Welcome back! We started back to our Formation classes on the First Sunday After the Epiphany and it was so good to see all those sweet and happy faces return.
Our Junior Journey class kicked off a Journey to Jesus, and our Catechesis Atriums were bounding with energy. Joyful Journey and the Nursery were bustling as well. I hope your time away, however brief, was full of rest and joy. I know there are always mixed feelings as we return to school after a break.
Next week, we will begin Community Time. This will happen in that space that was Sunday Singalong, from 11-11:30. We will alternate between singing at the campfire with Ms. Elizabeth, playing cooperative games, and great service projects, which will be coordinated by Edda & Jesse Klatt. Our first service project will be portioning bags of rice and beans for Mobile Loaves & Fishes. These expanded offerings will allow us to engage more of the kids in activities they enjoy, while allowing them to strengthen their friendships. It will also deepen their formation, of course. But our main goal for this time is to allow them to be in and see their community around them. The beauty of church life is in the consistent care and love we offer to each other. I want them to come to rely on it.
We have some new families in church. Please look out for them and try to connect if you can. They haven’t made the move into Children’s Formation yet, but I’m working on it. Your kids may have met them during the Children’s Sermon or at the Christmas Eve Pageant.
Our Annual Parish Meeting will be on January 26. Though we won’t have formation, we will offer a Brain Break for Kids from 10-11 a.m. on the 1st Floor. Our childcare coordinator, Gin Gonzales, and the nursery ladies will have crafts and snacks so your kids can be engaged and have fun while we talk through all that 2024 brought us, and look toward 2025. Elections for Vestry and Council Representatives are held then, so please plan to be in attendance. And do feel free to reach out if you’d like to serve in any capacity, including serving on the St. David's Day School Board. I will now serve as the Rector’s Designate there as we move through some changes during 2025.
Due to morning road closures for the Austin Marathon on Sunday, Feb. 16, we will once again move to one all-parish Holy Eucharist at 4:30 p.m. to be followed by a huge celebration for our St. David's volunteers, we hope to see you there.
This year, we will be returning to a Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper, and instead of BINGO, we will be adding pancake flipping and relays, as well as family Minute to Win It games to the mix. That will be Tuesday, March 4, you’ll want to be there for that big fun. We will not have formation on Sunday, March 16, when spring break starts. Please note that it is not the same week as SXSW this year. Oof.
Palm Sunday is on April 13, and we will have Palmiers and Palm Cross Folding again. So fun! On Good Friday, April 18, we will have a Children’s Stations of the Cross at 10:30 a.m. I’m working on plans for Easter, and you’d better believe we will release butterflies again. That was AMAZING!
I will get some dates for Parents' Night Out on the calendar (if you have a date in mind, let me know). I think we could also use another Communion Instruction later in the spring. I also want to put Vacation Bible School (VBS) on your radar, as I know you’ll be planning for summer soon enough. We will shift to the week after Memorial Day, June 2-6, since AISD will be out later this year. This will give us five full days of shenanigans, so hold on to your hats!
I know you have made your way back to Children’s Choir, and I see how happy your kids are there. Please let me know if you would like to have some parent formation during that time. I would be happy to plan some things that would offer you benefit during that time. I also know how nice it is to sit still, though, and I don’t want to over-schedule you. Let’s talk as you find your groove in the coming weeks, OK?
I am so grateful for each of you and look forward to an incredible spring semester.
Much love,
Fr. K.
Login To Leave Comment