I am thinking today about the children at Allen Avenue. It has been good to visit the Religious Education groups during the 9 a.m. worship services while worship associates lead the congregation for joys and concerns, offering, and readings. Each visit has felt very short, maybe five or ten minutes at most. Sometimes we don't even finish the children's joys and sorrows time. But a couple of small incidents during the last few weeks make me realize that the visits have more impact than it might seem.
The week after a visit to one class of young ones, the child I had sat next to in the circle approached me to ask if he might light the chalice during worship. And after a visit to another group, a child saw me after the service and came up and gave me a hug. I am delighted at the way these simple visits draw me closer to our children.
And speaking of lighting the chalice--perhaps parents might like to know that I welcome requests from children to light the chalice. My usual routine is to ask a child who is in the sanctuary a little before worship begins. If your child would like to play that role, just come to church five to ten minutes early and ask. I try to give a turn to those who haven't done it a lot, but it doesn't always turn out that way.
It has been great to have new babies in our church community. Just so you know, UUs have a lovely ceremony called a Child Dedication that I am happy to arrange for infants of our members. We usually do it during the time of the lesson for all ages. We call the child by name, and bless them with water, the source of all life. We dedicate ourselves as parents and as a church community to help them grow into their fullness. Occasionally we also do a group dedication including older children who are new to our church. If you would like to know more about it, just send me an email at revmyke@a2u2.org.
As we enter the season perhaps most devoted to children, may all know joy, peace, and wonder.
Affectionately,
Rev. Myke
