About The Soil and The Seed Project
The Soil and The Seed Project was established in 2021 to nurture faith through music, art, and Little Liturgies for daily and weekly use in the home, following the liturgical calendar. Seeds for the project were planted while Seth Crissman, project director, was a seminary student pursuing his Masters of Divinity from Eastern Mennonite Seminary (EMS) in Harrisonburg, VA. During his studies at EMS, Crissman was encouraged to develop prayer practices that incorporated music and songwriting, areas in which he had regular practice as a songwriter for The Walking Roots Band (TWRB).
After graduating from EMS in 2015, Crissman co-directed Kids Club, an after-school community program rooted in collaboration with local churches in the Shenandoah Valley with a goal of building mutual relationships between congregations and their local neighborhoods. They did so through a partnership with VMMissions, an Anabaptist mission organization connected with the Mennonite Church. In 2019, Crissman worked with the SHINE curriculum team (Brethren Press/MennoMedia) as a contributing writer for the “Come To the Table” Vacation Bible School curriculum along with his wife, Theresa Peachey Crissman, and Kids Club teammates Christina Hershey and Melody Zimmerman. He was also a co-writer and co-producer with TWRB bandmate Greg Yoder for SHINE’s “Worship Songs for Children,” an album of worship songs for use with the 2020-2023 SHINE curriculum. Around the time Crissman and Yoder were completing “Worship Songs for Children,” a local church in Harrisonburg—Early Church—released an album of worship music that had been birthed from within the community entitled, “Behold and Become.” The seeds of these experiences took root in Crissman’s being, leading to the project that today is The Soil and The Seed Project.
Throughout 2020-2021, a common theme emerged in conversations with pastors, individuals and families: there was a very real need for at-home faith formation resources for followers of Jesus. With the support of a community of donors and partners, including VMMissions, The Soil and The Seed Project was launched with the start of the church calendar for Advent 2021 after 12 months of planning.
The Soil and The Seed Project helps establish new rhythms of faith as together we turn towards Jesus, believing and celebrating the Good News of God's Love for the whole world. The project is a gift to the church, given freely to any individual or community who wants it (not sold), thanks to the partnership of VMMissions and the generosity of individuals and church communities.
