But Jesus called for them and said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs.’ —Luke 18:16
Dear friends,
I am writing to you today to ask for your support for children’s ministry at St. John’s.
If you have been to church on a Sunday since the beginning of Advent, or at the early service on Christmas Eve, you have seen more children here than since before the Covid pandemic. They have brought with them a sense of new beginnings, of vitality and joy, that has been elusive during these difficult times. But, of course, their parents and grandparents are bringing these children to St. John’s not only to offer the gift of their presence to the rest of us, but so they can receive something as well—the gift of formation in faith and community. It is an inspiration to me personally to know that this is something that still matters to these families, and that our congregation and tradition is one that they wish to influence their lives. I hope we can be faithful in responding to the calling that this represents for us.
Children’s ministry has been a vital part of our mission at St. John’s during the twelve years I have been in Petaluma. Thanks to a long list of dedicated leaders, we have had a modest but robust program of children’s formation, with Godly Play and Connect Sunday school, a youth Acolyte ministry, and special events like Advent Wreath-making and Candlemas candle-making Soup Suppers, Christmas pageants, Easter egg hunts, a Michaelmas Pageant, and children’s choir presentations. We have also sponsored or hosted outreach programs for children and youth in the wider community, such as Boy Scout troops and the Petaluma Children’s Chorus. Most recently, our leadership in the Afghan Allies Project has had a direct impact on the lives of refugee children and youth making a home in a strange new country.
We can be justifiably be proud of all this good work we have done. My own daughter, now a 1st-year university student, grew up in this rich environment and took full advantage of it. I am grateful for its influence on the kind of person she is, and is becoming. Now, in a time of an aging membership and diminished resources, we face the challenge of rebuilding our children’s ministry, almost (though not quite entirely) from scratch. It won’t be easy, or happen overnight, but I fervently hope we won’t shrink from the challenge. The children who have come to church in the last months, and their families, need our help. Because they also have challenges.
The impact of the events of the past three years has been difficult, even traumatic, for children and parents. Many of you reading this know this well because of your direct involvement in caring for your own families. I want to commend you for that unsung and sacrificial labor of love. You understand perfectly that no one can do this work alone. No one expects that coming to St. John’s will meet all a child’s needs. But it is fair to ask, and a compliment of a kind, that parents should hope that this will be a place where those needs are understood, appreciated, and held with compassion and concern.
There is one need our children have which we, as a congregation, are able to meet in a way that no other place can. We have stories. Stories that do more than entertain and instruct: stories that we inhabit, in an infinitely deep and densely-woven world of story, embodied in rituals and hymns, scripture and symbol, art and architecture; stories embedded in cyclical patterns of seasons, fasts, and feasts, and the actual, living historical journey of the people of God. These stories also inhabit us, and shape us from the inside out in reverence and wonder, puzzlement and struggle, forming our creative response to the mystery of our shared existence. And because children naturally live in a world of stories, they can help us grown-ups stay connected to that world, and the gifts it holds for our lives. Maybe that is one reason why Jesus, master story-maker that he is, teaches that it is to children, and those like them, that the Kingdom of God belongs.
Since before my arrival at St. John’s, our signature program for children has been our Godly Play Sunday school. This is a way of sharing the stories of Christian tradition that invites children to make them their own, to wonder about them, to work and play with them, and find themselves in them. It is a humane approach, that respects the child’s innate capacity for religious meaning and experience. I found, while leading a revival of Godly Play at my previous parish of All Saints’, Carmel, that the practice also forms a strong sense of community among the children who regularly participate. It establishes a foundation for all the other ministry we do with children in the church.
We need your help to sustain and grow our Godly Play program. There are three main ways you can give your support:
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Volunteer in the Godly Play room. The program is designed for a team of two adult leaders, each in a distinct role—the Door person and the Storyteller. Anyone can learn to do both, and we need more volunteers to complete the schedule of stories we have planned for the remainder of the school year. Volunteers must complete some simple on-line training modules for prevention of child abuse, and an automated background check. If you would like to know more or offer to help, please contact me.
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Volunteer to organize. You may not be interested in working with the children directly, but still have organizational and administrative skills you can lend in support. We need a volunteer for a couple of hours a week to manage communications, scheduling, and other administrative aspects of the children’s ministry program. Again, I would love to talk with you if you’re interested.
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Donate. The Godly Play teaching materials are a fundamental part of the classroom experience, and the best ones are simple, sturdy, and beautiful. Some of our lesson materials are old and in need of an upgrade, and your contribution to St. John’s earmarked “Godly Play” will help us to supply our teachers and students with the high quality materials they deserve.
Thank you for taking the time to read this message, and for your consideration for Children's ministry at St. John's. It a matter that is dear to my heart and, as I’m sure you will agree, vital to the ministry and future of our church.
Yours in Christ,
Daniel+
