Lego My Bible: Lent 1B

Three baskets of Lego's, three children's Bible, several generations and coffee hour.
Today's lessons included Noah and Jesus 40 days in the wilderness.   You might notice several stages of Jesus' temptations.  Then you might notice that Noah now has a drone craft instead of a dove. 

Join us next week for more Lego my Bible!

Ash Wednesday Prayer Centers

The practice of repentance and confession isn't just for adults.  Even young children can name things they do and say that keep them from being who they are supposed to be.  Beginning the season of Lent with Ash Wednesday practices is an ancient practice that has nurtured Christian formation for over a thousand years.   However, we also know that family schedules are difficult to negotiate.   So in 2015, on February 18th we will offer several self guided Ash Wednesday prayer stations. 

These centers/stations will include:

• the Burning of Sins, 
• Ashes to Go
• Biblical Story and
• Weaving of prayers.  

These stations are come-and-go as you need, they do not need to be encountered in any particular order, and they do not require the ability to read.  That said they are meaningful for people of all ages.  The prayer stations will be open after school until just before the evening liturgy.

Ash Wednesday Youth & Family Prayer Stations
3-6.30pm                     18 February 2015

St. Paul's Episcopal Church
303 Catherine Street Walla Walla, Washington
www.stpaulsww.org

40 Pins for Lent

Forty days and forty nights.  Lent is approaching quickly.  Several sources have offered word-a-day projects or hashtag-a-day systems for your Lenten practice.  This set of 40 pins are simply starters for your creative response.  There are enough for 40 days, however many of us find that we have to seek and pray with these in two and three day stints. 

What do you do, how do you pin?  Remembering a bulletin board, but also refering to the social media platform Pinterest, to put a pin in something is to pick it up and place it so that you can come back to it.  Sometimes it is the creating and the searching that is the most important.  Other times it is looking at how the pinned responses play with each other. 

A pin could be any type of response.  Perhaps it is taking a photo, perhaps writing a journal entry, or maybe it serves as a meditation mantra.  You could research a quote or find some art that connects to the word.  40 pins for Lent is open ended, do what you want with them.  (Although if you desire a social media hashtag I suggest #40pins .)

The right 40 Pin set comes from the amazing and stunningly Lenten children's novel The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane.  I certainly hope that you might choose to pick up the novel as the season progresses, however it isn't necessary.  The words speak for themselves.  Younger readers may want to look up the definition of the word and create a response from their research. 

The left 40 Pin set comes from a poem by the Chilean Pablo Neruda titled 'The Wars'.   A startling defense of human life and an unsubtle critique of all forms of facism, the Wars is a provocative poem.  The word selection cannot help but weave itself with the narrative of Lent. 

 There are many resources available to enter a Holy Lent.  How can we help you find yours?

Amazing Lives: Godly Play Fall Schedule

Godly Play is a method we use for our 'Sunday School' at St. Paul's.  Godly Play is rooted in Montessori principles and is focused on helping young people grow in their relationship with God and learn the spiritual practices of the church.  

Our Godly Play class is open to all 3-year-olds through 5th graders.  It meets beginning at 9.15 am on Sundays.

This fall we will be focusing our explorations on some of the amazing lives of the Christian tradition: Biblical figures such as Joseph and Ruth, and historical holy men and women such as Patrick of Ireland and Teresa of Calcutta.  

Godly Play "shows children how to create meaning with wondering questions arising from the Christian language system. The parables are especially useful to stimulate the creative process, but the sacred stories and the liturgical action lessons are also needed to provide a place of safety to explore from and return to. Contemplative silence celebrates the wholeness of the relationship with God, which is more than language can articulate."

Berryman, Jerome W. 
Teaching Godly Play: How to Mentor the Spiritual Development of Children

Sept 7	No Class Yet….Ice Cream Social After the 10.30a Liturgy
14	The Great Family
21	Abraham
28	Sarah
Oct 5	Joseph
12	Jonah
19	No Sunday School due to Convention
26	Patrick
Nov 2	Julian
9	Teresa of Calcutta
16	Apostles
23	(TBA)…Advent Architects after the 10.30a Liturgy
30	Advent
Dec 7	Isaiah
14	Ruth
21	Mary
28	No Sunday School due to Winter Break

Resurrection Party: Easter Day Seek and Find without the Awful

Once upon a time I was in charge and the Easter Egg Hunt was an example of everything that church should not be.  Cheating, hoarding, not enough stuff for the choristers and acolytes.  I decided then and there to change this game.  After several incarnations I am proud to say I think I have the most lovely Easter day game.

This year St. Paul's will offer a
RESURRECTION PARTY after the 10.30 am Holy Eucharist on Easter Sunday (April 20).

There is seeking.  There is finding.  There is mission, justice and kindness.  There are surprise treasures.  However there will not be unsupervised candy.  Or hoarding.  Or wasteful junk.

If you would like to help supply the supplies and surprises...then read ahead...but if you have children..make sure they are nowhere nearby!!!!!

The Resurrection Party needs:

• 25+ animal shaped eggs, like ducky eggs, or metallic eggs.  (About $20 for the ducks or $10 for the metallic)
• 25+ living potted flowers
• 25+ Holy Trinity 'coins' that can be carried or strung on a string and worn.  These cost about $20, and JAG can tell you where to order them.
• If you dearly desire to donate candy it must be individually wrapped and have no nuts and not be chocolate.  How awful would it be for a guest child to be offered candy that he or she cannot eat?  (Candy will be at the 'finish line' where parent can supervise choices).

Yg Fingerpainting Project

We are beginning what will be a long process of evolving lower hall.  Eventually we hope to have it painted and furnished. 

For now we begin with a finger painting art project. 

If you know of a boy scout troop or other folks who need a service project...let Jag know!