1115 Marion Street, Columbia, SC 29201  ·   803-771-7800  ·       Clergy

Episcopal Diocese of Upper South Carolina
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Formation Resources

Please visit these pages to find resource suggestions and formation tools for all age groups.

If you have a resource you would like us to include, contact Canon Jimmy Hartley.

  • VTS Lifelong Learning
  • Vibrant Church Communications: Beautiful seasonal resources available for free or for purchase, including Lenten Micropractices, a guided journey through small actions that connect us to God.
  • A Christian Life of Faith: Signs and Thresholds along The Way: This booklet is for individuals seeking to deepen their understanding of themselves and God as well as those responsible for passing on the teachings of the Church.
  • Christian Education Planning Calendar template (2020-2021)
  • Forma, the network for Christian formation professionals
  • Building Faith: Published by Lifelong Learning at Virginia Theological Seminary, with a mission to equip and inspire churches and individuals for the ministry of Christian education and faith formation
  • [email protected]: Developed by Forward Movement and Forma, [email protected] offers resources to help build at weekly discipleship practice of Reading, Reflecting, and Responding to scripture in the context of community is so important.
  • Grow Christians: An online community of discipleship focused on the practical details of life at home. Gathering reflections, stories, images, and recipes from diverse Episcopalians, this group blog inspires generations to come together as they celebrate the presence of God through the Christian year.
  • Vibrant Faith helps Christian churches develop effective faith forming approaches that embody both historic practices of Christian formation and address changing cultural realities.
  • StoryMakers NYC is dedicated to creating new ways to share God’s redemptive narrative found in the Bible. Our hope is to equip families and churches to be able to share the Gospel with kids in a way that is meaningful, healthy, and ultimately draws children into God’s story.
  • Preparing for Sunday is an easy and affordable way to post weekly NRSV lectionary readings on your own church website.
  • Faith Formation Learning Exchange: Organized by different ages and groupings, offers current research, effective practices, and models in faith formation
  • Church Publishing: Offers a number of print resources for purchase
  • Forward Movement: Offers numerous formation resources and curricula
  • Episcopal Church Foundation
  • Episcopal Church Foundation's Spanish-language resources
  • Lesson Plans that Work: Each week, you will find a lesson plan for young children, a lesson plan for older children, and usually a lesson plan for adults. Inter-generational lesson plans are available for many major feast days throughout the liturgical year. Most lesson plans are based on the Gospel, and some also have an Old Testament Lesson Plan.
  • Traveling the Way of Love: This resource comes straight from Presiding Bishop Michael Curry. While meant for group discussion, this one can be studied individually or used as journal prompts.

COVID-19 Formation Resources

To aid in your remote ministry, here are several Bible studies that address fear, something many people around the world are feeling right now. Read these studies together and discuss over phone calls, email, online meeting platforms or on social media.

#1: Combatting Fear | English, Spanish
#2: Building Hope | English, Spanish
#3: Hope Rooted in God | English, Spanish
#4: The Impact of Death | English, Spanish
#5: Integrating Healed People Back Into Our Community | English, Spanish


Additional formation-related resources for this time:

  • Trinity Cathedral is posting ongoing resources and lessons for children and families
  • Good Shepherd, Augusta, is providing prayer and worship resources
  • Church Publishing has made a variety of resources free for the time being
  • ChurchNext is offering online formation resources
  • Call on Me, a prayer book for young people, is available free until April 15
  • Netflix Party is an online tool to facilitate groups watching Netflix shows/movies collaboratively
  • Tucked In: Bedtime Stories and Prayers with Episcopalians and others
  • Ministry Architects: Innovative Ideas for Unprecedented Times
  • SCETV is providing additional learning and teaching resources on their television channels

Children's Formation

  • God's Word, My Voice: A Lectionary for Children by Lyn Zill Briggs. This collection of the Revised Common Lectionary readings is paraphrased for children. Read aloud in Sunday morning worship, it will help kids read the word of God and understand its meaning for their lives.
  • Children Formation Curricula Overview: A simple comparison chart of a variety of curricula; developed by Sharon Ely Pearson, the Christian Formation Specialist for Church Publishing and updated annually.
  • Household Bible Reading with Lectio Divina: Introduces families and small groups to the practice of studying the Bible using Lectio Divina. “Sometimes the Bible can be confusing and difficult to understand. With Lectio Divina we give ourselves permission to let the Bible be what it is. Questions will undoubtedly surface. If you like, search for the answers. Seek out conversations. Or simply let the questions be.”

Youth Formation

  • Confirm not Conform: Confirm not Conform is a confirmation program that celebrates questions and choices. It provides a safe place for young people to explore the breadth of the Christian tradition, to ask questions and express their doubts, and to discover what they truly believe.
  • Faith @ Home: A year-round weekly email includes four separate lectionary based reflections and prompts for families (however that is defined) and friend groups. During this time of more people being at home, Faith @ Home is working on a new program to provide daily resources for all people to stay engaged while being at home.
  • Illustrated Ministries: Creates illustrated resources for the church and the home, encouraging creativity and active engagement with faith. They are currently releasing free materials for parents and children staying home here.
  • Household Bible Reading with Lectio Divina: Introduces families and small groups to the practice of studying the Bible using Lectio Divina. “Sometimes the Bible can be confusing and difficult to understand. With Lectio Divina we give ourselves permission to let the Bible be what it is. Questions will undoubtedly surface. If you like, search for the answers. Seek out conversations. Or simply let the questions be.”
  • How2charist: A digitally instructed Eucharist and could be a great activity to learn about all that goes on during a church service.

Adult Formation

  • The Work of the People: The Work of the People is a series of videos on topics ranging from beauty and justice to identity and vocation. Many of the presenters are well-known: Barbara Brown Taylor, Brené Brown, Brennan Manning, Richard Rohr. The videos provide thoughtful reflections that can be used as content for a faith formation series. The Work of the People starts at $7/month for a personal subscription and goes up from there. Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark is a six-part series for Lent and includes a discussion guide.
  • ChurchNext: ChurchNext provides engaging and convenient online learning from Episcopal experts on liturgy, evangelism, welcome, discipleship, stewardship, and other important topics. To help individuals and congregations stay rooted and grounded in Jesus during the Corona Virus pandemic ChurchNext has launched Prayer and Worship in Our Homes, a free five-course class open to anyone who would like to take it.
  • Good Book Club: This Forward Movement initiative invites organizations of all kinds to read a particular book of the Bible throughout a liturgical season.
  • Education for Ministry: Lay persons face the difficult and often subtle task of interpreting the richness of the church's faith in a complex and confusing world. They need a theological education which supports their faith and also teaches them to express that faith in day-to-day events. As the emphasis on lay ministry has grown, Education for Ministry has come to play an important role by providing a program that develops an informed and knowledgeable laity.


Advent Resources

Jesus Storybook Bible Advent Guide
Zonderkidz and author Sally Lloyd-Jones are making this Advent toolkit and printables available to you for FREE through FaithGateway! Each day for 24 days you can make an ornament that corresponds with one of the stories in the Bible, then read the companion story in The Jesus Storybook Bible. It's super easy and fun for the entire family!

Holy …

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Lent & Holy Week Resources

Lent begins with Ash Wednesday (February 17, 2021), forty-plus days before Easter Sunday (April 4th, 2021). During Lent we recommit to Christian practices such as prayer, almsgiving, fasting, and reconciliation to prepare to enter the mystery of Easter. Through these practices, we deepen our commitment to the Christian life and prepare to renew their baptismal promises.

During L…

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Easter Resources

  • Easter resources from Building Faith
  • Easter resources from Spark Family Sunday School
  • Easter resources from Illustrated Children's Ministries:
    • Alleluia poster (formatted with Mosaic Poster Tiles): Learn more here
      • Download US Letter (8.5×11) Version
      • Download A4 Version
    • Easter Sunday (includes John 20:1-18 devotional, illustration, and coloring page, children’s worship bulletin, and l…
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Diocesan Calendar

Friday, 4/16 at 9:00 AM
Commission on the Diocese
Wednesday, 4/21 at 7:00 PM
Embracing Evangelism
Wednesday, 4/28 at 7:00 PM
Embracing Evangelism
Wednesday, 5/5 at 7:00 PM
Embracing Evangelism
Saturday, 5/8 at 12:00 AM
Still Hopes and Finlay House Day - loose offerings to these institutions
Wednesday, 5/12 at 7:00 PM
Embracing Evangelism
Monday, 5/31 at 12:00 AM
Memorial Day
Wednesday, 6/9 at 6:30 PM
Tentative: Ordination to the Diaconate

Commission on the Diocese

Friday, April 16, 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Bishops Compensation Package Convention hospitality committee Centennial Committee 2020 Surplus

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Embracing Evangelism

Wednesday, April 21, 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Stories are the heart of evangelism, and everybody has one. Join us as we explore the moments when we’ve experienced God’s loving presence in our lives through Embracing Evangelism, a free, six-part course led by the Rev. Alan Bentrup, Canon for Evangelism & Mission in the Episcopal Diocese of Upper South Carolina. Join us Wednesday nights from 7-8pm starting April 7. Register below to learn more and reserve your spot! Click here to register: https://www.edusc.org/blog/embracing-evangelism/ • Wednesday, April 7 - Introduction • Wednesday, April 14 - Seek, Name, Celebrate • Wednesday, April 21 - The Great Story and Your Story • Wednesday, April 28 - The Stories of Others • Wednesday, May 5 - Invite Everyone to More • Wednesday, May 12 - Go! Discernment and What's Next

Add to My Calendar

Embracing Evangelism

Wednesday, April 28, 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Stories are the heart of evangelism, and everybody has one. Join us as we explore the moments when we’ve experienced God’s loving presence in our lives through Embracing Evangelism, a free, six-part course led by the Rev. Alan Bentrup, Canon for Evangelism & Mission in the Episcopal Diocese of Upper South Carolina. Join us Wednesday nights from 7-8pm starting April 7. Register below to learn more and reserve your spot! Click here to register: https://www.edusc.org/blog/embracing-evangelism/ • Wednesday, April 7 - Introduction • Wednesday, April 14 - Seek, Name, Celebrate • Wednesday, April 21 - The Great Story and Your Story • Wednesday, April 28 - The Stories of Others • Wednesday, May 5 - Invite Everyone to More • Wednesday, May 12 - Go! Discernment and What's Next

Add to My Calendar

Embracing Evangelism

Wednesday, May 5, 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Stories are the heart of evangelism, and everybody has one. Join us as we explore the moments when we’ve experienced God’s loving presence in our lives through Embracing Evangelism, a free, six-part course led by the Rev. Alan Bentrup, Canon for Evangelism & Mission in the Episcopal Diocese of Upper South Carolina. Join us Wednesday nights from 7-8pm starting April 7. Register below to learn more and reserve your spot! Click here to register: https://www.edusc.org/blog/embracing-evangelism/ • Wednesday, April 7 - Introduction • Wednesday, April 14 - Seek, Name, Celebrate • Wednesday, April 21 - The Great Story and Your Story • Wednesday, April 28 - The Stories of Others • Wednesday, May 5 - Invite Everyone to More • Wednesday, May 12 - Go! Discernment and What's Next

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Still Hopes and Finlay House Day - loose offerings to these institutions

Saturday, May 8, 12:00 AM - 12:00 AM

When: Occurs the second Saturday of May effective 5/8/2010 (GMT-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada). Note: The GMT offset above does not reflect daylight saving time adjustments. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

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Embracing Evangelism

Wednesday, May 12, 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Stories are the heart of evangelism, and everybody has one. Join us as we explore the moments when we’ve experienced God’s loving presence in our lives through Embracing Evangelism, a free, six-part course led by the Rev. Alan Bentrup, Canon for Evangelism & Mission in the Episcopal Diocese of Upper South Carolina. Join us Wednesday nights from 7-8pm starting April 7. Register below to learn more and reserve your spot! Click here to register: https://www.edusc.org/blog/embracing-evangelism/ • Wednesday, April 7 - Introduction • Wednesday, April 14 - Seek, Name, Celebrate • Wednesday, April 21 - The Great Story and Your Story • Wednesday, April 28 - The Stories of Others • Wednesday, May 5 - Invite Everyone to More • Wednesday, May 12 - Go! Discernment and What's Next

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Memorial Day

Monday, May 31, 12:00 AM - 12:00 AM



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Tentative: Ordination to the Diaconate

Wednesday, June 9, 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM



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Episcopal Diocese of
Upper South Carolina

1115 Marion Street
Columbia, SC 29201

Tel: (803) 771-7800

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This section includes the Bishop's Visitation schedule, Confirmation guidelines, Cycles of Prayer and other resources.

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