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Christian education is an important element of the Congregational Church of Austin's ministry. Our church does not dictate specific doctrines, creeds, or beliefs. Rather, we encourage people to reflect on their beliefs, to understand and critically engage the church's traditions, to be in open-minded dialogue with others, to acknowledge and wrestle with their questions and doubts, and to continuously grow in their faith. We interpret the Bible with our heads and our hearts by bringing contemporary knowledge and events into critical dialogue with scripture.
Our Christian education with children focuses on the basics of our faith tradition through singing, stories, and hands-on projects. We introduce children to key Biblical stories, faith concepts, and the church's ministry. With older youth, we continue building on the basics, but include more opportunities for personal reflection on beliefs, and encourage reflection on the relationship between faith, daily life choices, and contemporary events. Adults focus on the interpretation of scripture, trends in contemporary theology, recent events, and the processes of spiritual discernment and growth.
The following describes our various Christian education ministries.
Children's Sunday School
The Congregational Church of Austin offers a weekly Sunday School program for children at 11:00 am. The program includes Bible stories, faith exploration, singing, and hands-on projects. Children participate in the opening of our worship service until the "Time With Children," and then proceed to the Sunday School program. The church provides professional childcare services for infants and toddlers.
Youth Reflections
The Congregational Church of Austin offers a weekly reflection group for older youth (late middle school and high school). The youth reflect on scripture, faith issues, contemporary events, and other issues relevant to their daily lives. They are encouraged to keep a personal journal that the church provides.
Adult Reflections
The Congregational Church of Austin offers a weekly adult reflection group that meets at 10:00 am, one hour prior to worship. The adults reflect on the scripture readings for the day, bringing them into dialogue with contemporary events and personal issues.
Special Christian Education Series
The Congregational Church of Austin offers periodic special Christian education programs that meet either in the evening or after worship. Special programs have included the following:
Why Was Jesus Killed? Why Did Jesus Die? This Lenten series explored the historical circumstances surrounding Jesus' crucifixion, and a variety of theological interpretations of Jesus' death, both traditional and contemporary. Participants were encouraged to reflect deeply on the implications of various theological interpretations of Jesus' death, as well as the significance of Jesus' death for their own lives. Rev. Tom VandeStadt led this series.
Jesus And His Interpreters: A Look At Jesus Through Film. This summer series explored the variety of ways Jesus has been portrayed through film. Participants watched excerpts from different films that portrayed the same events in Jesus' ministry, and then reflected on what the film was attempting to convey about Jesus. Dr. Whit Bodman, Professor of World Religions at Austin Theological Seminary, led this series.
Kazantzakis And The Incarnation. In this series offered during Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany, participants were encouraged to reflect on God's relationship with creation and the meaning of God's incarnation. The fundamental question asked was: where is God vis-à-vis creation, and what does God's incarnation really mean to us? Some of the writings of the author Nikos Kazantzakis served as the springboard for these discussions. Rev. Tom VandeStadt led this series.
Beyond Belief. In this series, we read and reflected on Elaine Pagel's book, Beyond Belief. Our discussions revolved around the diversity of beliefs in the early church and the contemporary church, the tensions between creeds and on-going revelation, the place and authority of scripture in our loves, and what it means to remain spiritually open to God's presence. Rev. Tom VandeStadt led this series.
The Sabbath. In this series, we read and reflected on Abraham Joshua Heschel's book, The Sabbath, and works by Ched Myers on Sabbath Economics. We explored the spirituality and ethics of Sabbath practice, and how we may incorporate them into our own corporate and personal lives. Rev. Tom VandeStadt led this series.
Who Do You Say That I Am? In this series, held from February to April 2006, we are looking at a variety of titles, identities, and roles given to Jesus by the early church. We are looking specifically at Jesus as King of Kings, Jesus as prophet, Jesus as savior, Jesus as suffering servant, and Jesus as God. At the end of the series, participants will be encouraged to write their own faith statement answering Jesus question, who do you say that I am? Rev. Dr. Whit Bodman, Professor of World Religions at Austin Theological Seminary, and Rev. Tom VandeStadt are co-leading this series.
Confirmation Class
Rev. Tom VandeStadt teaches confirmation class for middle school aged youth who wish to reflect in some depth on their faith and their membership in the Christian church. The class helps youth better understand the Bible, the church's ministry, and faith as an on-going relationship with God and God's creation.
United Church of Christ Child Sponsorship
The Congregational Church of Austin participates in the United Church of Christ's Global Ministry Child Sponsorship Program. This is a joint project of our Boards for Outreach and Christian Education. Our church sponsors a girl named Hala Mahmoud, who participates in the Rawdat El Zuhar school in East Jerusalem. Our church is using the child sponsorship ministry as an opportunity to support the United Church of Christ's ministry in East Jerusalem, and to learn more about the religious, political, economic, and social issues in East Jerusalem. Our hope is to send a delegation from our church in the future.
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