To support and care for those engaging in ministry with children, youth, and families | |
Faith Formation Funday Monday
January 2026 Newsletter
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In honor of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr,
I pray that you have the strength and the audacity to believe.
| | 2025 Worship Engagement Survey Report | |
A Note about the Report:
As we embark on the first year of programming for the Michigan Conference Mitten Project, I am extremely grateful to the local churches and survey participants who have shared their thoughts, ideas, and voices through the 2025
Worship Engagement Survey.
This first set of data begins to paint a picture of a deep desire to engage children in church with a gap in understanding for how we might successfully accomplish their inclusion. We are learning so much and anticipate the incredible
potential for expanded study over the five years of the Mitten Project. It is clear that we will need to devote time and energy to creating sustainable forms of ministry across ages that are more transformational and less transactional.
In the survey report, it is so important to heed what is said across each key population. It is such a tremendous gift to hear from and learn with our pastors, children youth and family ministry leaders, parents, worship attendees, and our children and youth. Please handle their responses with care. I am excited to share this report with you, and I look forward to continued opportunities to learn together in the year(s) ahead.
~jenn
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Associate for Faith Formation &
Program Director Mitten Project
Jennifer Ringgold (she/her) Why are pronouns important?
Office Hours: M-F 10am-3pm
Google Voice (517) 258-2165
jenn@michucc.org
"To believe is to care; to care is to do"
| | | | Summer Opportunities for Youth | |
Youth Ambassadors Trip to Germany
Apply now to be part of our Michigan Conference UCC Youth Ambassador Trip to Berlin and the North Church Region of Germany, including Greifswald.
Who: Youth who will be ages 16 - 21 during the dates of the trip July 10 - 20, 2026
Where: Flights from Detroit to Berlin, with additional travel to North Germany & Baltic Sea.
When: July 10 - July 20, 2026
Cost is $1000.00 per person. (includes transportation, lodging, meals, and programming)
Application deadline is Sunday March 15, 2026 at 9:00pm.
You can also join an information session via Zoom for anyone interested in applying
Sunday, February 15, at 7:00 pm EST. Join via this link.
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Summer of Advocacy Trip to D.C.
Apply now to be part of a UCC Youth-Centered Week of Advocacy in Washington D.C.
https://www.ucc.org/youth-voices-bold-faith/
Who: High school students who will complete 9th, 10th, 11th, or 12th grade Summer 2026
Where: Washington D.C.
When: June 14 - June 19, 2026
Registration Cost: $250 (includes lodging, ground transportation, meals, and programming)
Travel logistics and cost to get to and from Washington D.C. are the responsibility of accepted applicants. The Network of Wider Church Youth Ministries (NOWCYM) will work with accepted applicants to connect with their local church, association, and conference to support the cost of attendance.
Application deadline is Sunday February 22, 2026 at 9:00pm.
You can also join an information session via Zoom for anyone interested in applying
Sunday, January 25, at 7:00 pm EST. Join via this link.
| | Mitten Project Resource Kit Highlight | | |
2026 Resource Kits were sent to 129 UCC churches in Michigan in December, and the stories you are sharing about receiving them are so special. If your church's box has not arrived, contact Jenn Ringgold ASAP.
Download the 2026 Welcome Letter to read about each resource, as well as find ideas for how to use them in your congregation.
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by Kayla Craig
This resource has a weekly invitation to help parents and caregivers grow spiritually alongside children. It is designed to connect with the daily lives of parents and families, inspiring intention, imagination, presence, and purpose. It is also split into four seasons which follow the rhythms of the outdoors and the church year.
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Ideas for use: Quarterly meetings with caregivers. Create mentor partners for parent check-ins. Include breath prayers in worship. Use discussion questions in sermon preparation. Use family prayers in weekly Liturgy.
St. Paul UCC in Chelsea is purchasing "several more copies of this resource, and has a desire to create a regular parent and caregiver group that will meet to offer support and encouragement for people trying to raise their kiddos in faith at home." Thanks for sharing Pastor Eric!! We love hearing about how you are using these resources in your congregations.
| | Mitten Project Online Trainings | | |
Registration for Parent/Caregiver training will open in March.
You can find out more about the Mitten Project and upcoming events HERE
| | Mitten Project ONSITE Trainings | | |
The Michigan Conference received a grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. for $1,250,000.00 for the Michigan Conference Mitten Project: Knitting together children and adults in worship and prayer. The Michigan Conference Mitten Project is a 5-year program that invites congregations to engage children in worship, so that all of us, in each generation, can leave church more deeply connected with the spiritual and ready to find the sacred in our everyday lives.
| | Leadership Lunch - February 4 2026 | |
Leadership Lunch: The Black Utopians
February 4, 2026
12:00 PM ET
Join Lillian in conversation with author Aaron Robertson about his book, The Black Utopians: Searching for Paradise and the Promised Land in America. One of The New York Times's 100 Notable Books of 2024, the book includes historical reflection on The Shrine of the Black Madonna in Detroit, MI. We are thrilled that Aaron has agreed to gather with us!
| | | Love of Children at the National Setting | | |
The National Setting is building up a supportive network to sustain the work of children's ministry leaders and to support them with continued learning and resources to more effectively serve their children and families.
Read the December Newsletter HERE
You can find out more about their work and shared resources HERE
| | Networking and Resource Sharing | |
Networking Zoom Meetings for Children, Youth, and Family Ministry Leaders in the Great Lakes Region
1st and 3rd Thursday of each month at 11:00 am ET click here
Upcoming Meetings:
February 5, 2026
February 19, 2026
March 5, 2026
links for meetings can also be found on the Michigan Conference UCC Calendar via the website
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FIND A LIBRARY of Searchable Resources
- Choose "Join" then use your Google, Facebook or other email to create a free account in the Damascus Project Network.
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JOIN the Faith Formation and Youth Ministry Leaders Cohort
- Type any topic into the Search Bar to see recommended and verified resources from other CY&F Leaders
- Networking Zoom meetings are the 1st and 3rd Thursday at 11:00am EST
| | | Youth Leadership Development Opportunities | | |
The Leadership Fellows Program seeks to cultivate and strengthen participants' potential for leadership through intentional focus on Christian community, societal transformation, global awareness, and leadership engagement. Students entering undergraduate education may apply to the program, which includes a scholarship, annual retreat, and an international cross-cultural experience.
Application Deadline is 03.15.2026
High School Seniors learn more HERE
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