So many good things are happening! We are still sugared up from Trunk-or-Treat and basking in the glow of the Harvest Sunday festivities. I hope that you and your kids had a delightful Halloween. We had a great time at our house as our passel of kids, who met in Kinder, trick-or-treated together one last time in their senior year. We are already looking ahead to the Holidays, and I know you are, too. To that end, I want to put some things on your radar so you can get them on your family calendar.
I also want to let you know that Brick Bible on Wednesday nights has been really fun. But I do know it doesn’t have a strong enough pull to really keep us engaged all year. For this reason, we will shelf the Legos until next summer, when our formation classes once again take a break. This is absolutely fine because Children’s Choir is coming back! Read a message to the parish about our new director of Children's Choirs.
Mark’s desire to find the right teacher and determination to wait until everything fell into place has paid off. Jessy Eubanks, director of Children's Choirs, will begin by meeting parents of children interested in choir in kindergarten through fifth grade on Wednesday, Nov. 13, from 6-7 p.m. She will rehearse with them (Nov. 20 and Dec. 4) for Advent Lessons & Carols on Dec. 8. If that speaks to you, please plan to join in. Choir will begin in earnest in the spring, so this is a great chance to wade in and see how it fits for your littles. I should also mention that assisting her in the space will be our very own and very beloved Amanda Wischkaemper. Please reach out to me or if you want to be present for this new and reimagined ministry. It promises to be really special.
*11/13/24 Update: Trip postposed until spring*
On Nov. 23, we will hop on the bus for our long-awaited farm day! We will channel Mr. Rogers on a field trip to Barking Dog Ranch and the Refugee Collective Farm to see how things work outside city limits. Of course, we will stop for BBQ at Black’s before we return, because why wouldn’t we? Please register now so we can save your spots on the bus.
Looking ahead, please mark Advent wreath-making on Dec. 1. We will gather in Sumners Hall between services and craft to our hearts’ content.
I also want you to know that we will have a new liturgy for the Christmas Pageant, where youth will join us to be the narrators of the Nativity Story. I would love for our older children to participate in the production by playing lead roles and guiding younger children through the service who may be new, or picking up a role. This will help things go smoothly and allow them to be part of the liturgy in a really meaningful way. We will have a rehearsal after church on Dec. 22, so that we can walk through the script and choose the perfect hiding places from which the angels will appear. I would also love to have some volunteers who are willing to help assess our costumes and build some giant palm trees to adorn our set. Please let me know if you’re up for that.
Lastly, I want to put Communion Instruction on your calendar for Dec. 1. This is a chance for us to talk to you as a family about what the Eucharist really means and how you can help your children better understand its importance in our lives, as Christians. We will eat together at Lunch for All that day, where we will talk about the indwelling of Christ, doing our best to meet you and your kids in a conversation that gives them a deeper understanding of the Eucharist. Then we will head into the Sanctuary to look at the altar up close, so we can see the elements and feel the Spirit’s presence there. I hope you will make a plan to join us.
In the meantime, we still begin each Sunday with check-in and breakfast at 9:45. The kids go to formation from 10-11 a.m., with four different offerings. At 11 a.m., we meet back in the foyer by the piano for Sunday Sing-along and Community Time. This is their time to know and be with one another as a whole group. We will start adding service projects and games to this time and pepper in the singing when it feels right. They love being together, and I will keep finding ways to allow them to have that good time. This also means that since your kids are engaged from 9:45 until 11:30, you can also be in community. You can also take a break or regroup for the week, if that helps to give you some respite. I am loving this schedule so much because I can see that you are more engaged, more relaxed, and have more belonging in this place. Church is meant to nourish you & give you rest that you may return to your live and work refreshed.
Thank you for letting us be with you in this space. You matter to us so much.
Sincerely,
Fr. Kristin
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