Weekly Clergy Letter From Mother Emma Brice

Dear Friends in Christ,

 

School is starting – can you believe it? On Monday morning, many of our children and youth will return to the rhythm of early mornings and busy schedules. At church, we will mark this transition by offering blessings to students and teachers on Sunday morning and by collecting donations of school supplies for our food pantry.

 

But, for me, the start of school foretells the coming of the program year here at Grace Church. In a few short weeks we will return to the rhythms of Sunday Morning Formation Hour for kids pre-school to 12th grade, regular Youth Nights for middle and high schoolers, and special family events for all ages – like the beloved Llamapalooza on September 14th.

 

Some traditions will stay the same, but some will change this year. One big change is that lay leaders (both youth and adult) are stepping up to lead and guide our children and youth formation programs. This Sunday marks the first meeting of the Adult Advisory Council and the Youth Council. These two teams will work together to reflect on the past, current, and future needs at Grace Church and to better align our children’s and youth programming to meet those needs. I am very eager for this collaborative model, and I have full confidence in these teams!

 

Another exciting change is that a team of teachers has spent this summer reimagining the Sunday morning curricula for our 4th-12th graders. The 4th/5th grade class will explore beyond the Godly Play stories by becoming Bible detectives, investigating stories from new angles.

 

The middle and high schoolers will gather in two groups – one for grades 6-8 and one for grades 9-12. We are transitioning to just two groups (instead of three) so that there are enough youth present each week for good discussions. Each group will dive deeper into learning about the Bible, Jesus, and Christianity. We will be employing new curricular resources because many of the old lesson plans are a little too lecture-heavy for 9:40am on a Sunday. This shift is the result of surveys completed by our youth last spring, in which they asked to learn more about God and the Bible, rather than casual check-ins. We will of course still have lots of fun on Sunday mornings, but I’m excited to dive into the deeper questions our youth have.

 

As with any changes, there will be some level of experimentation and learning as we go, but I am thrilled for the road ahead. None of our program year offerings would be possible without the incredible volunteer teachers and parents. If you enjoy hanging out with high schoolers and might want to join them in their Sunday morning explorations, please reach out to me! We’d love to have you!

 

Stay tuned for more details about the program year in weeks to come!

 

Blessings,

Mother Emma+