To support and care for those engaging in ministry with children, youth, and families

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As part of the Michigan Conference Mitten Project there are three online trainings each year. One for pastors, one for Children Youth and Family ministry leaders and volunteers, and one for parents/caregivers. These conversations are an opportunity to engage with key populations that have the capability to impact ministry with children.

We are so excited to invite parents from across the Michigan Conference into our work with the Mitten Project. The 2025 Worship Engagement Survey gave us a starting point, but we are really excited to learn with and from you as we continue to explore and engage the ways that children worship and pray with adults in our churches.

Some of the key themes that are emerging from our research include:

● Churches are creating a welcoming environment for children.

● Children need more support to feel a connection between church and their daily lives.

● Children and youth want to help more at church.

● Parents are worried that it will be more work for them to include children.

● People of all ages could use help to pray together.

● CYF ministry leaders have ideas for including children and they are tired.

● Clergy are excited to learn more about engaging children in church.

● Relationships are key to helping children feel connected in church.

It is imperative that parents and caregivers have a space to share what matters to them regarding faith formation for their children, and that we collaborate in such a way that it helps to ease the burdens of family life, not add EXTRA to the already full schedules of families.

This Zoom from 2:00pm - 4:00pm on Sunday May 31, 2026 will be an opportunity for parents to engage in spiritual practice together, talk in small groups and gather insights from each other. Parents are the primary source of faith formation for their children, but they must be assured they are not on the journey alone. As we continue to engage families and congregations across the Michigan Conference, we are blessed to know that we are in this work together. This Zoom will help to make the load lighter. May it be so!!

Each Mitten Project Onsite Event will take place at a different location and have new programming and opportunities for worship and prayer with children. Join us on August 1, 2026 from 10:00am - 3:00pm for the all-ages Summer Event. Special guest, author Kayla Craig, will be with us for the day, sharing breath prayers and spiritual practices for chaotic times. Families will have the opportunity to learn, pray, and play together with people of all ages from across the Michigan Conference.

Registration will be open for Cohort Church participants from May 25 - June 15, 2026.

Remaining spaces will be open to conference-wide registration June 15 - July 10, 2026.

The National Ministries of the UCC is building 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 children and families.

Read the May Newsletter HERE

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:

May 21, 2026

June 4, 2026

June 18, 2026

links for meetings can also be found on the Michigan Conference UCC Calendar via the website

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.