Forming Disciples of Christ

Through Christian Education

By Jessica Tate

“form (verb) make or fashion

into a certain shape;

shape or develop by training.” 

You have called me into your midst because of the desire that Christian education at Fairfax Presbyterian Church be about forming disciples of Jesus Christ. The vision is that education should be about fashioning each of us into a certain shape - the shape of disciples - so that we better embody God's love and grace in out daily lives. We encounter this formative education as we worship together, as we study together, as we play together, as we run, or sew, or knit, or ring, or cook, or sing. What we are called to do as we embark on this formative journey together is to be intentional about the ways we are formed and reformed, to explore the “whys” of our mission work, to ponder the “so whats?” of Bible study and sermons, to figure out the “hows” of stewardship in our day-to-day living.

One exciting aspect of Christian formation is that each of us is already part of the journey. God has already formed us, knit us together in our mother's womb. And God has called us and claimed us for this life of discipleship. Each of us is already an expert in Christian formation, because each of us makes decisions constantly about how to live our lives. So, COME - join us for intentional educational opportunities that seek to form us in faith. COME - partner with our children to help them explore the ways God is forming them (and let them form you!)  COME - to vision with us about where we might head in the journey of Christian formation.

I am excited to embark on this journey with you and I look forward to the many and varied ideas and insights we will discover along the way. And I look forward to being formed in my ministry with you. We are still looking for a few more folks to partner with our children for their formation classes on Sunday mornings. Let me know if you are interested in working with our children. They need you and, I suspect, you'll find, in learning together with them, that you need them, too! The only qualification is that you care about our children and are willing to be honest with them about your own experience of faith - we'll give you all the other tools and assistance you need. And stay tuned for more opportunities for adults as we begin to explore Christian formation together.

                        God's Peace,

                        Jessica Tate