Its ugly head reared itself in 1983. The roots were undoubtedly already there but in 1983 the weed began to grow. Mine is a common weed with a common name – FEAR. Some background might be helpful. In 1978 I was called to be co-pastor of a church plant in downtown St. Louis. It was in a neighborhood that makes St. Elmo seem like living on Lookout Mt. – in the really nice section. 30 of us moved into this neighborhood. Around 1982 we were able to buy a building. But by 1983 cracks in my relationship with the session were becoming evident. A large part of the problem was that I did not know what I was doing. The other part of the problem was that I was pastor of a church that a church trouble-shooter told me was one that no one could pastor. Not knowing what to do I resigned as pastor in 1984.
It was hard and disappointing and I thought I had dealt with it. But that is the way of hurts and disappointments and sorrows – they can burrow down and lie dormant until the time is ripe and then they erupt. And I am convinced that my feeling stressed and tired is a manifestation of this fear that lay under the surface. I do not want to ever feel the pain I did in 1983-4. So I try to protect myself and keep everything safe and secure. It’s a losing battle and takes its toll.
So September was a time to regroup and repent. Especially to repent of attempts at self-protection - trusting self instead of God. I wanted to share this because I think it is good that you know where I struggle so that you can pray for me. In addition, I know that I am not alone. We are a community of people who bear scars and hurts and fears. That is one of the reasons we are called into community – so that we will have a place where God can care for us as we proclaim the Gospel to one another and to those around us. We need to hear it – and often. I know I do. Because as we hear and believe the Gospel, as its good medicine is applied to our wounds, then we can serve and give ourselves to one another and the world around us; which, after all, is the reason we are here.
]]>Then join us Sunday for a potluck lunch at 11:45am in the new fellowship hall. Everyone should bring a main course for 10-12 and also a salad, vegetable or dessert to share. Beverages supplied. Students and visitors, come as you are!
Click here for the details about the concert and the potluck.
]]>What I love about this book is that it taps into basic human needs for all people, not just little ones and their parents. It is truly a book about relationships of all kinds, but obviously focuses on the specific relationship between parents and their children.
Dr. Kimmel helps to bring into focus our specific needs as humans and addresses how we parents can respond to those needs. I’ve always known that God is my father, but I never really saw that what he was showing me was actual parenting. Using the large picture of God’s grace, Dr. Kimmel encourages us to be like God has been for us as we relate to our children. This new insight opened my eyes to the other relationships in my life, with my husband, my siblings, my parents and my friends too.
This is no parent “how-to” book. What a relief! No check lists that get guiltily set aside. It is not simplified into an “if you could just do this…” approach to dealing with your children. More than anything, it was an encouragement that got me excited about my call to be a mom, a spouse, a daughter, a friend, and a sister.
If you would like to get the book before I teach the class I found it at Amazon: Grace Based Parenting-set your family free by Dr. Tim Kimmel
]]>Although we might be few in number, the SEPC Youth Group does not disappoint in a beautiful overflow of personality, creativity, empathy and a desire to gain knowledge and understanding of God’s love for us as brothers and sisters in Christ. We are learning how we, as Christians, see ourselves fitting into our environment and what we have to give. Each of our walks varies a great deal in personality, but as a group I have been encouraged by the unity we have found as a church family. We are flawed and we are sinners, but we are striving to seek God in all things. Please pray that Stephen and I will hear the wisdom that God is trying to impart to us as we lead. We are quite new to this but we feel that it is where God intends us to be.
To aid in the growth of our group, we have dedicated the first Saturday of every month as a group service day. We began with SEPC needs in order to build commitment and accountability but will continue to expand our reach into the community. We have had a ‘deep cleaning’ day of the church nursery, organized games and activities for the Sunday School Fall party, assisted in the church work day with general upkeep repairs, provided Christmas gifts for a mother and daughter through Bethany Christian Services and made dinner for the Interfaith Homeless Ministry families, to name a few.
The High School meets every Wednesday night from 6:00 - 7:30pm for dinner at our home, and occasionally a restaurant, for fellowship, dinner and prayer. It is very informal but I believe beneficial in building a relationship with one another. The more high school youth, the merrier; I just ask that you RSVP to me so that I can know how much food to prepare and how to update you of our weekly plans. The Middle School Youth Group will soon meet under similar circumstances, but we have yet to figure out a good time and place to do so. Any suggestions or volunteers would be greatly appreciated!
On Sunday evenings we meet at SEPC from 6:00 until 7:30pm. Sarah usually leads the High School; Stephen takes the Middle School. We meet separately for the first hour for a lesson and discussion. Then we typically meet for a time of group prayer, a snack and a game of some sort.
More specifically, the High School has focused on how we, as Christians, can best live in a secular society by studying a book called, Eyes Wide Open, Looking for GOD in Popular Culture by W. Romanowski. This study will inform our planned viewing of the film, The Dark Knight, in the near future. Fellow SEPC member, Glen Stegall, who holds a Masters in Film Studies*, will lead us in a discussion of the film from a Christian perspective. (A specific date and time will be announced soon!) We will be picking back up where we left off before the holidays with C.S Lewis’s thought-provoking book, The Screwtape Letters.
The Middle School has been focusing on knowing God’s Will through prayer, Scripture, the Holy Spirit and fellow believers as well as accepting God’s grace. Stephen has been known to encourage them to act things out a time or two and keeps things fun for our small group of 4 Middle School boys that we typically have in attendance.
If you are in or approaching 6th-12th grade, here are a few things that you can expect from us:
There is more but I will stop at that. Hopefully I have tempted you enough to come and check out the good things that we have going on. If you should want to be a part of this there is always an open door as well as a need for volunteers. Thanks for reading!
]]>On your scheduled Sunday, make sure you are in the nursery about 15 minutes prior to the service starting. More than likely there will be some children already there; if you’re working in the 11am service you are going to inherit the leftovers from the Sunday school hour whose parents do not plan to reenter the room in order to avoid separation anxiety-induced tears. Jack Shepard and Josh and Corinne Mather are my wonderfully faithful nursery Sunday school teachers and will be a good resource to get you up to speed on who is there, who is staying and who is ready to go home for a nap. Before the Sunday school teachers or any other transient adults leave, make sure you know the names of the children, that they have a name tag and check the sign-in sheet to find out what accessories they might have come with. Ask parents who arrive after you to sign in their child and then help them clip a nametag on the child’s back.
During the Sunday services the nursery facilities consist of 3 adjoining rooms and an enclosed, outdoor play area. On either side of the “toddler” room are the “baby” room and the 2 year-old Sunday school room. The baby room has a changing station, a sink, a crib and a rocking chair. It is a good place to take babies who are crying, need to be laid down or just need a quieter place to play without getting stepped on by older children. The Sunday school room, which has a table and chairs, is a good place for toddlers to sit and read or do puzzles. All 3 of these rooms, as well as the area outside, are meant to be used and enjoyed by our children. So open those doors, turn on the lights and don’t feel like you need to crowd 10-15 kids into a single room! You, as a volunteer nursery worker, have the authority and responsibility to use any and all of these facilities as you deem necessary for the health and well-being of the children under your care. Be more than a babysitter. Read, sing and talk about God with our covenant children.
Snacks are available in the top, left-hand cabinet in the baby room. If you notice that supplies are running low, please let me know when you see me, or just jot a little note on the bottom of the sign-in sheet. Be sure to check the black, 3-ring notebook in case parents have indicated a food preference or allergy. You might declare snack time about half-way through the service. That would typically necessitate a “wipe-up” time since 1 and 2 year-olds are not very neat eaters. While you have a relatively still and captive audience it might be a good opportunity to do a diaper check/bathroom break. Checking diapers may mean just following your nose or looking for wet pants. Change any that need it – guidelines for diaper changing are posted above the diaper changing station in the baby room and in the bathroom above the flip down changing station.
Please try to keep all doors to the hallway closed, and be careful that children do not leave without adult supervision. Tell parents about their child’s time in the nursery. If a child has had a toy in his/her mouth, please place that toy in the sink in the baby room. Put the rooms in order before you leave and sprits large toys and other surfaces with the blue sanitizing liquid in the spray bottles. The sanitizing spray should be on the sink in the baby room and in the bathroom in the toddler room.
I really appreciate this church body’s willingness to serve and its faithful commitment to the covenant vows made to the children of our congregation. I hope this information is helpful to those of you who might feel overwhelmed at the idea of serving in the nursery. I have worked with many of you in the nursery and know that, on the whole, you are confident and capable individuals who enjoy opportunities to spend time with the wonderful little people God has blessed us with. Thank you!
Special Winter Note to Parents:
It is cold and flu season and there are several families in our church with vulnerable newborns. Please be mindful of the health of the entire church body and do not leave your child in the nursery if he or she has any symptoms of a contagious illness. Thanks.
]]>Let’s first ask about our motives. Are we worried that the people around us think that we are bad parents? Are we wanting our children to respect others? Although these motives are not terrible ones, how can we redirect our motives to ones that are Kingdom building? I want to encourage us to ask questions like, how can my children glorify God during church? How can what I allow and not allow help my children to know Jesus more? How can I help my children to become active members of this church body? I thought of several ideals that I hope to keep in mind as we participate in the weekly ritual of worship and wrestle with our motives. Hopefully, they will help us to keep a Godly focus when we struggle with what to do for that hour with our children.
Set apart
It is important that our children understand that this one hour in the week is set apart. It is other. Other than what we live during the week. Different than the school day, different than waiting at the doctor, different than visiting at a friends house.
Quiet
Even though people are talking, singing and reading together doesn’t mean that it isn’t quiet. Quiet is also a state of the heart. Quiet allows space for God dealing with your heart. Believe me, even if my kids are respecting my worship space, it doesn’t mean that my heart is quiet. It is definitely something that needs to be exercised and everyone needs to work together to allow that to happen. It needs to be understood that it is the ideal.
Respect
Children need to respect the adults around them. That sounds trite and old-fashioned I suppose. Our children need to respect what we are doing. In that way, they can glorify God with their abilities. They do have the ability to not think of themselves first, they just need some convincing. The more children understand this concept, the better perspective they have of putting themselves under the authority of our mighty God when they affirm their baptism.
Participation
Working towards these ideals would hopefully produce participation. Have high expectations for your little ones. If they are reading, they can sing along with the hymns and read along with the responsive texts. Allow them a bulletin so that they can own what is happening. Bring a notebook so that they can jot down what they hear. Will they draw pictures? Probably, but with encouraging and nurturing along the way, who’s to say that the pictures can’t be from a response to the service or just their way of respecting your space?
You know your family. You know your motives. The way that we all as parents flesh this out is going to look different. I am here to encourage you to ask the right questions about your expectations for your children and concentrate on the important things, not what we all might think. Remember, we are all in this together. Let’s help each other gain perspective and encourage one another.
]]>The magi, as you know, were wise men – wonderfully wise men – who brought gifts to the Babe in the manger. They invented the art of giving Christmas presents. Being wise, their gifts were no doubt wise ones, possibly bearing the privilege of exchange in case of duplication. And here I have lamely related to you the uneventful chronicle of two foolish children in a flat who most unwisely sacrificed for each other the greatest treasures of their house. But in a last word to the wise of these days let it be said that of all who give gifts these two were the wisest. O all who give and receive gifts, such as they are wisest. Everywhere they are wisest. They are the magi.
“Two foolish children in a flat who most unwisely sacrificed for each other the greatest treasures of their house.” This brings to mind Tim Keller who, in his new book The Prodigal God (better known as the story of The Prodigal Son), writes:
The word ‘prodigal’ does not mean ‘wayward’ but, according to Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, ‘recklessly spendthrift.’ It means to spend until you have nothing left. This term is therefore as appropriate for describing the father in the story as his younger son. The father’s welcome to the repentant son was literally reckless, because he refused to ‘reckon’ or count his sin against him or demand repayment. This response offended the elder son and most likely the whole community.
In this story the father represents the Heavenly Father Jesus knew so well. St. Paul writes: ‘God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not reckoning to them their trespasses’ (2 Corinthians 5:19 – American Standard Version). Jesus is showing us the God of Great Expenditure, who is nothing if not prodigal toward us, his children. God’s reckless grace is our greatest hope, a life-changing experience….
This Advent season we celebrate this reckless grace - an act that would seem so foolish to some. But to those who have eyes to see, a gift of great love.
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