Back to (Sunday) School

Sunday School
Hello families.  I miss you.  I miss kids running on ramps and teens clustered on couches.  I miss earnest faces during children's time and hands sneaking over the counter during fellowship time.  I miss youths who play offertory and who play with children in the nursery.  I also love when I see families sitting together for zoom worship, toddlers bobbing to music and when youth gather in back yards or let me take them for walks.

We all know that no part of church looks like what we expect it to.  That will include Sunday school this fall.  You can find my letter to families about Sunday school here.  You are also welcome to check out one of the features of faith formation this fall: a new website - smcfaithformation.org.

For "Un-gathered" Sundays school I created a regular rhythm for meeting in peer groups.  For fall we'll try this as a general practice (for September dates scroll down):

Rhythm for Sunday School (morning):
2nd Sunday: Youth
3rd Sunday: Middle Grade
4th Sunday: Children

Rhythm for Youth Zoom Meet-up (evening):
1st Sunday: Middle School
4th Sunday: High School

Home School
I suspect that many of us are anxious about our children's school experience at home.  I am.  I'm also trying to hold this lightly, while also trying to focus on gratitude for the many ways that I can be engaged and present with my kids and on opening myself to God's presence with us throughout this experience.  

I trust that God will be with your families as well, and offer you this blessing for all of you who are creating or re-establishing school zones in your homes.  As  beginning kindergartener, we're doing this for Orie for the first time.

A Blessing for the School Space Inside the Home
God we dedicate this space as a space for learning.
May our minds be quieted in this space.
May we be open to learning in this space.
May we be curious in this space.
Be with us each and every moment we come to our special learning place.
Amen

I found this along with other prayers and blessings for the school year from Traci Smith.

---

September 
Wed. Sept. 2
6:30 pm - Fall Formation Orientation for parents

Thurs. Sept 3 
7-9pm Middle School Back-Yard meet-up
​
Sun. Sept 6
9:30 am - worship
7:00 pm - HS Youth Back-yard Meet-up

Sun. Sept 13
9:30 am - worship
11:00 am - Sunday school: Youth

Sun. Sept 20
9:30 am - worship
11:00 am - Sunday school: Middle Grade
​
Sun. Sept. 27
9:30 am - worship
11:00 am - Sunday school: Children
7:00 pm - High School Meet-Up