August-September 2022 Vineyard

More documents

Info

kids coming together for fun & learning Sunday mornings NURSERY: ages 0 to 3, 9 a.m. & 10 a.m. Staffed by a nurse and a kindergarten teacher, the nursery includes story time, crafts, singing, and snacks. SUNDAY SCHOOL: ages 3 through grade 5, 9 a.m. Students enjoy music and classroom time to hear Bible stories that correlate with the Narrative Lectionary used in worship. Registration is encouraged. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER. PRAYGROUND: ages 2 to 6, during 10 a.m. worship Dedicated space where children can quietly color, play and read while engaging in worship. We ask parents to sit in nearby pews to keep an eye on them. See page 3 for more information. KID KITS: ages 3 to 10, during 10 a.m. worship Two kits available, for ages 3-6 and ages 6-10 In the back of the sanctuary as you enter, you can find Kid Kits that your children can use while sitting in the pew with you. The kits include a Bible-based activity/ coloring book, Bible or community-based story books or devotional, crayons/pencils, pipe cleaners, and Communion felt board. There are also children’s bulletins available above the Kid Kits. Wednesday evenings Registration is required for Wednesday night programs. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER. FDL (Faith in Daily Life): grades 1 to 5 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Students gather for a large group opening and dinner, then rotate between music and classroom time to learn Bible stories that correlate with the Narrative Lectionary used in worship. CONFIRMATION CLASS: grades 6 to 8 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. Students begin in a large group for dinner/opening and move to grade-level classrooms to learn about faith, Lutheran traditions, and how to apply this to their daily lives as junior high students. YOUTH GROUP: grades 9 to 12 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Students meet in the Luther Room to discuss relevant faith and daily life topics, engage in relationship building, support one another, and play games. ROAR: grades 3 to 5, 5:00 p.m. ROAR TEEN: grades 6 to 8, 7:30 p.m. These groups are for those kids especially interested in music. They will explore ways to praise God through music using chimes, bells, Orff instruments, drums, and voices. Final Family Fun Sunday of the summer! Sunday, <strong>August</strong> 28, after worship The last Family Fun Sunday of the summer is coming up on Sunday, <strong>August</strong> 28th. Because we expect it to be hot, we are going to be doing some all-ages water games, such as oldfashioned water balloon toss, relay races, and more. Popsicles and ice cream sandwiches will be available for everyone. Don’t miss this final fun fling for all ages! 2
families coming together for worship What’s happening at the PrayGround? It’s been a year since we launched our PrayGround! Just like our faith, the PrayGround isn’t static or finished; it’s an ongoing journey. We have already taken several items out and added several in. To keep kids engaged and interested, we have the books on a rotation system with the books in the Kid Kits, as well as the basket of children’s books in the narthex. We also rotate the books according to the church seasons. Our first year has been a learning process between families using the space and other congregation members. As we’ve been adjusting, some have expressed concern about the noise level and distraction. Others have shared some very positive feedback: Our kids clearly love the PrayGround and look forward to going to church because of it!” My kids love being with the other kids at church. I figure they are having their own kind of ‘fellowship.’ They love helping baby xxx, which I think is God working through them. Very different ministry from sitting with mom and dad all the time.” What a great idea the new PrayGround has been. As an official ‘oldster’ here, I am pleased to share that I have not found the PrayGround noisy or disturbing to my aging ears. Children are the future of every church, and all churches struggle to figure out how to attract and welcome young families. This space says, “We welcome you, we want you here, we hope you’ll come back!” We want you to know that concerns are being discussed and addressed, and we ask for your patience as we continue to fine tune this ministry to work for all ages. The PrayGround grew out of three years of research, talking with colleagues at Youth Ministry conferences, and meeting with other local churches. We researched layouts, location, what to have in it, what to NOT have in it, what items help engage kids in worship and what items distract them from worship, etc. We believe this space is important for our little ones, and we want to keep sharing the “why” of our PrayGround. 3 Why have a PrayGround? X X Children are the church. This is something we strongly believe. They are the church RIGHT NOW, not just in the “future.” We want to show our kids they are a priority to our congregation and an important part of St. Mark’s. Early participation in intergenerational worship matters. One of the goals of our youth ministry is to teach kids that we are never done learning and growing in our faith; it’s a life-long journey. And part of that journey is worship literacy: knowing and understanding what happens in worship each week, why it’s important, why we have certain sacraments and rituals. When kids participate in worship starting at an early age, they are already learning this. In fact, the authors of Sticky Faith: Everyday ideas to build lasting faith in your kids, Kara Powell and Chap Clark, found in their research that participation in intergenerational worship was the number one predictor of whether or not emerging adults would participate in the life of faith and the life of the congregation beyond their high school years. What’s next? This Fall we are starting Family PrayGround Orientations. Young families with kids in the PrayGround age group (age 2 to 6) will be invited to join us at church to review what options are in the PrayGround, as well as the expectations for both kids and parents. We will review the PrayGround Covenant that hangs on the wall in the sanctuary, and do some role playing with the kids to practice quiet voices, areas of play, and more. If you’re a parent with PrayGround-aged children, please mark these orientation dates on your calendar: • Tuesday, Sept 13 at 6 p.m. • Sunday, Sept 18 at 9 a.m. We ask for your prayers and patience as we continue this journey. We are so grateful for the support and will continue to keep the congregation updated as we tweak the space. We urge you to delight in the children’s laughter and smile when they ask questions or participate in worship in a new way.
Page 1: The Vineyard Press ST. MARK’S LUT
Page 5 and 6: coming together for music & fun “
Page 7 and 8: coming together with new members Jo
Page 9 and 10: coming together with our community
Page 11 and 12: teens coming together on a mission
Page 13 and 14: coming together with God Looking fo
Page 15 and 16: church matters Emergency Action Pla

August-September 2022 Vineyard

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?