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Children and Youth Ministry
By caitlin | November 2, 2009
Rally Day is Sunday, September 12th during the regular worship service at Old Parish Church. The Clowns will be giving us a special message. An all church picnic follows the service. The picnic will follow the worship service. Provided will be hot dogs, drinks, paper products and eating utensils. Please bring a Pot Luck dish. Surnames ending in A – M bring a dessert or fruit dish and those ending in N – Z bring a side dish. No RSVP is required.
Please plan on attending.
Church School begins on Sunday, September 19th. Teachers for grades K through 4 are Dianna Williams and Joanne Derwitsch, from Christ Episcopal/Trinity Lutheran Church. The Godly Play teaching curriculum will continue with new stories expected to be added.
David West joins Mary Philbrick in teaching grades 5 through 8. A new curriculum, Seasons of the Spirit, is being used this year. It is lectionary based, so that our students will be learning from the same biblical texts as are being used in the worship service. There are also plans to augment curriculum with supplemental programs on prayer and missions.
A traditional month for a new beginning for students is September. As the Church School begins, it also brings an air of anticipation to a new year at Old Parish.
Margaret Joseph
Director of Children & Youth Ministries
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The month of June and the Church School year concluded with Children’s Day on
June 20th. Participating Church School students had active rolesin the Sunday
worship service as worship leaders, collection ushers and greeters. They
provided the Introit and Anthem with wonderfully sung songs. Later, during
Coffee Hour they were treated to serve-yourself-ice cream sundaes.
Children’s Sunday is not only a day for our young people to participate
in the worship service, it is a day to honor all from preschool through
high school and recognize the Church School attendees. All youth
present received a potted flower. In addition, Church School Attendees
received a certificate of attendance. In closing, Danielle Pedretti, Mary
Philbrick and Diana Williams, the teachers so dedicated to the Church
School program and the children, were recognized and each given a plant.
On the 13th, after church, children and accompanying adults headed up
to Gilder Pond in Mt. Washington for a picnic lunch and canoe rides on
the lake lead by Jim Kelly. The clouds had settled on the mountain, so fog
blanketed the lake. But, safely hugging the shoreline, nature’s work was
visible while paddling around the lake. While some took additional canoe
trips, others hiked around the pond. In between activities, the children
played with the pollywogs they discovered in the shallow water at the shore.
It was an enjoyable afternoon for all.
For your planning: Rally Day is September 12th.
Margaret Joseph
Director C & Y Ministries
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The Church School Year is concluding with a final CARING FOR OUR COMMUNITIES Project with the gathering of Hygiene Kits for the Church World Service. These are the same kits the Mission Committee put together in response to the Haiti earthquake. The world’s disasters have put a stress on kit supplies and the purpose of our contribution is to help replenish the supply. The concept of the Hygiene Kits, their need and the relationship to Caring for Our Communities were discussed at Church School on May 2. Each Church School family has been asked to gather and bring in the items for a Hygiene Kit during the month of May. The kits will be assembled during the Church School hour the first Sunday of June and then shipped to Church World Service. This is considered to be a family project.
May has been a month of planning for our children and youth. Children’s Sunday on June 20th, a group canoe trip in June, Rally Day in September and programming for next year were all discussed at the Christian Education meeting.
Several days of the first week in May I attended the N.E.A.U.C.E. Conference (New England Association of United Church Educators) held at the Craigville Conference Center. The days were spent in learning, sharing ideas and spiritual enrichment. The keynote speaker, Ivy Beckwith, spoke on the faith formation of children through story, ritual and relationship. Her talks were affirming and encouraged ideas that could be implemented at Old Parish Church.
Margaret Joseph Director C & Y Ministries
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Easter was a special day for our Church School group as they joined their parents at the regular Sunday worship service. This made Easter Sunday a true family day of worship! It was a beautiful morning and the children’s presence brought a sense of excitement.
On April 11th, a group of our young people gathered at Jim Kelly’s home to watch the movie RATATOUILLE, followed by a brief discussion with some Godly Play “Wondering Questions” and a pizza supper. As the evening darkened, a few remained and went out into the fields across from Jim’s house to listen and watch for the Woodcocks. We could hear their calls and whirring wing movements, but it wasn’t until it was nearly dark that Jim was able to “flush one out” and we saw it full flight. This was a special experience for those who were there.
Margaret Joseph Director C&Y Ministries
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March continued to be an important month for participation in “Caring for Our Communities” with the Christ Episcopal/Trinity Lutheran and Old Parish Churches 2nd Annual Bake Sale to raise funds to supply Easter Hams and dinners to families participating in the Sheffield Food Program. Organized by Jennifer Otte from CE/TL Church, the bake sale was held on March 19th & 20th. After the church school lesson the following Sunday, the children helped assemble the baskets with the food. A huge “Thank you” to all who participated, baked goods and donated money.
The Jewish Seder meal and its relationship to the Christian Last Supper and Maundy Thursday were explored with our young people through a video and discussion. The children are being invited to attend the Seder Supper and Communion Service being held on Maundy Thursday, April 1st.
At the Christian Education meeting in March, Old Parish Church’s Safe Church Policy was discussed. To become current, we are in the process of updating our procedures and records.
Margaret Joseph Director C&Y Ministries
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The activities of the month of February contrast the quiet beginning of 2010. After a lunch at church, thirteen of our young people gathered at the home of Jim Kelly for sledding and a hike on snowy trails. They were joined by nine adults who provided transportation and supervision. For a warming snack break, Maggie Brigham prepared homemade hot chocolate and there were cookies to accompany it. The afternoon closed with Ed Hotaling’s stories and some quiet games. The children had a great time and it is heartening to see their friendships grow. A “thank you” to Jim for opening his home for an afternoon of fun.
As part of their “Caring for Our Communities” project the children made Valentine Cards for Called to Care. After completing their cards, there was enough time for them to construct Valentine magnets to take home. Continuing with this project, they host Coffee Hour on the 28th.
In February our children and youth have shared their hearts in friendship and care for others.
Margaret Joseph
Director of Children and Youth Ministries
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We welcome Margaret Joseph as our new Director of Children and Youth Ministries! In the words of our Pastor, “Part of her ministry will include reaching out to families with children; to welcome and help integrate new families into the church; to initiate intergenerational experiences that build community and covenant within the church; and to design and coordinate at least one major eduational event a year. She will work closely with me around a variety of annual ministry goals. In addition, she will work with the Church School teachers around effective use of the Godly Play curriculum designed for our younger children, and the establishment of age appropriate curriculum for our youth. Old Parish has a growing number of young people and their families and we look forward to exploring new and creative ways to grow in our faith as an intergenerational community.”
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