Creative tension: reForm

Two stories, two styles. One much more orderly, one more an illustration seeking to locate us within the mud and rivers of the fertile crescent. St. Paul's has wisely invested in the Godly Play method and materials for young children. However holy playfulness doesn't end as we live and grow. It is an important part of any relationship:with each other, with the community and even our traditions. Not a frivolous destructive leisure, but a creative interaction with God's will for his people.

This week in reForm we played a bit with the multiple origin stories of Genesis. How they reflect different intentions and styles, how they mesh fairly well with the contemporary story told by scientific discovery. One of the benefits of lifelong participation in a fun and smart church setting is being able to play with our setting, to play with joy and holiness. If getting up and out on a dreary morning when the Seahawks were playing was hard...here is what you missed.

This week in Godly Play featured the Great Flood.  If you look at the stuff marketed towards children and featuring Noah's Ark you would think it was a cute and cuddly story. However it is a deep and dark story about learning to live with one another; about what is important and what is not; and a story about getting so upset that you hurt something you love.  Children know all about that last bit.  Part of growing into a mature relationship with God and his people is learning to not 'throw the baby out with the bathwater'.

Lastly...if you are a pinterest pinner...we now have a pinterest page.  Just follow the link from the images in this post!

Looking for last Sunday's Sermon?

Did you miss the service this Sunday?  This is the link to last Sunday's sermon on JAG's personal blog page.  It also has various musings and older sermons.

"Greed, love, passion, want. These feelings make us want to clutch and grab and hold and lock things up. Greed and passion and want These feelings lead us into the sins that our friend Amos today was yelling about. Greed and hold and clutch and panic. That is not how Jesus lived, and not how he calls his disciples, how he calls you and me to live. Blessed the bread, broke the bread and he did what?"

"This parable is about what are you going to do, when everything else is pushed out of view. This is a kingdom parable; a reign of God parable, a radical invitation to the last things."

 Proper 20, Year C, RCL Track 2

 

YG Schedule Flip: October!

In October there will be a small change to the YGroup schedule.

• Oct 16 is now a Crash Course on Tools with Ernie Cambell!  (JAG will be out of town!)  
• Oct 23 will now be Whedon Wednesday with an episode of Angel.

Tonight: Crash Course: Fire!  If you have dry firewood...bring it along.  6-8pm @ StP WW

Crash Course: Fire!

This Wednesday Youth Group is focusing on FIRE.

Real fire, making real fire (without lighter fluid) and safety and extinguishing.

All with the company of the fire department!

To make this work I need some dry fire wood!  Preferably smaller than larger (we don't need to be here all night), and a mix of sizes of wood.  If you can help email me janeg at stpaulsww.org  as soon as possible.






The rains held off just enough to meet with the WWFD and make a fire and inside-out s'mores. 

Merry Monday Morning

• All St. Paul's 6-12th graders are invited to join our first MYSTERY TRIP.  Mystery Trip is Oct 11-12.  If your teen can attend, please fill out the form (here) asap.

• This Sunday after worship we will be having a Sweet Youth Suite Clean up.  It needs a good fall cleaning, and possibly some rearranging.  We will start at 12 noon and finish at 1pm; lunch will be available.  

• Mark your calendars for all youth to participate in the Scholarship Soiree as table servers!  Oct 13th; all evening.

Community, Truthiness, Robin Hood, Firefly and how it all began..

Do you know Vibrant Faith?  They ask a very important question this week: what would life be like for you if your biggest problem evaporated?

A reminder to fill out the formation form if you have munchkins at home and are interested in youth, children and family ministry at St. Paul's.

Youth Group this Wednesday is the first amazing 'Whedon Wednesday' featuring an episode of the far to short series: Firefly.  This episode is carefully chosen and appropriate for all youth.  We will also be thinking about Robin Hood and how to paint a four square court.

Youth Sunday School will feature the provocative question..is the Bible true and even more so...what is true?

Godly Play this week will feature the Creation story.

A Lost Sugar Tower and Lost Coins

To illustrate the parable of the lost coin the Reverend hid three single dollar bills in the side chapel and invited the children to find them.  They looked and looked.  In the same places, repeatedly.  The stack of liturgical cloth in the window must have been looked through a dozen times.  The children looked under cushions and under chairs, but rarely stopping long enough to look through the hundred or so prayer books and hymnals that reside in the small chapel.  It was a parable in motion.

I also want to mention how carefully they looked; approaching the brass with awe and honor, carefully looking through the altar book.  When a cloth went astray, another child would come behind and straighten it.  If you are not familiar with the Godly Play method, then you may not see what I saw.  That attention to detail; that careful concern for the space...that comes from our love for the space; but also from what they learn in the Montessori based Sunday School method we are so blessed to offer. 

We began the regular schedule of Sunday morning formation for all ages today.  The youngest children returned to Godly Play and the youth class began a new program: reForm.  Today's question..who wrote the Bible (and how and when and where) included the metaphor of building a tower, a group project with a  wide variety of materials.  The green apple licorice was left out of the process because it tasted shallow.  The candy corn was left out because the builders have a considerably biased view of marvelous fresh fall candy corn.  Yet the master let them choose as they were inspired (and enjoyed the candy corn).


After the lesson, but having nothing to do with the lesson at all, the reForm group was offered the chance to burn their tower down..to which the response was decidedly chipper  The flag was removed, and then the tower was carried outside to the fire-pit.  Where it burned down.  And was a great joy to all. 

See y'all next week!

First Fall Youth Group: Wild Water Balloons

First Fall Youth Group

was September 11

it was a case of

 Wild Water Balloons

· Find the registration form that i mentioned right here!!!

?’s: Jane Gober  janeg at stpaulsww.org

See y'all next week!

A Very Good Sugar Filled Darling First Day of the Fall Program Year

We had a tremendous amount of fun today at St. Paul's.  Cupcakes and gizmos aplenty.  Ministries and coffee galore. 

Fine Selection of Treasures at the Rummage Finale

We are making terrific progress cleaning out our lower level rooms.  Part of which means ending our era in the rummage business. 

The final items, many of which are fine and amazing, will be available for whatever donation you care to make, this Sunday, September 8 from 8.30 till 12.30 in Lower Hall.  www.stpaulsww.org

Online Formation Form for Sunday School and Youth Group

Hi there.
This Sunday is the ministry fair.  This form can be filled out there, but it can also be filled out now.  Right where you are.  It will take no time at all!

This is the online registration form for Sunday morning formation for children and youth and Wednesday Youth Group for youth.


This will help JAG have current contact information for all families. 

Thanks.

Fall Youth Events - Spokane Diocese

Leadership Retreat and New Beginnings: Oct. & Nov.

The Leadership Retreat for grades 9-12 will occur on Oct. 18th 5:00pm - Oct. 20th 12:30pm. The retreat is scheduled for the weekend of Diocesan Convention at St. John's Cathedral 127 E. 12th Ave, Spokane, WA 99202. Participants will be trained to fill leadership roles for the T.E.C. and New Beginnings youth events.  

In order to lead at T.E.C. or New Beginnings participation in the Leadership Retreat is required.

New Beginnings, set to take place Nov 15-17th for grades 6th-8th, will explore and strengthen the participants journey with Christ through peer lead discussions, skits and topical talks. This weekend is also held at St. John's Cathedral, Spokane. Previous attendees may attend as Team Leaders.

For more information on any of our Diocesan Youth Events please contact: Colin Haffner (colinh@spokanediocese.org) or Michelle Klippert (mmklip@comcast.net) Or, for other youth event information check out the youth page on the diocesan website www.spokanediocese.org/youth