NADCE (National Association of Directors of Christian Education)

The National Association of Directors of Christian Education (NADCE) is pleased to offer this Advent podcast devotion for your encouragement as we prepare for the birth of our Savior at Christmas. We are thankful for Kim Austin and her willingness to contribute by recording today’s devotion. Kim is the Director of Christian Education - Student Ministry at Peace Lutheran in Hurst, Texas.

Our devotions this Advent season center around the theme A Weary World Rejoices which were penned by Placide Cappeau and used in the words of "O Holy Night”. In 1843 Cappeau witnessed a weary world and 180 years later our eyes and souls experience the same sin-wrought fatigue. Tribulation fills our screens and tempts to overwhelm our lives. Yet, Christ enters into our world personally and humbly. In the midst of Advent, our weariness meets joyous, heavenly proclamation: "A Savior is coming! A Savior is born!" Though we may be tired, we wait with glad hearts. In the manger, restoration is found. On the Last Day, rejoicing wins.

NADCE regularly offers podcasts that focus on topics in ministry as practical resources for those serving in the Lutheran church as DCEs. Our hope is that our podcasts will encourage those listening in their calling and equip and strengthen them in their ministry area.

To learn more about NADCE we invite you to go to nadce.com to see the benefits of membership which include joining us at the Tent of Meeting and Emmanus Table online community groups, receiving our Quarterly publication, and getting a discount to our Conference that will be happening in late January 2024 in Houston, Texas.

The National Association of Directors of Christian Education (NADCE) is pleased to offer this Advent podcast devotion for your encouragement as we prepare for the birth of our Savior at Christmas. We are thankful for Beth Stephens and her willingness to contribute by recording today’s devotion. Beth is the Youth Family Minister at Trinity Lutheran in Shawnee Mission, Kansas.

Our devotions this Advent season center around the theme A Weary World Rejoices which were penned by Placide Cappeau and used in the words of "O Holy Night”. In 1843 Cappeau witnessed a weary world and 180 years later our eyes and souls experience the same sin-wrought fatigue. Tribulation fills our screens and tempts to overwhelm our lives. Yet, Christ enters into our world personally and humbly. In the midst of Advent, our weariness meets joyous, heavenly proclamation: "A Savior is coming! A Savior is born!" Though we may be tired, we wait with glad hearts. In the manger, restoration is found. On the Last Day, rejoicing wins.

NADCE regularly offers podcasts that focus on topics in ministry as practical resources for those serving in the Lutheran church as DCEs. Our hope is that our podcasts will encourage those listening in their calling and equip and strengthen them in their ministry area.

To learn more about NADCE we invite you to go to nadce.com to see the benefits of membership which include joining us at the Tent of Meeting and Emmanus Table online community groups, receiving our Quarterly publication, and getting a discount to our Conference that will be happening in late January 2024 in Houston, Texas.

The National Association of Directors of Christian Education (NADCE) is pleased to offer this Advent podcast devotion for your encouragement as we prepare for the birth of our Savior at Christmas. We are thankful for Jolene Siebarth and her willingness to contribute by recording today’s devotion. Jolene is the Director of Youth Ministries at Immanuel Lutheran in St. Charles, Missouri.

Our devotions this Advent season center around the theme A Weary World Rejoices which were penned by Placide Cappeau and used in the words of "O Holy Night”. In 1843 Cappeau witnessed a weary world and 180 years later our eyes and souls experience the same sin-wrought fatigue. Tribulation fills our screens and tempts to overwhelm our lives. Yet, Christ enters into our world personally and humbly. In the midst of Advent, our weariness meets joyous, heavenly proclamation: "A Savior is coming! A Savior is born!" Though we may be tired, we wait with glad hearts. In the manger, restoration is found. On the Last Day, rejoicing wins.

NADCE regularly offers podcasts that focus on topics in ministry as practical resources for those serving in the Lutheran church as DCEs. Our hope is that our podcasts will encourage those listening in their calling and equip and strengthen them in their ministry area.

To learn more about NADCE we invite you to go to nadce.com to see the benefits of membership which include joining us at the Tent of Meeting and Emmanus Table online community groups, receiving our Quarterly publication, and getting a discount to our Conference that will be happening in late January 2024 in Houston, Texas.

The National Association of Directors of Christian Education (NADCE) is pleased to offer this Advent podcast devotion for your encouragement as we prepare for the birth of our Savior at Christmas. We are thankful for Rhonda Synovec and her willingness to contribute by recording today’s devotion. Rhonda is the Children's Family Minister at Trinity Lutheran in Shawnee Mission, Kansas.

Our devotions this Advent season center around the theme A Weary World Rejoices which were penned by Placide Cappeau and used in the words of "O Holy Night”. In 1843 Cappeau witnessed a weary world and 180 years later our eyes and souls experience the same sin-wrought fatigue. Tribulation fills our screens and tempts to overwhelm our lives. Yet, Christ enters into our world personally and humbly. In the midst of Advent, our weariness meets joyous, heavenly proclamation: "A Savior is coming! A Savior is born!" Though we may be tired, we wait with glad hearts. In the manger, restoration is found. On the Last Day, rejoicing wins.

NADCE regularly offers podcasts that focus on topics in ministry as practical resources for those serving in the Lutheran church as DCEs. Our hope is that our podcasts will encourage those listening in their calling and equip and strengthen them in their ministry area.

To learn more about NADCE we invite you to go to nadce.com to see the benefits of membership which include joining us at the Tent of Meeting and Emmanus Table online community groups, receiving our Quarterly publication, and getting a discount to our Conference that will be happening in late January 2024 in Houston, Texas.

The National Association of Directors of Christian Education (NADCE) is pleased to offer this Advent podcast devotion for your encouragement as we prepare for the birth of our Savior at Christmas. We are thankful for Melissa Luepke and her willingness to contribute by recording today’s devotion. Melissa is the Director Discipleship at Heritage Christian School.

Our devotions this Advent season center around the theme A Weary World Rejoices which were penned by Placide Cappeau and used in the words of "O Holy Night”. In 1843 Cappeau witnessed a weary world and 180 years later our eyes and souls experience the same sin-wrought fatigue. Tribulation fills our screens and tempts to overwhelm our lives. Yet, Christ enters into our world personally and humbly. In the midst of Advent, our weariness meets joyous, heavenly proclamation: "A Savior is coming! A Savior is born!" Though we may be tired, we wait with glad hearts. In the manger, restoration is found. On the Last Day, rejoicing wins.

NADCE regularly offers podcasts that focus on topics in ministry as practical resources for those serving in the Lutheran church as DCEs. Our hope is that our podcasts will encourage those listening in their calling and equip and strengthen them in their ministry area.

To learn more about NADCE we invite you to go to nadce.com to see the benefits of membership which include joining us at the Tent of Meeting and Emmanus Table online community groups, receiving our Quarterly publication, and getting a discount to our Conference that will be happening in late January 2024 in Houston, Texas.

The National Association of Directors of Christian Education (NADCE) is pleased to offer this Advent podcast devotion for your encouragement as we prepare for the birth of our Savior at Christmas. We are thankful for Cassie Schermbeck and her willingness to contribute by recording today’s devotion. Cassie is the Director of Faith Development at Our Father Lutheran in Centennial, Colorado.

Our devotions this Advent season center around the theme A Weary World Rejoices which were penned by Placide Cappeau and used in the words of "O Holy Night”. In 1843 Cappeau witnessed a weary world and 180 years later our eyes and souls experience the same sin-wrought fatigue. Tribulation fills our screens and tempts to overwhelm our lives. Yet, Christ enters into our world personally and humbly. In the midst of Advent, our weariness meets joyous, heavenly proclamation: "A Savior is coming! A Savior is born!" Though we may be tired, we wait with glad hearts. In the manger, restoration is found. On the Last Day, rejoicing wins.

NADCE regularly offers podcasts that focus on topics in ministry as practical resources for those serving in the Lutheran church as DCEs. Our hope is that our podcasts will encourage those listening in their calling and equip and strengthen them in their ministry area.

To learn more about NADCE we invite you to go to nadce.com to see the benefits of membership which include joining us at the Tent of Meeting and Emmanus Table online community groups, receiving our Quarterly publication, and getting a discount to our Conference that will be happening in late January 2024 in Houston, Texas.

This month’s episode, hosted by Shelli Haynes, features a conversation with Pastor Dan Meckes from Journey Lutheran Church in Oxford, MI. In November 2021 Pastor Dan’s congregation experienced the unthinkable. A student at nearby Oxford High School shot and killed students, and the small community thirty miles outside of Detroit was thrust into the national and media spotlight. After the initial wave of support waned, the congregation was left to minister to those impacted by the tragedy. In this discussion Pastor Dan shares how their church, born out of a desire to reach out in the community, has emphasized mental health help and assistance. Their plan was five years five years of reaching out and continuing to help those struggling. Now, two years in, there is no real end in sight to meeting the community’s needs following the shooting. The church’s emphasis has been on building relationships, and through this crisis they learned that their ministry teams have developed strong bonds internally and with those in the community they were ministering to. We pray that you are blessed by this conversation and learn about resources your church can use to meet crises you face.

Resources mentioned:

• Journey Lutheran (Oxford, MI)
• Camp Courage
• Lutheran Church Charities

This month’s episode, hosted by Shelli Haynes, features a conversation with Jason Phelps who is on the planning committee for our Conference next January in Houston, TX.  Throughout the discussion Shelli and Jason talk about how the Conference theme, Making Space, will be instrumental in the planning of the Conference and will be carried through the experience for those in attendance. The concepts of how our lives are worth imitating and how we can focus on the margins of time, energy, and effort are discussed in the context of serving in Christian education.   When you attend the conference you can expect a time filled with learning and conversations led by our keynote presenter, Dr. Mark Mayfield, and time to interact with him one-on-one if you choose in the area of mental health.  Jason shares that Mark is a very down to earth person who he has gotten to know quite well over the past few years.  Besides the formal conference time there will be opportunities to network with colleagues and share in times of relaxation and building community.  All this takes place in an area well known for great food, coffee and the nearby water and boardwalk at the Gulf of Mexico as well as the Johnson Space Center. We pray that you’re making plans to join us as the final event will conclude with an extraordinary time of prayer. You will know that your time was well spent enjoying the richness of your relationship with Jesus and hopeful excitement for new opportunities in ministry. 

You can register by clicking here....

On this special DCE Day podcast we hope you are blessed by listening to this interview with Dr. Mark Blanke from Concordia University Nebraska as he shares wisdom, wit, and insights in what makes being a DCE a special calling in the Church.

This month’s episode, hosted by Katie Morgan, Shelli Haynes and many special friends and colleagues features a discussion about surviving and hopefully thriving during the summer where mission trips, VBS, and planning combine with regular ministry. If you’re wondering out loud (or quietly to yourself) why the calling as a DCE is yours, remember that God will work some amazing things through you all this summer and He will be there with you every day.  We pleased to share some great stories of the not so spectacular moments in ministry as told by Paul Nelson, Cori Woltmann, Eric Oswald, Matt Nieman, Jan Steinbrueck, LeAnn Miller, Mark Engelhardt, Laura Arndt, Tara Hess, and Matt Hire.  So enjoy the tips and stories of preparing for summer ministry including helpful and not so helpful hints such as making sure you’ve stocked up on frozen meals, setting boundaries because they’re important, and prioritizing your own Sabbath rest.