Sunday, 5/11/08

Hi all!  As many of you know, I will not be in church this Sunday, but there will be Sunday School!  Tim will lead the prayer service before and after class and get the kids into church.  This Sunday is Pentecost, as well as Mother's Day, so there should be lots to talk about with the kids.  The Godly Play story is, "The Mystery of Pentecost," and the lectionary text for the week is also, of course, about Pentecost.  Please mention to the kids that the red balloons that they see in church are to celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit.  Red is the color generally associated with the Spirit, and balloons are filled with air--the HS is said to be like a mighty wind.  You get it.  Let me know if you have any questions!

We'll have one more week of class (Trinity Sunday, which is May 18th, when we'll talk about--you guessed it--the Trinity!).  The following weekend is Memorial Day weekend.  There won't be Sunday School, but if you are around, I'll be preaching!  June 1st was going to be the Youth Service, but I think that has been canceled.  Ordinarily there would be no Sunday School on that day, but I will do something special with the kids in the Parish Hall.  And, it will be teacher recognition Sunday, so do try to be in church so that we can say, "Thank you!"  It will also be my last Sunday before I leave for the summer (I will be back in Sept.!).

Remember to cross your fingers for good weather on the 18th and to join me at the Loantaka Park at 2:00 pm for games and a nature walk!

Thanks!

Sunday 2/24/08

Hello all!  Thank you for this past Sunday.  Everything seemed to go well, even though we didn't have a lot of kids.

If you've looked at your Sunday School schedule, you will see that you get a big, long break.  I'm not sure that this is the wisest thing to do, but that's just the way it worked out this year.  So your kids will probably have forgotten who you are by the next time you teach.  Here's what's going on for the next 5 weeks:

This week, Tim and I will be away with the junior high and high school youth groups on the ski trip.  There will be no Sunday School.  (Pray that we don't break anything!)

On March 2nd, Bishop Mark Beckwith will make his visit.  He has requested time to do a children's sermon, so I will meet with the kids during the first part of the service to talk to them about what a bishop is and why he is visiting, and then they will enter the service for the children's sermon.  If you'd like to join us for the "bishop talk" you may, but I would also encourage you to be in church so you can hear the Bishop!

On March 9th, Rev'd Elizabeth will visit with the Sunday School to talk about the Eucharist.  You may join us, or you may stay in church to hear Jim Mollo preach!

March 16th and 23rd are Palm Sunday and Easter, respectively.  Their won't be Sunday School on either one of those Sundays.

One more thing.  On Saturday March 1st, I'd like to invite you all to my house for dessert and coffee at 7:30pm.  It will be an informal and fun gather, but I'd also like to hear what you think of the Sunday School program and how you think it might be improved, or any questions you may have about it.  Expect an invitation in the mail soon!

Thanks!!

Melissa

Questions, Concerns & Conversation 2/17/08

Sunday 2/17/08

Hey Everyone.  Are you ready for week 2?  How are you all doing?

The lectionary text for this week is John 3: 1-17 where we find a Pharasee named Nicodemus visiting Jesus by night.  The Pharasees are the keepers of the law, and Jesus is blowing it out of the water so it's probably best for Nicodemus to slip in to see Jesus under the cover of darkness.  They have a conversation about being born of the Spirit.  The author of John, as he is wont to do, presents us with an idea that doesn't make a whole lot of sense at first glance.  How exactly is one born after growing old?  What does it mean to be born of the Spirit?  And, why do we read this story in Lent...in preparation for Easter?  This passage is also where we find the famous words of John 3:16 ("For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.")

Godly Play (Dan, Amy, Linda), it is time again for the Faces of Easter.  (Amy I can hear you groaning).  There are seven Faces of Easter and they are meant to be told one every week of Lent.  However, they are very short and very repetitive, and the kids tend to get bored.  This year, because of some events in Lent (the Bishop's visit, Rev. Elizabeth's visit to the Sunday School) we've had to condense the Faces a bit.  This week, we will do Faces I, II, and III.  The Faces go through Jesus' life hitting some of the highlights.  Faces I is Jesus' birth, Faces II is the story of Jesus "lost" in the Temple, and Faces III is Jesus' baptism.  Each week, you add a new plaque to an underlay that you roll out and each week you review all the stories and then tell the new one.  So, this week, instead of stopping at the end of Faces I, you will just continue on to the end of Faces III.  You will need three sets of the story cards (Faces I, II, III) or just grab the Godly Play Vol. 4 book.  At the end of each story, you will be instructed to invite the children to get an object from the room that adds to the story and to place it next to the plaque.  This works just fine if you are in a Godly Play room where children can choose objects from other Godly Play stories.  Since we don't have that, it doesn't work so well.  There are plenty of objects in the Sprout House classrooms, so you may want to try it anyway.  If you'd rather do something else, I suggest you ask a question like, "What was your favorite part of the story?" or "Who is your favorite character in the story?" or "Is there anything that bothers you about the story?"  Let me know how it goes.

Please contact me with any questions or concerns.  Thank you!

Questions, Concerns & Conversation 2/10/08

Sunday 2/10/08

Greetings all!  This Sunday will begin the classes for the Spring Term.  Thank you to all of you for agreeing to teach.  I am hoping that I have everything in order for you, but I've probably goofed up somewhere and I apologize in advance.

Let's see if I've got this right.  I believe Linda G. will be teaching preschool this week.  Linda, your curriculum book is outside my office door.  I will be teaching 4th and 5th along with Julia.  Julia, your book is also outside my door, but I think we are all set for this week.  Paul, Tim let me know that you are on for 6th, 7th and 8th.  I have the scripture readings for your class and will give them to you on Sunday morning.

Dan and Linda S., you two will be teaching using the Godly Play curriculum.  Dan, I'm not sure if you've taught Godly Play before so I've attached some basic information to this email.  I've just reorganized the Godly Play closet (Rm. 19).  All the stories for the Spring Term are in the closet and in order starting on the left side of the top shelf.  All of the cards with the scripts for the stories are also in order in the box in the closet.  I would appreciate it if we could keep things in that order.  The story for this week is The Mystery of Easter.  It is a purple bag with puzzle pieces in it that form a cross.  The story helps the children understand the concept of the season of Lent.

Finally, classrooms:

Preschool - Rooms 3 & 4 (in Sprout House)

K & 1st - Room 2 (Sprout House)

2nd & 3rd - Room 5 (Sprout House)

4th & 5th - for this Sunday, we'll be in the Parish Hall

6th, 7th & 8th - The Stage!

If you are using a Sprout House classroom, they have asked us to please make sure that all toys are put away, all of our supplies cleaned up, and the doors to the classrooms locked.

If you've got questions, concerns or anything else to say, you can feel free to email me or call me.  OR, you can visit the Sunday School Blog and leave a comment.  That way we can all talk about whatever is on your mind.  Sunday School Blog:  www.saintpaulschatham.blogspot.com

See you all in the Parish Hall at 10am!

Questions, Concerns & Conversation 1/13/08