Whoever you are and wherever you are on life's journey, you're welcome here.
Ciricus Smirkus is going on tour and they’ll be in Waterbury from July 4 through July 6. We’ve been asked to help spread the news that we’re looking for some host families to put up the performers for 5 nights, July 2 through the 7th.
If you’re interested take a look at their application: https://forms.gle/DEJ9Zx4RXsXa8JLY9
Greetings church school families. I hope you are all well, enjoying the late summer weather and the start of the school year. While I know we were all hoping to get back to some semblance of a “normal” year, it appears that we are not done with COVID-19 quite yet. Because of that, Peter and I have been discussing what church school might look like in the next few months. We have made some plans that I hope will allow our kids to safely meet in person. I would like to highlight those here, as well as update you on some ideas related to the year’s curriculum and activities.
Church school al fresco!
We plan to have church school meet outside in the tent that we generally use for the tag sale. We will leave the tent up for the months of September and October, thinking that the weather will allow us to comfortably meet outside. Hopefully, by the end of October, we will know more about where our community stands regarding the virus, including the possible vaccination of children under 12.
On Sunday mornings, children will go directly to the tent at 10:00, and not start in the sanctuary. We are playing around with the idea of having the adults end the service outside with us. More to come about this.
Church school children and I will all be masked in the tent. I have been vaccinated, but I continue to wear a mask when in public.
In the case of severe weather – extreme cold, wind, rain, snow, etc., church school will not meet that week. We will let you know by 6 pm on Saturday if we plan to cancel.
Curriculum Plans
Some of you know that I am a big fan of the Be the Church banner that can occasionally be seen hanging in the sanctuary. I am planning to use the banner as the theme for the church school year. I hope to take the phrases on the banner and spend some time discussing how each is illustrated in the bible. Then, the children will respond to each phrase in a creative way – poetry, photography, painting, etc. These creative pieces will then be compiled in a book we produce, with each banner phrase as a chapter of the book. (Thanks to Ben for this idea!) I would like to give each church school family a hard copy of the book, and perhaps offer them to other members of the congregation, if possible. If we spend approximately a month on each of the phrases, that would give us time to dig in and discuss the meaning, and also leave time for the creative responses. I’m also thinking of ways for us to do service projects in relation to some of the phrases.
As a reminder, here are the words of the banner:
Be the Church.
Protect the environment.
Care for the poor.
Forgive often.
Reject racism.
Fight for the powerless.
Share earthly and spiritual resources
Embrace diversity.
Love God.
Enjoy this life.
Of course, we will take a break from this schedule during the Christmas season. I haven’t given a lot of thought yet to this year’s Christmas extravaganza, but be assured, there will be something.
I hope you are all feeling good about your children meeting in person. If not, please let me know what I can do to make it work for your family. I realize that there is a chance that the virus situation will make it necessary to return to remote church and church school meetings. While that is not my first choice, I am fully prepared to start Zooming again, if needed. But it certainly will be great to see your kids’ twinkling eyes in person!
As in past years, church school will begin on the Sunday after Labor Day. Therefore, the first church school meeting under the tent will be:
Sunday, September 12th at 10:00.
Don’t forget, please drop off your children at the tent at the start of the service.
Thanks so much for all of your continued support. I would love to have more kids join us, so if you have family/friends looking for something to do on Sunday mornings, pass this along to them. I think with some thoughtful effort, we can have a great year!
Take care,
Lori
Timothy Snyder is one of the preeminent thinkers on the world stage — writing mostly about politics and democracy. His little book, On Tyranny, catapulted him into fame. Snyder is the Richard C. Levin Professor of History at Yale University and a permanent fellow at the Institute for Human Sciences in Vienna where, if you read this post of his, you’ll see he lives along with his children. He offers what strikes me as a timely and cogent reflection on child-rearing.
https://snyder.substack.com/p/culture-of-worry?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=cta
We have been moved by and proud of the recent productions our children have offered our worshiping community during the pandemic. (We can view those here.) So you will want to keep the last Sunday in May on your calendar! It’s Children’s Sunday, May 30. I’ll update this post (without spoilers) when I know more. I do know that the children have written a few stories and have scripted them for themselves. It will be worth your while! (That’s Lori with her assistant directors Cailin Brooks and Ayla LeGeros.)
Lori and Crew have written several stories together of the legend variety. On the 30th, they’ll share two of them: “Moose and Butterfly” and “The Rainbow Trout Story.” Both stories touch on the same theme of growing up and one all too typical experience that speeds that along.
They were filmed in the sanctuary on Sunday afternoon, May 13.
Greeting church families! As many of you know, for the fast couple of months, our church school children have been meeting with me during our Sunday morning services. We have our own Zoom meeting where we touch base about the events of the week and how we feel about things, share an illustrated story or two, and think of ways to spread a little joy in our community. Church school will be taking a break for the month of July and kids are welcome to stay in the main service with their parents. Planning has started for the fall, with a potential theme relating to the power of story. We’re considering a number of options – both virtual and in-person, if appropriate. We are also hoping to start a confirmation class for students in grades 7-9, so stay tuned for more information about that.
Thanks for being patient during this crazy time. I have truly enjoyed hanging out with the children on Sunday mornings!
Take care,
Lori