Beloved Friends and Families with Kids,
Thanks to all who were able to join us last Sunday and lean into the practice of lament. Our kids also explored some ideas around feelings and attunement to their emotions. I wanted to share one of the practices they tried in case you want to do it as a family. Arielle made this simple practice based on some ideas from The Book of Belonging, and our leaders got to try this with the kids. It is very similar to what we did in the sanctuary. May we be blessed in coming together to share the full range of our human emotions.
Lament Practice
Let’s start by “putting one hand over (our) hearts and one over (our) bellies and take some deep belly breaths.” Think about something that causes you sadness or pain. It could be something or someone you lost, or someone or something that hurt you. “Notice how your sadness” or hurt “feels in your body (Is it heavy? Hot? Wobbly? Squeezing?).” Tell God what has caused you sadness or pain. “Notice what thoughts you have and share them with God.” You might think, “It's not fair! I feel forgotten! You let me down! Why?” (Clark,226).
Now, think about how you want God to help and tell God.
Closing Prayer: Thank you for loving us. Help us to trust in your never-ending love, God, even when we feel sad or hurt and don’t understand what is happening.
Clark, Mariko. The Book of Belonging. Convergent Children’s, 2024.
Special Gratitude
This week I want to share a special gratitude for Arielle, who has been an integral part of the transition period with our ministry to kids. She works as a speech pathologist and has been a faithful volunteer in our family ministry for some time now. We were blessed to be able to bring her on for a few hours a week to work on longterm curriculum planning and to lead the kids on Sunday mornings while we completed our hiring process for a full time pastor. Her work has ranged from administrative duties during the week, to curriculum consulting, to leadership on Sunday mornings. She is an excellent researcher, an imaginative lesson planner, and a wonderful caretaker of our kids. Please join me in thanking her for continuing to nurture such a loving and fun space for our kids while keeping our volunteers informed and our ministry running smoothly. I am so thankful for her commitment to our church family and the thriving of our kids!
Kids Camp Registration
We are making plans for camp this summer, and registration is open! Camp will run June 16-20 from 9am-12pm each day. We are excited to help our kids encounter God's love together with people from our church family. Youth families, please note that the youth are invited to help again this year, and this can count for community service hours if they have any requirements through school or other organizations.
Palm Sunday | Kids and Youth Singing
We are so excited for our kids and youth to join our adult choir in leading us during worship next Sunday, April 13, in our Palm Sunday service! They will begin practicing this Sunday during our kids time, and they will continue to rehearse on Sunday for the coming weeks. Next Sunday, please bring your kids and youth to the sanctuary at 9:30 AM for a rehearsal with the adult choir. We'll have pastries in the courtyard for parents so you can hang out until worship. Here are the lyrics, and here is a recording that you can use to help your kids practice at home. A huge thanks to Grace Goodman for leading the hand motions for the song this year!
Meet and Greet with Andrew
On Sunday, April 13, we invite all families with kids and our Family Ministry volunteers to join us for lunch and a chance to meet Andrew, our incoming Pastor of Children and Community Partnerships. You'll have a chance to hear more about his story while connecting with each other. We invite you to bring a card of blessing to the event to give Andrew as a welcome. We'll gather after worship for this time of connection as we give a warm welcome to Andrew!
Youth Summer Pilgrimage
As a reminder to parents, this summer our youth are invited to participate in a Southern Pilgrimage with The Center for Restorative Justice. They are hosting a powerful six-day journey through the Deep South, tracing the legacy of Emmett Till and the Black Freedom Struggle. This immersive experience will take students from Jackson, MS, to Money, MS, Memphis, TN, and Montgomery, AL, exploring key historical sites and museums that shaped the fight for racial justice. The trip takes place June 21-27. Here is a link to the application, which is due April 28. Please let me know if your youth plans to apply. If you have any questions at this time, feel free to reach out. I look forward to what I know will be a transformational trip with our youth!
SUNDAY
KIDS
Our nursery room is open this Sunday for babies and toddlers four years old and under. Childcare will be open starting at 8:50 AM for those who are attending Sunday School before service. This week our nursery kids will explore emotions, especially anger, and how to manage our feelings in healthy ways.
Our kids five to ten years old will join us in the sanctuary for worship and communion since this is the first Sunday of the month. Make sure your child picks up snacks and a fun survey to fill out during worship. Arielle and Andrew will have that ready in the lobby as you enter. It will be a beautiful morning together with communion and all our regular liturgical elements. We are thankful for the presence of our kids with us.
Discussion Questions for the Table at Home:
What surprises you about Jesus in the scripture this week (Luke 22:47-53)?
What part of worship felt most important or meaningful to you this week?
YOUTH
This week our youth will have our regular youth gathering after worship, including lunch.n We will continue exploring themes of lent and scriptures from Luke. We'll wrap at 1:30 PM, and youth can be picked up from our Union Street park gate.
Have a wonderful weekend, and thanks for being such a special community of families!
With deep affection for you,
Pastor Lindsay