News

Dear Families,

What a joy to have twenty-two children this past Sunday here at 4 Main Street.  Thank you to everyone who helped plan all of the events and engage the children.  We love our children and see them as the future not just of this church but this way of life, this understanding of what it means to live in love, gratitude, and service.  We hope to plant a seed with our kids not just so that they know the story of faith, but that they find joy in it and want to be part of it.

We have learned, and research supports, is how important it is for kids to be in worship (just like we did for Communion this past Sunday).  Many important things happen in worship.  Joy and laughter break out, parents shed tears over things of meaning and loss, music the likes of which they have never heard strike a chord in their hearts, habits like giving an offering take root as discipline and gift, and even a few words here and then find their way from a sermon or reading into hearts.

On the Second Sunday of the month – like the one coming up – we hold what we call intergenerational worship – kids stay a little longer in church (for about 35-40 minutes) and the music, activities, and parts of worship are not just aimed at them but designed for them to help lead. This includes responsive readings, liturgical acts, and collecting the offering.  If your child would like to have a role in worship, please email ce@stockbridgeucc.org so we can pick something that works for them.

For the last twenty minutes, the kids go to the classroom for a project that wraps it all up.  This week because of Advent we will be focusing on the decorations of the church and their meaning.  We will explore the greenery, the lights, and the colors in three separate short lessons finishing each with a fun song.  The close of worship for the adults will include a shorter reflection, some additional liturgy, and a hymn.

We don’t see it as a choice between worship or Sunday School because both are important for our kid’s development both in faith and life.  We hope you will take part and share your experience.  As a parent of a child myself, I know how hard it can be to balance things on a Sunday morning. I also want Jake to know the fullness of church.  Some day he will need to decide how he feels about this thing called faith.  While I hope he loves it, I want him to know it.  I want him to know the wonderfully safe, dynamic, enriching, and caring atmosphere of Sunday School.  I also want him to know the wonderfully safe, dynamic, enriching, and caring atmosphere of worship too.

Please call me with any questions, ideas, or concerns.  In gratitude,

Pastor Brent