Associate Pastor's Report for 2005

I want my coins to help people hurt by the tsunami.-(one of our five-year-old in children's chapel)

A wonderful story was told to me recently by a parent that convinced me of how lovingly the Holy Spirit moves through all the generations of the people of our congregation. Let me give you the preface: One week in December, Jim Harper and I were figuring out the proper address and recipient to whom the children's offerings of this past year should go. There was a very strong desire last spring amongst the children, as we sat in children's chapel, for their offerings to help people ravaged by the Tsunami. Week by week, from January through the spring, as the kids brought in their money and filled our chapel basket, comments about how important it was to help these victims were made. We also gave money to help develop a kid's library in Nicaragua.

By May, we stopped talking about these causes and went on to other missions. But what impresses me so greatly is that one five-year-old girl thought about these victims of the Tsunami for many more months and was carefully collecting coins for them, until one day in December, she announced to her father and mother, that the $10 in coins she had collected she would bring into church that Sunday -- now was the time to get that money to those victims. Remarkably, 12 months after this disaster, this little girl remembered she still wanted to help. She even remembered the word "tsunami" -- not easy for such an early age. And this is where I see the markings of the Holy Spirit at work in our church. This little girl had no idea that the week she told her parents about her $10 in coins, unbeknownst to her, Jim and I were actually putting together a check and mailing it for that very cause. Is this just mere synchronicity at work? No, this is something far greater and far more important fueling our community -- the Holy Spirit is at work with our kids and through our giving.

Let me share here a just a few more reflections about how our Christian Education year has unfurled, to add to the good and very comprehensive report made by our committee -- and hopefully you can tell me where you see God has been at work.

Offerings and Missions

Our children and youth, parents and volunteers have gone a long way this year toward reaching out towards others. We know in a world so greatly in need, there is much more that can be done, but we have made a good start. The middle youth worked with great dedication toward raising funds for the Heifer Project, beginning this project by going on an actual trip with their youth leaders to the Heifer farm. During the Alternative Giving Market, they sold many shares of animals for farming communities around the world. Middle youth also visited parishioners in need at their homes, bearing cookies and the ministry of presence. Kids raised money throughout the year for victims of the tsunami, kids in Nicaragua, and now for victims of Katrina and Rita hurricanes. They raised money for UNICEF and contributed to Neighbors in Need. They brought mittens for the "Warm Someone" tree. They also went on two outings to the Stone Institute, each time bringing crafts to cheer elderly residents' days and during Christmas, offering carols. Senior Youth raised enough money during the fundraiser/dinner to enable them to come to the aid of several organizations in need in Puerto Rico, including the Coteri School for kids with developmental disabilities, a battered women's shelter, and a resident whose house was devastated by a hurricane. They worked hard, and what's wonderful is that nearly all the senior youth showed up for the commissioning beforehand and the presentation in September of their trip. Two senior youth also offered very meaningful reflections about their trips during a summer Sunday service.

In addition, we had several presentations on Stewardship during our adult education series, and on Stewardship Sunday, the adults weren't the only ones reflecting on stewardship -- kids, middle, and senior youth put energy into this important topic.

Intergenerational Worship

Time and time again, we have been blessed with kids, youth, and adults coming together as we worship God. On many Sundays and especially on special Sundays like Recovenanting Sunday, Pentecost, Holy Communion Sundays, Advent Sundays, Christmas, and Lenten services, kids have lit candles to start worship, read scripture, offered calls to worship, offered prayers and reflections during Children's Time, performed music, participated in intergenerational dramatic readings, and served communion.

We enjoyed two successful Youth Sundays, one with a theme that linked adults with youth together for sermon sharing. Kid's Sunday went off without a hitch. Parents were greatly involved in helping kids practice their instruments and readying them for offering prayers and reading scripture. For all of those Sundays, we were blessed by one youth who became our kid music director. This high school student composed several faith-filled songs and taught them to our choir members, kids, youth, and congregation. Who can forget "God's Son Has Got It Going On" sung by an intergenerational Christian rock group? How thrilling it was to see everyone sing "Light Up the World."

This year was an important year musically also for the reason that we began teaching kids new music, in addition to our classic Sunday school songs. Lynd Matt, Ken, and I developed a list of "hymns for our faith," which children began learning during Children's Chapel, followed by the next Sunday, singing the hymns in the sanctuary with the wider congregation. Our high-school-age composer became our chapel music teacher, teaching kids these hymns while hauling in his keyboard and adding "cool" background beats.

We added to our liturgies services of commissionings and blessings -- like the commissioning of our teachers and volunteers and at the end of the year, a recognition and thanksgiving moment; a blessing of our graduates; and the commissioning of our senior youth for their mission trip. Those graduating from children's church school received "backpack Bibles" for the road ahead, while we had a full showing of our 3rd-5th graders during worship who received Bibles at the beginning of the church year -- an old tradition reinstituted this fall.

Strengthening our Hearts and Minds in the Knowledge of God's Love

Education naturally continues to be a key component for our fellowship together. Our curriculum, Bible Quest, includes weekly handouts that children can bring home and share with their families. Even the toddlers have handouts. The curriculum has been extended to infants and toddlers, and Kari Miller's wise idea of separating pre-K's and grades 1- 5 has been a hit. The teachers have experienced the teaching materials favorably, and the children are responsive to the story-telling format. We have a very committed, albeit small, team of teachers who have worked with great dedication and care, led by the highly creative and gifted Kari Miller.  The team has included Liz Ramos, Susan Gilbert, Wendy Benjamin, Joy Huber, Eunice and Charlie Shishmanian, and Maureen Connolly. To add to this cadre, several parishioners have helped to co-lead Children's Chapel in spirited and wise ways, including Molly Dugan, Ingrid Larson, Sally Brickell, Maureen Connolly, Micki Avery, and Wendy Benjamin. Jean Miller has provided some teaching training also, offering great insight and wisdom. On Mother's Day, some men came out to teach -- a trend we will strive to continue more than once a year. Kari developed a questionnaire evaluating our education programs -- we are grateful for feedback and will complete the evaluation process in the spring. We have also instituted an annual session during adult ed specifically for reflection, evaluation, and brainstorming around our CE programs.

Misha Hill and Gretchen Hamilton have helped to shape our adult education series. The CE committee developed a questionnaire regarding adult ed. and determined that more forums focusing on current events and spiritually related topics were desired. The CE committee is striving to incorporate more of these topics and is also grateful for the input of the Missions committee. This year saw a spiritual series on nurturing marriage, relationships, and God with two pastoral psychologists; another one on prayer; testimonies in honor of our ONA 10th anniversary celebration led by Jerry Handspicker; time for church business like envisioning our ministries and new committee structures, a Christian perspective of the Iraq War; a discussion of Amnesty International by Joshua Rubenstein; "Taking back our Time" by Diane Kessler, director of Mass Council of Churches; a Lenten series on forgiveness and reconciliation; and a spirited forum on hymnody by Jim Crawford, former senior pastor of Old South, to name a few.

Sharing the Good News

One of my goals is that people's faith stories will be shared, and thereby we will enrich each other's journeys. To that end, kid's experiences and testimonies have been shared during Children's Time so that the wider congregation is hooked into how children are discovering God. Kids and youth have written their own prayers to share with others. Our teachers and committee strive lift up the voices of kids and youth especially during the Kid's and Youth Sundays. I try to writes stories for the Pulse, the web, and in my sermons that reveal our youngests' insights. We post artwork and pictures on our bulletin boards. We describe what we are learning in the weekly bulletins so that others in the parish can be linked in. I remember two of the Senior Youth's beautiful reflections about their mission trip, shared on a summer day in our sanctuary. One shared what made her trip extraordinary (her word). "By stepping out of our comfort circle, we were able to not only help through labor, but we were also able to introduce ourselves and grow attached to people that we would have previously thought we had nothing in common with." Another voice of 2005 speaks, I think, for what we all hope for. In a discussion about Children's Chapel rituals, I asked: "Why do we ring a bell at the start of our worship?" One of the younger girls was the first to raise her hand: "So the Lord can come down and be with us!"

Thanks be to God "for coming down and being with us," and for all the spirited energy, insight, and grace that fills the ministries of our Christian Education. I am grateful to have the privilege of sharing with you in the work of bringing about the realm of God's love.

Peace, Gretchen