Delve into Advent 2022 with resources for churches

Advent 2022 is fast approaching. Still looking for inspiration for church activities, devotionals, faith formation or worship planning? The United Church of Christ has you covered.

Church leaders prepping for this time of preparation can access a number of resources outlined below.

Preparing for Advent 2022

This Thursdays for the Soul webinar from Sept. 29 offers a variety of insights for Advent worship planning in partnership with the United Church of Canada.

Hosted by UCC Minister for Worship and Theology, the Rev. Cheryl Lindsay, the recorded webinar reviews the Advent lectionary and highlights resources. That includes “roadmaps” for both Advent and Christmas — seasonal lectionary guides from Lindsay’s Sermon Seeds series — as well as links to Worship Ways, a sign-up form for an Advent newsletter from the United Church of Canada and more.

“As we delve into the Advent season, we want to engage our souls, we want to engage our spiritual memory, we want to engage vision of the future and look at the reality and the confession that Christ has come, Christ is risen and Christ will come again,” Lindsay said. “And how do we then ready ourselves to participate in that coming of Christ in the world and being Christ in the world?”

Intergenerational Advent Planning

Another Thursdays for the Soul webinar, Oct. 13, focuses on Advent planning for faith formation with all ages in mind. It was led by a panel of board members of the Association of United Church Educators (ACUE).

The panelists discussed how to create and foster intergenerational church activities, the themes of the Advent and Christmas seasons, and how those themes can be integrated into all-ages faith formation.

The Rev. Thom Bower, ACUE board chair, noted that there’s a difference between “multigenerational” and “intergenerational” activities.

“I think, in intergenerational activities, we’re doing this together. We are learning with one another. We’re not separated,” he said. “… And I think that’s what intergenerational teaching and learning in the church can be: we admit we’re at different places in our faith development. And yet, wherever you are in your faith development, there’s something for us to learn together.”

In addition to the discussion, links to numerous resources and books are available in the description of the webinar video accessible on YouTube.

What’s Left of the Night?

From the Stillspeaking Writers’ Group, the 2022 Advent devotional responds to a yearning for a new day with the reminder that people need night’s renewal for rest, for imagination, even for growth.

What’s Left of the Night? asks two questions at once: How much longer must we wait, and how much longer can we dream? The Writers’ Group and Daily Devotional contributors offer the church a devotional guide through the days of Advent to the celebration of Epiphany: 41 reflections in all, by 18 different writers.

The Rev. Kenneth Samuel, pastor of Victory for the World Church, Stone Mountain, Ga., is one of them. “All of us who yearn for brighter days could benefit from a more cognizant appreciation of how life is sustained and renewed and fortified in the dark,” he said.

The Pilgrim Press provides staff and editorial support to the Writers’ Group. Copies of the devotional can be ordered, including discounts for bulk orders, from the Pilgrim Press.

Virtual Advent calendar coming soon

From the UCC’s Join the Movement initiative, a virtual Abolition Advent Calendar soon will be available through daily emails and social media posts. The online project will include art and reflections on how contemporary abolition movements intersect with the messages of the Advent season.

Access 2022 Advent resources here.

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