As this church year comes to a close, there is much to celebrate about our Lifespan Faith Development program. We had a fantastic group of teachers for our children’s programs and made the transition to meeting before worship, allowing those teachers to both serve our children and feed their own spirits in worship. The Children’s Village was launched, a space where older children had the opportunity to apply their values in building community through play during the latter part of worship. We had a fabulous nursery care coordinator looking after our youngest. We provided comprehensive human sexuality education to seventeen 7th-9th graders, who will hopefully become the core of an expanded youth group next year. We bridged three high school seniors, who will also be participating in General Assembly in New Orleans in June. Adults participated in covenant groups, book groups, one-time special offerings, and a vibrant ukulele group that drew newcomers to our church. The Contemplative Practices Group continues to grow and offers a variety of opportunities for learning and spiritual practice and growth.
Looking ahead to next year, I am deeply grateful and very excited. We are moving ahead with the five year plan to strengthen and deepen our faith development programs. In addition to Youth Group for our teens, next year we will be offering a Sunday School class for high schoolers as well as a Coming of Age program for 7th-9th graders. Stay tuned for more information about all of those in the August issue of Parish Notes!
The generosity of all of you who increased your pledges means that I will have a few hours available to begin to support adult programs as well as our children’s programs. Michael and I will be in conversation about priorities and how to best use this time, but we also need YOUR input as to what would best serve you, both as volunteer leaders and as lifelong learners. Please be in touch over the summer; I will have limited hours during July and August and welcome your ideas!
In faith,
Lyn