethlehem to the needs in our communities today.
This is a guide to share with families in the meeting community for how to participate in the service component, while also having discussions at home about food insecurity and poverty. The hope is toĀ focus onĀ giving this time of year, and connecting this service learning to the nativity story being told in many places around us, whether we focus on this in our children’s program or not.
This is adapted for Friends from an article by Krista Lovell (a Christian Educator) on the “Building Faith” website ofĀ Virginia Theological Seminary.Ā
Download the Lesson Plan
Reverse Advent for Friends: A Spiritual Discipline of Reaching Out
An Introduction
The Quaker Religious Education Collaborative (QREC) is an international, cross-branch, grassroots network of Friends sharing a stewardship for lifelong Quaker faith formation through religious education. We formed in April 2014 and now serve more than 300 Friends in our network. We actively engage and support each other across languages and continents. We gather for regional and annual conferences and offer monthly Conversation Circles via an online conferencing platform.Ā
Steering Circle
We share leadership as part of our collaborative mission, making decisions using the Quaker āsense of the meetingā process, sitting in expectant, worshipful waiting for the emergence of shared truth. Read moreā¦
Working Circles
Our workĀ takes place in ācirclesā or small groups of Friends who labor on a common task, usually meeting by video conference due to the geographic diversity of the membership. Read moreā¦
The Resource Library
Finders Guide, a sampling of the collection
The QREC Resource Library is a place to share lessons and other educational information in support of our work as Quaker religious educators. This library is a forum for curricula, articles, videos and other educational materials on Quaker themes. You will also find principles, policies and procedures to strengthen operation of your child, youth and adult religious education programs.
Children's Education
Adult Education
Family
African Quaker Library
Youth Education
Small Meetings
Young Adult Friends
Biblioteca QREC
Events
Find renewal, companionship, and help for nitty gritty issues in Quaker religious education, all the while opening spaces for Spirit to work and listening together for Godās way forward.
QREC holds an annual conference and retreat. In addition we hold online Conversation Circles and post other religious education events as we learn about them.
Conversation Circles
Online conferences for Quaker religious educators to share about their work. Conversations are scheduled for two sessions per topic to encourage international participation. Ā Join the conversationā¦
Other Events
Religious education events of interest to Quakers from all parts of the world. Please let us know about upcoming online or in-person events happening in your area. See the list of upcoming eventsā¦
Love at the Heart
Spiritual Practices
Discernment
Active Caring
Quaker Family Culture
Finding the Light
Faith at Home
Home is the heart of faith formation for all families. This is especially true for Friends. As an experiential religion, Quakerism is best learned through living in loving community. Indeed, the vast majority of faith formation for our young Friends happens at home in the busy swirl of daily life.
Become a Member
Submit Resources
Get Announcements
Donate
Attend an Event
Contact Us
Get Involved
QREC depends on all of us sharing our gifts and skills as religious educators. Here are some of the ways you can get involvedā¦
Author:Ā Melinda Wenner Bradley
Illustrator:Ā
Publisher:Ā
Age Group: All Ages
Preparation Time:Ā 1.00
Related File:Ā Click to view/download file
Related Link (or File):Ā Click to go to link
Topics:Ā Advent, Christmas, Community, Service, Service Projects, Sharing, Simplicity, Spiritual Journeys, Stewardship
An Introduction
The Quaker Religious Education Collaborative (QREC) is an international, cross-branch, grassroots network of Friends sharing a stewardship for lifelong Quaker faith formation through religious education. We formed in April 2014 and now serve more than 300 Friends in our network. We actively engage and support each other across languages and continents. We gather for regional and annual conferences and offer monthly Conversation Circles via an online conferencing platform.Ā
Steering Circle
We share leadership as part of our collaborative mission, making decisions using the Quaker āsense of the meetingā process, sitting in expectant, worshipful waiting for the emergence of shared truth. Read moreā¦
Working Circles
Our workĀ takes place in ācirclesā or small groups of Friends who labor on a common task, usually meeting by video conference due to the geographic diversity of the membership. Read moreā¦
The Resource Library
Finders Guide, a sampling of the collection
The QREC Resource Library is a place to share lessons and other educational information in support of our work as Quaker religious educators. This library is a forum for curricula, articles, videos and other educational materials on Quaker themes. You will also find principles, policies and procedures to strengthen operation of your child, youth and adult religious education programs.
Children's Education
Adult Education
Family
African Quaker Library
Youth Education
Small Meetings
Young Adult Friends
Biblioteca QREC
Events
Find renewal, companionship, and help for nitty gritty issues in Quaker religious education, all the while opening spaces for Spirit to work and listening together for Godās way forward.
QREC holds an annual conference and retreat. In addition we hold online Conversation Circles and post other religious education events as we learn about them.
Conversation Circles
Online conferences for Quaker religious educators to share about their work. Conversations are scheduled for two sessions per topic to encourage international participation. Ā Join the conversationā¦
Other Events
Religious education events of interest to Quakers from all parts of the world. Please let us know about upcoming online or in-person events happening in your area. See the list of upcoming eventsā¦
Love at the Heart
Spiritual Practices
Discernment
Active Caring
Quaker Family Culture
Finding the Light
Faith at Home
Home is the heart of faith formation for all families. This is especially true for Friends. As an experiential religion, Quakerism is best learned through living in loving community. Indeed, the vast majority of faith formation for our young Friends happens at home in the busy swirl of daily life.
Become a Member
Submit Resources
Get Announcements
Donate
Attend an Event
Contact Us
Get Involved
QREC depends on all of us sharing our gifts and skills as religious educators. Here are some of the ways you can get involvedā¦