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Welcome to the Paynesville Lutheran Church Academy! We’re excited to share this unique approach to Christian education and faith formation with you all!
First, this is an intergenerational, family- or home-based learning experience. Our educational experiences on Sundays and Wednesdays are usually divided out by age groups for the purpose of developing curriculum that is accessible and appropriately challenging. For the PLC Academy, we’ve developed a set of tracks that have experiences, activities, and material for all ages. Not everything will be for everyone, but everyone will have something that meets them where they are. As a helpful guide, each activity is labeled with a number between 0 and 3, with more intensive learning happening within activities with higher numbers. Second, this is a self-led, at-your-own-pace style of program. The track model allows for you to choose the way you engage the topic you’ve chosen. Within your track, you may choose to follow a three-week study of a particular topic or bounce around from one activity to the next – it’s up to you! We hope this empowers you to take learning and faith formation into your own hands, with us as your guide. By doing what works best for you, we hope this allows for richer discovery of faith in your life. Third, you’ll need to pick a track. Each track listed below has a description next to it and a short introductory video. Take some time and consider each one. Many of these tracks will be offered in another of the 3-week sessions, so if more than one sounds interesting you’ll have the chance to do another in the coming weeks. Once you’ve decided which track you’d like to be a part of for the next three weeks, click ‘Register Now!’ at the bottom of this page and get signed up! Each track will have a portal that goes live on the first Wednesday of the session (session dates listed below). Finally, we know it’s difficult right now to carve out any extra space in our lives, but we still want to create the space for us to share in this together. So, we’ll gather as we would on Wednesdays at 6 p.m. for online worship, followed by Zoom conversations centered around these learning tracks. These will be great ways for us to stay connected and learn together during this time. |
2021 Sessions
We will gather virtually every Wednesday evening at 6:00 for worship, except for the dates listed below. After worship, you’re invited to join your track for a Zoom conversation about what learning you’ve been engaged in and what you’ve learned. The link to the Zoom conversation can be found on your track portal page on the PLC website and will also be emailed to you each week. Wednesday Schedule
Session #1
Session #2
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*Confirmation students: In order to be confirmed, you’ll need to participate in all three sessions of the Academy this fall. Once you pick a track, the numbers listed by each activity will act as a point system for your engagement with whatever track you choose. Within your track each session, you’ll need to accumulate nine (9) points. You’ll also be expected to join us for our online worship services, participate in Zoom conversations with other people doing the same track you’ve chosen, and use Flipgrid to share what you’re learning along the way.
TRACK OFFERINGS
Click the images below to go to your track portal page to find all activities and materials
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When God created the earth, we are told humans were created in God’s image and likeness and that we are to have dominion over the living things of the earth. Our connection to the created earth around us is intimate, set in place from the very beginning of time. Human beings have life because of all that’s around us and we have the power and authority to maintain life for what God has created. In all the ways that relationship has gotten more difficult and destructive in recent history, what God has created us to be has not changed at all. This track is about exploring our relationship with the environment, what we can learn from the world around us and how we can protect it for future generations. Register Today!
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In recent years, our congregation has spent some time working with the Wholeness Wheel, promoting social/interpersonal, emotional, physical, financial, vocational, intellectual, and spiritual well-being. The idea is that wellness is multi-dimensional and wellness in each area helps improve one’s overall well-being. In this track, we’ll focus on the area of physical well-being, not as a tool of self-improvement or shame, but as a way to discover wholeness within ourselves. We’ll engage in practices that get our bodies moving and active: spiritual meditation or yoga, Active Solitude, fitness activities, and in-person events. We’ll have a wide range of activities, so this track is for people of all ages and active levels. Register Today!
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At the core of who we are as Christian people is our belief that we exist for the sake of one another. We cannot be followers of Christ without an outward focus to our neighbor and the world. Love God. Love your neighbor. It’s as simple and as demanding as that. We have a wonderful congregation and community, using their big hearts to demonstrate God’s love for all people. This track is about using those hearts to serve our neighbor, near and far. We’ll have opportunities to partner with our local organizations, learn about and engage with larger organizations, and develop a deeper understanding of what it means to be someone who exists for another. Register Today! |