4th Soil
parenting project.
Sowing Seeds.
Trinity is part of a three-year initiative called the “4th Soil Parenting Project,” a new learning community with 20 diverse congregations led by Vibrant Faith (a Lutheran-based ministry). It has been known for almost a generation that our age-segregated, church-focused programs are not helping kids or parents connect to Jesus in ways that sustain deep faith or regular practices.
The title refers to Jesus’s “Parable of the Soils”—four soils, but only one (the 4th soil) provides a rich growth environment. The “soil” metaphor invites us to partner with God, to exercise our agency and creativity as we stay closely connected, for the purpose of “preparing the soil” of the home so that kids will grow deep in their faith.
In the coming year, the TLCS team of eight people will guide our learning, implementation, and experimentation. The whole process will be guided by a coach from Vibrant Faith, Pastor Erik Samuelson.
The project kicked off in April, and during the first months, we collected data from our congregation and began inviting parents to connect. We hope this project will lead us and our families to be a stronger faith-forming congregation.
If you have any questions or are interested in learning more, speak with David Greenlee, Minister of Faith Formation.
4th Soil Team:
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Allana Kleinosky
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Christena Greenlee
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Anne-Marie Melby
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Jenny Vanderwerff
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Kerry Fleiger-Holmes
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Joelle Dudak, Preschool Director
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David Greenlee, Minister of Faith Formation
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Pastor Hector Garfias-Toledo
“Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on a path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched, and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. If you have ears, hear!”
MATTHEW 13:3-9 (NRSV)
