The Gift of Dialogue

All of us were humbled to reveal some of the work we've been doing with re:form to the attendees at FirstThird. Humbled on lots of levels, but mostly because of the power of collaboration. Yes, dialogue. So, thanks to everyone who's been a part of the re:form conversation thus far. Thanks to those of you at FirstThird who provided feedback. And a "proleptic" thanks to all of you who'll join us down the road. Truly a gift.

Mixing Theology and Youth Ministry

All of us at sparkhouse are gearing up for a truly unique event next week: FirstThird Dialogues on youth ministry. Keynoting the event will be two leading voices in the church--Andy Root and Kenda Creasy Dean--with the audacity to mix theology and youth ministry. Sparks should fly!

As an event sponsor, we're looking forward to take part in the dialogue and getting feedback on our new confirmation program, re:form, with its own mix of theology and youth ministry. If you're going to be at FirstThird, let's chat!

Why don't you become a Fan?

It's been a long time in the coming--after months of resource development work--but we're excited to begin some conversations with you on upcoming resources. And we're hoping the conversations will continue even after these resources release.

So, let's get the conversation started. Become a fan of our new resources on Facebook:

re:form--a participatory confirmation program that empowers youth

clayfire--an online worship planning and collaboration resource

ReNew VBS: It's Here (and it's recycled!)

Our first ReNew: The Green VBS Starter Kit arrived at sparkhouse last week. After months of working on this resource, it was exciting to actually touch all the pieces and know they're made out of recycled or biodegradable materials.

Some sneak peeks:

ReNew Program Guide Binder -- Contents are printed on 100% post consumer waste recycled paper using UV ink and are recyclable.

To reduce packaging, the ReNew Music CD and ReNew Program DVD fit in the front pocket of the binder.






ReNew Kid Pack -- All ReNew Bible Books are printed on 100% post consumer waste recycled paper using soy ink and are recyclable.

The ReNew Seed Starter is molded out of reground plastic, the ReNew Planting Pack seeds (not pictured) are packaged in recycled paper and printed using soy inks. And the ReNew Work Belt is made out of a biodegradable material and printed using water based ink.


ReNew Banner -- Manufactured using 60% recycled paper, 30% sawdust, and 10% polyester and printed using soy ink. It's also durable...and biodegradable!








We've been given an opportunity and responsibility to care for God's creation. It's not always easy, but even small steps can lead in the right direction. One way we did this with ReNew was to challenge our manufacturers to use environmentally-responsible materials.

What are some ways--big or small--that your faith community is caring for creation?


Posted by Bethany Stolle

We are tinkering

Last week - the first week of Advent - a dozen of us gathered together with a big box of legos and an even bigger question: how do we spark new life in youth confirmation ministry? Actually, the question wasn't explicitly stated at all—we were a working group focused on a concrete set of tasks. We weren’t in "blue sky" mode. Yes, we spent some time getting to know each other (or reconnect). But we had a tight agenda. Tasks very much at hand. Agendas. Lists. Deadlines.

But the question haunted us, like a lone voice crying in the wilderness, as we gathered and got set up. When you look at the trends out there among youth and young adults, this is a question that can stir up some serious anxiety.

And then came tinkering. It was almost the first thing on the agenda. We all sat together and watched Gever Tulley’s TED Talk on his Tinkering School. His work with youth is outright amazing - he radically empowers youth through the simple gift of trust to unleash their creativity with transformative results. It wasn't the first time many of us saw the video, but somehow it seemed like the most important time we ever did. Despite the eventual twists and turns in the conversation the next two days - even anxiety as we wrestled with tough theological questions - we seemed to know we were on the right path. There was a kind of true north among us, perhaps even a star. Together we were tinkering.

Tim Paulson