Dear friends,
It’s hard to believe that I have already been at Edwards Church for over a month as Consulting Associate Pastor. It has been a blessing to worship with you on Sundays and to be with the children/youth. Sometimes things don’t go as planned and I have definitely forgotten a couple of things as I learn, but all of that is part of being a community together and in the grace of God. We most certainly have had some fun with messy bread dough, crafts, and our new friend Lily.
The love held for the children/youth of Edwards shines brightly each Sunday and through the loving care of the Faith Formation team, especially in Miss Myrna’s preparation of her lessons. Over the next couple of months, I hope to learn more about the congregation’s vision of Church School and church activities for the youth. I am planning to capture your thoughts through group and individual conversations with parents and church members. Would you like to be involved? What components of Youth Faith Formation are important to you? How are you able to support the programs? Are there new activities you would like us to plan? Are there activities that we might be able to let go of as we move into the new year? Let’s chat! We are currently scheduling a group meeting for parents and I’m happy to have one-on-one conversations as well. Keep an eye on your inbox for more information. You can reach me directly at edwardsfaithformation@gmail.com.
A couple of observations that I have made over the last few weeks may help in our conversations. The children/youth seem to love the tent in the sanctuary and participating in the worship time. There have been very few disruptions or issues with using the tent. The children/youth also love to be together across the ages. They are a caring group who like to work with the younger children. This is a wonderful model of the beloved community.
The children/youth also love the toys and spaces in the basement of the church. They often gravitate to those spaces before, during, and after church. It is wonderful that they feel so at home in the building. As a church, we need to review how to ensure the safe church policy is being followed throughout the time the children/youth are in the building. There are many options, and your input will help us to find the best way to meld the children/youth’s movement through the building and church safety. This fall we have implemented a second adult volunteer to help with Church School. This person simply spends time in the classroom with the teacher or in the tent in the sanctuary helping the children/youth with the craft. If you would like to volunteer to be the second adult, please follow this link to a sign-up sheet: Second Adult Sign-up. We hope to have enough volunteers so that each person should only volunteer two or three times per year.
My final observation is that communication with busy parents can be difficult. We all have so many things happening in our lives and multiple ways in which organizations communicate with us. Gone are the days when pieces of paper came home in book bags and our telephone message machine was filled each evening when we got home. What is the best way to communicate? Let me know and we can find the best solution.
I look forward to our conversations. And I am looking forward to the wonderful events we have planned for this fall. In November, the children/youth will put together Hurricane Emergency Buckets for Church World Services. And we are looking forward to the Christmas Pageant on Christmas Eve.
Blessings in this special month of transition and anticipation. May your fall clean up tasks be light; may your holiday preparations be joyful; and may your Sundays be spent in the loving worship space of Edwards Church.
Fran Graveson
Consulting Associate Pastor