Week Five

An Introduction to Christian Education

EL1515 / Fall 2009

Online beginning the second half of fall term
Each week keyed to assignments starting on Monday

Overview . Personal/Group Learning . Schedule . Goals . Requirements . FeAutor . Portfolio . Info . Texts . Resources . Expectations . Etiquette . Absences . Evaluation/Grading . Tech Requirements

11/2 . 11/9 . 11/16 . 11/30 . 12/07 . 12/14 . 12/21 .

7 December 2009 / Our daily bread

This week we're going to be working with what Maria Harris calls the curriculum of diakonia. I'm especially pleased to be able to offer you a special element for this focus situation. It is a video meditation done by a friend (Adán Medrano) who is a filmmaker. In addition to the video meditation, we will also be engaging this curriculum study guide, which was produced by the Colorado Council of Churches.

I have several ideas in mind for what you might glean from this focus situation, but more generally I want you to take note of the increasing number of migrant workers in our midst. Many of you will find yourselves serving in rural parishes, and in the rural context more and more of our churches (irregardless of denomination) are needing to learn what it means to be an inter-cultural community. Any of you who have heard Bishop Stephen Ullestad speak recently (he was on campus, as well as in several other ELCA meetings) will be aware of the challenges ELCA churches are facing in northern Iowa with the Postville ICE raid. But northern Iowa is not alone, or even particularly unique.

In thinking about "diakoinia" I want us to think this week about hospitality and service, and about what that might mean, could mean, in the context of immigration issues. That should lead us directly into the challenges of "boundary leadership" (to use Gunderson's term), as well as to thinking about religious education as an adaptive challenge, rather than a technical one.

Individual work

A brief discussion of the portfolio process.

A look back at last week, and forward to this week:

Read the summary of CIQ responses from last week.

Read Boundary Leaders: Leadership Skills for People of Faith by Gary Gunderson and take the book quiz

By Friday, comment on one of the group summaries (in a way that is more than simply a "verbal bouquet").

On Friday, fill out a CIQ for the past week

Cluster question assignments

Group one : History

Group two : Learning

Group three : Assessment

Group four : Bible

Group five : Ritual

Your small group summary is due on Wednesday, posted to the course blog.


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