Some ways your church might use Silver Lake At Home

By now, you have hopefully heard about Silver Lake At Home. But did you know that many of the activities and resources can be utilized by your Youth Group Leaders, Church School teachers, Faith Formation team, Children’s Ministers, etc.? 

Together with the Innovation Team of the Southern New England Conference, we are reaching out to churches to encourage the use of the Silver Lake At Home elements to continue the Faith Formation journey with our families. 

For complete details of the Silver Lake At Home programs, visit https://www.silverlakect.org/silver-lake-at-home 

  

Some ways your church might use Silver Lake At Home: 

Does your church traditionally host a Vacation Bible School program?  

Consider using the Silver Lake At Home Box ($30 per box) to connect with your youth in a new way. Perhaps the funding budgeted for the VBS program could be used to purchase the boxes for your families, or help offset the cost. 

Are your young adults missing the community they usually get from youth group activities? Or maybe your youth group has dwindled, but your young adults are still wanting to engage? 

Silver Lake has 2 virtual options available for those entering grades 9-12: Virtual JuST Camp Mission Trip & Virtual Reel to Real. ($10 per person for each option) 

Or perhaps there’s another church nearby that also has a smaller number of young adults and your groups could meet regularly, using some of the Silver Lake At Home resources to create community, connect, and lay the ground work for a mission trip together next year? 

Do you have families that are interested in Silver Lake, but haven’t had a chance to attend yet? Or perhaps this was going to be their first summer? 

This would be a great way to introduce Silver Lake! Silver Lake At Home will focus on the four Silver Lake "Loves": Love God; Love Your Neighbor; Love Yourself; and Love Creation. You could use the weekly theme as a focus for the children’s message (or the sermon!) during worship. 

Perhaps your church has some funds available to purchase the Silver Lake At Home Boxes for your families, or help offset the cost? ($30 per box) 

Does your congregation have low numbers of youth, but many folks still interested in learning about and supporting Silver Lake? 

Maybe a group could form to meet and discuss the weekly journal prompts. These prompts are geared toward youth and young adults, but could certainly be used by all ages! 

Does your church want to support Silver Lake and youth ministry? 

Consider making a donation to help offset the cost of materials for the Silver Lake At Home Box.  

Follow the steps at https://www.silverlakect.org/donate-now. When completing the online donation form, enter Summer Program Materials in the “Please specify other designated giving” comment box. 

Or mail the donation to Silver Lake Conference Center, 223 Low Rd., Sharon, CT 06069 and include a note indicating the donation is to help pay for Summer Program Materials. 

 

How your church decides to utilize the Silver Lake At Home programs and resources is up to you! The possibilities are endless and we’d be happy to work with you to envision even more ideas. 

Still looking for ideas and suggestions? Consider connecting with other churches in your area and/or have a conversation with your Regional Minister/Associate Conference Minister.  

Want even more resources?! Check out the Conference page of Resources for Children, Youth and Families

 

We’d love if you would promote the Silver Lake At Home programs in your regular church newsletter. If you want to use your own text, please do! But if you’d rather not have another thing to do, here’s something you can use: 

Silver Lake At Home is here! 

We will focus on the four Silver Lake "Loves": Love God; Love Your Neighbor; Love Yourself; and Love Creation. As Program Director Jenn says, "While we can't bring a ropes course to your house, we can bring you the Silver Lake Loves." 

This four-week program has a number of options so that you can customize an experience that is the best fit for your family. Some options have a small cost attached; some are free. For the paid offerings, registration is required and registration is open now! 

Visit https://www.silverlakect.org/silver-lake-at-home for all the details & read Jenn's latest blog post at https://www.silverlakect.org/blogs. 

We are excited to be able to offer you these Silver Lake At Home programs, bringing you a slice of Silver Lake community at a distance. Remember you are not alone, and God loves you just as you are, even when you are staying safe at home out of the physical presence of your friends and your Silver Lake family. 

We also have several graphics on our website at https://www.silverlakect.org/promote. 

 

We look forward to connecting with you this summer, and for many seasons to come! 

Ruth Choate