Who doesn’t love the dollar store? Or as my stepson now calls it “the dollar twenty-five store” (not that we let an extra quarter dissuade us). There are so many interesting things to find… craft items, tiny bags of chips, cleaning supplies, and so on! Pastor John Stevens, an ELCA pastor based in Oregon, has created the perfect resource for children’s sermons especially if you may be running low on ideas. 

Ten years ago, he created a Children’s Sermon Blog that involves using one item purchased from Dollar Tree to create a message for kids using scriptures from both the Revised Common Lectionary and the Narrative Lectionary. Every week he posts a new children’s sermon to match the lectionary year for the upcoming Sunday. He provides what you will need to buy (or use), the scripture, the takeaway, and a short video of how to lead the sermon. And if you are even more crunched on time, he has prepared additional videos ready to stream right in church!

Not only is this a great resource for Children's Time but can also be used as a quick Sunday School lesson followed by discussion. So be sure to check out his website at https://dskidsermons.com/, follow him on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/dskidsermons, or go straight to YouTube to watch his videos @JohnStevensDSCS.

As you may know, the Lutheran Center and the KRC are currently under renovation meaning checking out some great resources is delayed until further notice. (Hopefully, not too much longer now)! This week I wanted to share a FREE resource written by the Rev. Dr. Dave Daubert. If you’re not familiar with him, he is an ELCA pastor in Illinois and a nationally known speaker, consultant, coach, and teacher. 
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His book The Incarnational Preacher: Proclaiming the Living Christ to Form a Living Faith is a free, downloadable e-book available through the ELCA website. This book is great for new and First Call pastors, lay pastors, or anyone looking for a fresh and missional perspective on preaching.

If you give this book a read, please let me know your thoughts on it! The KRC is always looking for feedback on resources that have been helpful and interesting and how we can continue to provide useful resources! 

Happy New Year! If you are looking for a devotional to start off the new year, look no further! This is the perfect opportunity to check out our Synod Devotional that was made possible by your Pastors, Conference Deans, and Assistants to the Bishop for the year 2023. It is a month-by-month devotional designed for your congregation, church leaders, council meetings, or wherever you are moved to use it. 


You will notice that it is split in half by two themes: Centered on Christ and Empowered by the Spirit. The first six months/devotions follow the theme Centered on Christ to reflect our most recent Synod Assembly theme. The other six follow the theme Empowered by the Spirit to reflect this year’s upcoming Synod Assembly theme.  


I hope you all enjoy this wonderful resource we put together for you. And I would like to take the time to say a big thank you to those who helped create it: 


Pastor Scott Bacon                                                          Pastor Larry Klinker


Pastor Lisa Arledge                                                          Pastor Jean Hansen


Pastor William Weidenbach Jr.                                   Pastor Angela Freeman-Riley


Pastor Doug Fidler                                                           Pastor Mitch Phillips


Pastor Eric Edwards                                                        Pastor Robert Eller


Pastor Julianne Smith                                                     Pastor Don King

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