Certificate Program
I’m the Children and Youth Missioner at Christ Church Episcopal in Whitefish Bay, WI. I joined the staff at my church in 2017, bringing a background in elementary education and non-profit leadership. My past experiences gave me enough confidence to accept the job and a fair amount of terror about all the tools I knew I did not have. Some examples of what I was lacking: resources to help me connect scripture to children’s literature, advice about tackling volunteerism in the church, and knowing how early I should start planning for Advent. I was fortunate to have two clergy friends who suggested I find the Forma Facebook page and group. Soon after, I joined Forma’s children’s ministry certificate program where the reading list and online discussions were thought-provoking. I was thrilled to discover the many tools at our fingertips as Christian educators.
The cohort retreat at the end of the program was my favorite part of the experience. It’s where I connected to the larger Episcopal Church for the first time. Hearing from a remarkably diverse group of educators – fellow cohort learners and faculty leader – was simply the best! Two years out of the program, I’m still using the tools I received and have found so many more because of the foundation I was given through the Forma certificate program.
Jean Heffernan, Children and Youth Missioner
Christ Episcopal Church, Whitefish Bay, WI
Certificat Program Graduate Highlight: Jean Heffernan
Do you love your job as a youth minister, but feel like you are missing some of the tools to do the best that you can? That is how I felt a few years ago. Having fallen into youth ministry by responding to an advertisement on Craigslist (true story), I jumped into what I thought, at the time, would be a "side job." More than a decade later, I am still a youth minister at Saint Mary’s Episcopal Church after realizing that turn of events actually fulfilled a call for me.
I’m a wife and mother of three small children. I have been a yoga teacher, lawyer, mediator, elementary school teacher, trainer, professional storyteller, resort activity host, actress, and now youth minister. I live in a three-generation household with my husband, parents, and three spirited children. I came to youth ministry without a traditional youth ministry background. Yes, I had lots of organizational skills and experience with children and churches. I was good at my job but lacked the religious training of some of my colleagues. For me, the Forma Certificate Program provided an opportunity to take the time to fill in some of the gaps that could strengthen my work and ministry.
Drawing from all over the United States, the program is designed for children and youth ministers with all levels of training and a variety of expertise. My cohort was filled both with formation ministers with decades of experience to newbies who were just about to start in the field. Some were looking to better organize their church year or strengthen their pastoral care. Others were looking for new ways to engage with families or youth, how to market across different platforms, and how to leverage technology to better meet the needs of their faith community. Whether experienced or novice, all of us benefited from the guidance, teaching, and collaboration provided by the certificate program and its staff.
After some online classes and group collaboration, our cohort joined together for a week of intense learning. Nestled in a retreat center each year provides space and time that is so sorely needed by those whose profession is about serving others. The best part of the program was networking with like-minded professionals. That community has continued beyond the program, and I am filled with gratitude for the opportunity to share my experience with others. If you are considering the Forma Certificate program, I cannot speak highly enough about it. Indulge yourself in the learning and space you need to better serve your community and follow your call.
MiaLisa Millares, Children’s & Youth Minister
St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, St. Paul, MN
Certificate Program Graduate Highlight - MiaLisa Millares
When you work in ministry it can be hard to find the time to take another class or read another book. Let's face it, we’re all busy working super hard to improve our ministries, leaving little time for things that aren't worthwhile. The Forma Certificate for Youth and Children’s Ministries program is a program that is worth your time. It isn’t just for someone who is new to ministry, it is also for veterans and everyone in between. The diversity in participants’ experience truly makes this program phenomenal. I was still fairly new to youth ministry when I participated in the program four years ago. Having the opportunity to learn from some of the best in their fields was truly an incredible experience. My favorite part of the class was the week-long in-person intensive. Not only can you build incredible relationships and connections during this week, you also build a support group. We all know relationships and support groups are some of the most important things you need to build a great ministry. It is these relationships that make the program so spectacular and worthwhile. Working side-by-side with your peers and class instructors is not only fun but also provides a foundation to create and improve your ministry in your home context. The final project involves a ministry plan that you build with the instructors to implement in your parish. My project had a positive impact on my ministry area. As a very new youth director (at the time), I can confidently say that the certification program helped shape me into the youth director I am today.
Chase Monson, Assistant Director of Youth Ministries
St. Michael and All Episcopal Church, Dallas, TX
Certificate Program Graduate Highlight: Chase Monson
In June of 2018, I began my job as youth minister at Saint John’s Cathedral
in Denver, CO. I was a recent college grad with a year of experience in
youth ministry. Needless to say, I was looking for guidance on where to
begin in youth ministry at Saint John’s. I kept asking myself, “How
will I build a program? What will I teach? Who will help?” My
supervisor,
Tina Clark, gave me incredible guidance and wisdom, but to learn more, she suggested I apply for the Certificate in Youth Ministry
program, which she had completed in 2017. I expected to learn the
answers to all my questions (which I did), but the mentors focused on a
question I was ignoring:
Why is youth ministry important for church communities?
During the week-long intensive at Camp Allen in Texas, the “why”
of youth ministry became more apparent as I formed relationships with
other participants and program mentors. At the first meeting, we asked
one another, “How did you fall into youth ministry?” Then we told our
own stories about why we were youth ministers. While each story was
different, they all pointed to our desire that youth know that they are
valued and loved by God and that their stories matter.
When I completed the certificate program, I realized that the
“why” question was the most important question for me to explore.
Knowing why youth ministry is important inspired me to figure out the
“what” and the “how.” When I find myself getting caught up in tasks
rather than focusing on the mission, I turn to the team of people in my
certificate program, who remind me of our common goal for the youth of
the Episcopal Church.
Christina Rutland, Youth Minister and Formation Assistant, Saint John’s Cathedral, Denver
Certificate Program Graduate Highlight: Christina Rutland
I began my career as a twenty-three-year-old intern through the Episcopal Service Corp in Baltimore, MD. I thought it would just be a year of my dream job working as a full-time diocesan youth minister and then I would have to find a secular career to follow. Luckily for me, my predecessor and mentor had other plans. After my year of service had concluded I continued to work at the Diocese of Maryland. The first thing diocesan youth leader Wes Wubbenhorst suggested to me was the Forma Certification in Family Ministry. I was unsure of being part of the pioneer class, but he was adamant that it was going to be a fantastic opportunity.
That fall I began taking courses online with a dozen other people who were diverse in a multitude of ways. We emailed about the different videos we watched, the readings we were covering, and the lessons presented to us by our professors. The emails led to a sense of community that transferred to fast friendships when we all met in Chicago for our week-long intensive. That week was spent learning, praying, and singing karaoke together, which solidified our tribe.
Our course material covered basics to complex theologies. Our professors were seasoned and passionate about the work they did. The different levels of experience and opinions gave new perspective to old challenges. I would love to cite a few things that I learned that year for a quick tag line. But I cannot. So much of what we learned over the course of six months is so engrained in my ministry that I honestly cannot separate it out. I am forever grateful to my mentor for giving me a push. Now I have a full ministry toolbox, a tribe of educators and peers to turn to, and a shiny piece of paper on my office wall that says I know what I am doing.
Kate Riley, Baltimore, Maryland
Certificate Program Graduate Highlight: Kate Riley
The Forma Certificate Program is designed for those who are actively engaged in the practice of youth, children’s and/or family ministry and feel called to deepen their own understanding of the practice of that ministry. This hybrid program is designed to provide an overview of core biblical, theological, Episcopal, and practical knowledge that will be applied directly to the ministry in the student’s context. Whether you are a novice or a veteran, the certificate program offers an opportunity to engage with colleagues around the country online and in person throughout your vocation in the church.
Note: For the remainder of 2020, the certificate in children’s and youth ministries program has been put on hiatus. The Episcopal Church Foundation, the Forma Council, the certificate faculty, and the Office of Lifelong Formation will consider options for a 2021 certificate program. Click here for more information.
Lisa Perez, Youth Minister Lisa Perez and Director of Family Ministries Catherine LaGrone of St. Alban’s Episcopal Church in Austin, Texas are two recent graduates of the certificate program. They share, “The Forma certificate program gave us concrete tools for evaluating and enhancing our current offerings and sparked ideas for new endeavors. One of the greatest benefits of this program was becoming a team with the other lay formation ministers and the faculty. Our relationships have lasted long after the program’s end and our cohort continues to be a place to share ideas and receive feedback. For us, participating in this program as ministry partners has especially heightened the impact for our ministries. We are grateful for this opportunity to learn and grow!”
Meet the Faculty
An
educator for most of her life -- a perspicacious 1st grade teacher had her
coaching others when she was 6 -- Victoria Garvey has a passion for learning
and teaching, and unsurprisingly, for the Church. In her professional career
she has taught at nearly every level from 2nd graders through graduate school,
but she has spent most of that teaching time at one of our seminaries
[Seabury-Western in Evanston, IL] where she taught biblical languages and
biblical theology, her doctoral area. Most recently, those passions for
learning/teaching/Church were fed in her position as Bishop’s Associate for
Lifelong Christian Formation in the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago where she even
got paid for doing what she loves. These days, she serves on two faculties for
the wider church, consults with a couple of dioceses concerning congregational
vitality and she continues to speak locally, nationally and occasionally,
internationally, facilitates workshops, leads retreats and in her spare time,
serves the wider church as board member and committee member of several
churchwide commissions and here at home as four-time deputy to General
Convention.
Jenifer serves as Associate Rector and Day School Chaplain at St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church in Washington, DC, where she shares her love for Jesus and invites all people to life in Christ. Mother of two adult children, Jenifer and her husband, Ed, share a home with a feisty West Highland Terrier. She is the author of several book including My Faith, My Life, Call on Me: A Prayer Book for Young People, and Common Prayer for Children in Families. In her free time, she leads evensong at the Washington National Cathedral, reads, and walks city streets in search of friendly dog parks. Meredith is Director of Youth Ministry, Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, Greensboro, North Carolina. She specializes in building “Volunteer Hearts.” By leading youth through volunteer/leadership programs, she walks with them on their spiritual journey as they create a foundation that finds great joy and peace in serving others, living as Christ lived. Leads annual pilgrimage for both youth and adults, Camino de Santiago, Spain & St. Cuthbert’s Way, Scotland, as well as annual mission trip,Glory Ridge, providing unique experiences to love the gift of the present and to strengthen spiritual formation.While serving others and making work worship. Mother to son Jack (15) and daughter, Grace (13) and to multiple youth members in the EYC program, ranging in age from 10 to 18. Wife of the wonderful J. Scott, married 21 years. Caretaker for two precious Boston Terriers, Bruno and Daisy. Loves to travel, paint, read and spend time with family and friends. She owns MBScott Fine Art, painting in mixed mediums, specializing in angels. She is a life-long learner open to discovery and adventure through spiritual journey and conscious appreciation of God's gift of life. Meet Jamie Martin Currie (she/her/hers), a seventh generation Texan who grew up in Houston and its suburbs before attending University of North Texas in Denton. As soon as she graduated with a degree in theater and dance, she moved to Manhattan to study at The Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theater. There she performed in numerous off-Broadway musicals, and starred in an “Unsolved Mysteries “episode that was nominated for an Emmy. Jamie’s first memory of church is wearing a required white doily on her head, her mother serving as the Sunday school musician, and older sisters working in the nursery. Jamie has deep Episcopal roots: her grandparents were married at Christ Church Cathedral, Houston and the cross on top of Palmer Memorial, Houston is in honor of her grandfather. While pursuing an M.S.Ed. in NYC, Jamie taught two-year-olds and their caregivers at private schools, a museum, and a reformed synagogue on the upper west side. She was church shopping when an Episcopal colleague invited her to Evensong at St. Bartholomew’s on Park and 50th and her ministry began. After a brief tour and brunch with the new associate with four young children, she was hired to take over the nursery, run the singles group, and create a summer camp. When rector Bill Tully and associate Jay Sidebotham hired Jamie to serve as the Director of Religious Education, thankfully she stumbled upon the National Association of Episcopal Christian Education Directors (NAECED), which later became Forma. That was over twenty years ago. In 2005 Jamie moved back to Houston to serve as the Lay Minister for Christian Education at St. Martin’s (the largest Episcopal parish in the country) where she directed three hours of year- round Sunday morning formation for toddlers through twelfth grade. She worked closely with Jerome Berryman (who created Godly Play), his wife Thea, and daughter Colleen as they led Godly Play classes every Sunday morning. In 2008, Jamie started The Family Table service at St. Martin’s, which has now grown out of two sanctuaries. The Diocese of Texas called Jamie as the Missioner for Christian Formation in 2011 where she supported the formation ministries of 155 parishes. During that time she served as the president of Forma and after completing the Youth Certificate Program, created the children’s track. After nine years on Bishop Doyle’s staff, she is now partnering with Episcopal Relief and Development on the ONE THOUSAND DAYS OF LOVE campaign, coaching graduate students for the Center of Youth Ministry Training (CYMT), assisting parishes with a “Review and Restart” process, and loves working from home.Victoria Garvey
Jenifer Gamber
Meredith Scott
Jamie Martin-Currie
Council Chair
Bronwyn Clark Skov serves as the Officer for Youth Ministries for The Episcopal Church. She is passionate about lay leadership, mentoring young people in their Christian journey, and empowering adults who work with youth. Currently she is the primary coordinator for the triennial Episcopal Youth Event and the General Convention Official Youth Presence. In her spare time she volunteers in her home parish and is an active member of the National Ski Patrol. She works from her rural southern Minnesota home where she lives with her recently retired spouse, a dog, a cat, two goats, and four fish. 
