All events are open to the public unless otherwise specified. We encourage anyone with a role in shaping the faith of little ones to join us, including grandparents, aunts, uncles, close friends, etc.! If you have ideas for events or know of a speaker you would like us to invite, please reach out to our team at oce@whitworth.edu. Scroll down for past event recordings.
Sept. 1 & Sept. 11-12 | St. Mark's Lutheran Church
Godly Play is an experiential curriculum intended to give children the chance to wonder together about Bible stories that show us who God is. It is a Montessori-based curriculum that uses tactile storytelling. For more information, click here, or watch a Godly Play lesson example here.
OCE is happy to scholarship ministry leaders to attend this training at no cost. We do this expecting that your registration ensures your commitment to the training in its entirety, and participants will not receive a certificate of completion if they are not present for the entire training. Note that there are three sessions included in your registration:
This Godly Play training is currently full. For other training options, you can contact Godly Play trainer Joy Studer at joy@godlyplayfoundation.org.
Formed in Faith will host our own Anne Wilcox, Whitworth Professor Emerita of Education, to facilitate an exploratory session on how we can enjoy experiencing God alongside some of our children with big emotions and unique behaviors.
Jan. 28
This webinar will blend teaching on preaching and intergenerational ministry to explore what it means to proclaim the gospel to and with all ages. If you find yourself in the pulpit on Sunday mornings, we hope you will leave with new strategies and practices to consider the young and old in your sermon development and delivery. If you are a children's pastor, volunteer or champion of intergenerational ministry, we hope you will be encouraged and equipped to consider your own role as gospel-proclaimer in your context. Our time will be a mix of instruction, workshopping and Q&A. Please join us and invite others!
Dave Csinos is associate professor of practical theology at Atlantic School of Theology in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. He also serves as founder and president of Faith Forward, an ecumenical organization for innovation in ministry with children, youth and families. Csinos speaks and writes widely about faith formation, children’s and youth ministry, homiletics, and culture. The first 20 registrants for this webinar will receive a copy of his book A Gospel for All Ages: Teaching and Preaching with the Whole Church, which we heartily recommend.
April 23, 2025
This event is open to all children's ministry leaders and volunteers! Traci Smith will join us to lead a workshop meant to help ministry leaders and their volunteers plan and lead faith formation workshops for families. Traci is the author of Faithful Families: Creating Sacred Moments at Home, which is one of our favorite resources for parents. She is also an ordained minister and mother of three with a passion for helping families find times for connection and spiritual nourishment amid the hustle and bustle of daily life. By the time you leave this workshop, you will be prepared to lead a family faith formation event at your own church based on the instruction and practical resources Traci provides.
Oct. 12, 2024
A recording is not available for this event.
Join spiritual director, author and child spirituality guru Lacy Finn Borgo on a daylong retreat designed to create space for parents and caregivers of young children to explore their childlike selves and be in the presence of God. The retreat will include guided spiritual practices and play, spacious time for solo reflection in nature (a luxury for caregivers of young children!), and space to explore God as our true parent.
Lacy teaches classes on children’s spirituality and spiritual direction with children through the Companioning Center. She also writes children's ministry curriculum, which she shares on her website gooddirtministries.org. Her recent books include Faith Like a Child: Embracing Our Lives as Children of God, Spiritual Conversations With Children: Listening to God Together and the children’s picture book All Will Be Well (we highly recommend!).
April 20, 2024
Kayla is the author of Every Season Sacred: Reflections, Prayers and Invitations to Nourish Your Soul and Nurture Your Family Throughout the Year and To Light Their Way: A Collection of Prayers & Liturgies for Parents. She is also the liturgist behind @liturgiesforparents on Instagram and a mom to four kids. Kayla will lead us in a workshop to help us develop a theology of parenting that recognizes the presence of God in the everyday and often mundane tasks of caregiving.
March 25, 2024
Whitworth Professor Emeritus Jerry Sittser is not only a beloved Whitworth professor, accomplished academic and best-selling author, he is also a father to three children and two step-children and a grandfather of eight grandchildren. This webinar will explore God’s role as parent and what that means for our families. Jerry will also share personally from his experience raising three children, including the ways that his faith sustained him as a parent.
Oct. 21, 2023