We view faith development as an on-going and passionate process. We envision an intergenerational and inviting community that integrates faith, education, and social awareness for people in our faith community. Because faith embraces so much of who we are, the idea of developing one's faith is seen by our team members as a vital, life- giving process that never ends. We seek to find opportunities which will enliven, inform, and broaden our perspectives. We recognize our diverse and talented congregation and endeavor to find avenues where these gifts can be given expression. We are also committed to the faith development for the youth of our congregation. We want to not only make the church a comfortable and inviting home, but we also want to find ways to integrate our children into the larger church which includes community service projects as part of our youth curriculum.

Ongoing Goals
• We will continue to search out ways to bring members of all ages more deeply into the life of the church. We will find more ways for people of all generations to be in community together.
• We will continue to offer opportunities for adult church members and children/youth to connect within a dynamic church school environment that is educational, community oriented and fun for both kids and adult volunteers.
• We will continue and try to expand our series of adult classes.
• We will continue to work toward a program for middle school youth that encourages regular participation and helps our youth grow in spirit and community mindedness.
• We will provide support for mission opportunities locally.
• We will work to increase communication between the Sunday school and other church members.
• We will continue to support the OWL (Our Whole Lives) program and encourage more adults to step up as OWL facilitators.

New Goals
• We will think and talk about ways to build a youth program that helps kids stay involved in church as they enter high school. This will take research and conversation within the church community.
• We will work to move Faith Development beyond Sunday school. Our dream is to have a Youth Minister or Youth Coordinator who concentrates on middle school, high school, and even some young adult programs. We believe having a consistent adult to mentor our youth can help them develop and maintain Christian attitudes towards themselves and the world.
• We will work in support of the inter-generational groups who plan service mission trips.
• We will support and carryout the recommendations of the UCC Visioning Task Force so that the goals are met to build our service-based ministries and foster all relationships with the church community.

Notes About Reading the Bible
Timeline of Biblical History

The lectionary scripture readings, from:

Vanderbilt University Divinity Library's Complete Revised Common Lectionary Site
You'll need to select from the menu on the left side of the page, depending on where we are in the Church year.

With November 29, 2009, we enter the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL) Cycle C. These sugggested Bible readings are the result of a collaboration (1983, 1994) by an ecumenical committee of scholars and clergy. It is a path followed by many denominations and churches. The Roman Catholic Church, the United Methodist Church, the Evangelical Luthern Church of America, the Presbyterian Church of the USA, and others all use the Revised Common Lectionary. The Episcopal Church in the US follows the common lectionary with some variations.

There are three lectionary cycles, and in using the lectionary, much of the Bible is covered. Readings are prescribed for each Sunday: a passage from the Old Testament or the Apocrypha; a passage from one of the Psalms; another from either the Acts of the Apostles, the Book of Revelation or the Epistles; and finally a passage from one of the four Gospels.
The gospel readings in the first year, Year A, are taken from the Gospel of Matthew, those in the second year, Year B, from the Gospel of Mark, and in the third year, Year C, come from the Gospel of Luke. Portions of the Gospel of John are read at certain festivals every year. Depending on the church, pastors are free to choose among the lectionary readings for the week, or to not use them at all.

Here at UCC, our pastors 'follow' the lectionary for much of the time, that is use one or more of the appointed scriptures as basis for their sermon.

Listen to or read about the use of scripture in vital congregations, with Marcus Borg, HERE.

OTHER LINKS

The Church Year and Seasons of the Church Year

On-line Bible and search capabilities

Method of Lectio Divina or praying with scripture

Excerpt on The Lens We Use to Read the Bible ,
from Reading the Bible Again for the First Time, by Marcus Borg.

Reading on Homosexuality and the Bible, by Walter Wink

Church School is offered for children, ages 3 through Middle School during the 10:30 A.M. worship service, September through early June. Children begin in the Fireside Room with "Children's Church" - a brief worship service, including a message from a pastor, an offering, and a song. The kids will then split into age groups and rotate through a different workshop activity -- such as cooking, drama, and art -- each Sunday. The workshops are related to the Bible theme.
Your child will have two teachers each week - a 'workshop' teacher and a 'rotating teacher'. The workshop teacher will present and help the children with the workshop activity that is related to the Bible theme. The rotating teachers will follow along with the same group of children each week and primarily serve as aides to the 'workshop' teachers.

Please see here for more information about Middle School Sunday School and activities.

Here is the current schedule for Church School:
September 2010 Schedule

A list of Bible Lessons we will work from over the next couple of years and a survey of all the possible workshop categories the Faith Development Ministry Team could dream up are accessible by clicking on the appropriate word. You can download the survey and send it back by mail to Amy Carter, 405 University Ave. Missoula, MT. 59801, or drop it by the church office, or send by email to Robin.

Do you sometimes leave the worship service with questions, thoughts, or reflections that you would like to share? We are working on a way to make that easy. “In the Wake of Worship” will be a short period of sharing, sometimes with one of the ministers, after the Sunday service. It will take place in the Fireside Room, beginning on December 6. The idea is not to critique the service but to raise the comments and questions that naturally arise during worship and that can help us all go deeper if we share them. We will keep you posted.

See also "Small Groups' on This Page

The Ministry of Mothers Sharing (MOMS) group meets every Thursday (during the school year) at 6:30 PM in the Bay Window Room, and is open to mothers of all ages! During the school year. This group reads books and poetry as a springboard for discussion and sharing. If you are a newcomer to the group, it is best to begin when a new book is also begun. Contact Lisa Brennan at 207-6467 if you would like to join or have questions.

Can I take the classes and still not be confirmed?

Yes.

The decision to affirm one's baptism is a personal one that only you can make. When you meet with the pastors, you will be asked to indicate your desire to be confirmed or not. Whether you are 'officially' confirmed or not, we hope the classes and experience of relationship with others on the journey with you will be fruitful and life-giving to you.

Current Confirmation Schedule

2009-2010, we will offer a confirmation process for our youth. Typically confirmation in our church is for youth going into 8th and 9th grades.

While traditionally we have waited until the beginning of the calendar year to start our confirmation process, this year we will begin in the fall of 2009 and continue until the end of May, 2010. We have broadened the confirmation process with the hopes of making it more flexible and meaningful for our confirmation students. After listening to students reflect upon their confirmation experience we have tried to increase those parts of the process that were most meaningful to them.

Our new time line will allow for a more meaningful and significant relationship between each confirmation student and their mentor. We will also ask each confirmation student to work with their mentors and their parents to create a confirmation project which they can share in some way with members of the congregation.

Students will also have six classes with our pastors to explore significant faith issues.

2009-2010 Confirmation Schedule

Questions for Confirmation Students and Mentors

Class members, with their mentors