Hello Families!

Relationships - that's what it is all about! We all know that spending time together is how we start to create a relationship with someone. The more time and fun/sharing/experiences we have together, the deeper our relationships can grow. That's why we have "playdates", "doggie socialization dates", "Mom's or Dad's Night Outs", "Date Nights with our partners", etc. It takes setting aside time and claiming that this relationship is important enough to me to commit to being intentional about spending time together.

That is what we do in Children's and Youth Ministries with all of the 'extra' activities outside of the 45 minutes of formation on Sundays. The Cumberland Island trip we just took with the 6th grade choir members (pics above), VBS in June, serving together at MAC, Threads, Church of the Common Ground, Emmaus House, or with Refugee Ministries, going on the Middle School Beach trip, Mission Trip or Pilgrimage, or coming together to play together on the playground on a Saturday - all of these provide incredible opportunities to get to know each other better.

So join us when we gather. Get to know other parents. Help your kids want to come to church because their friends are here. And we will grow in relationship with God and one another!

Peace,

Kathy

This Sunday, March 26

Nursery : 8:30-12:30

1st fl. of the Pritchett Center

Children's: gathering 8:45; service 9:00 - 9:30 and join parents in church

Church 2nd fl. of the Pritchett Center

Children's : 10:20-11:05

Formation 2nd fl. of the Pritchett Center

How to be the Adults Our Children Need

Speaker Elizabeth W. Corrie, Ph.D.

Professor in the Practice of Youth Education and Peacebuilding

Director of the Program in Religious Education

Candler School of Theology

Join us in Ellis Hall this Sunday, 10:20-11:05, to hear from Beth Corrie about her research and from our own Youth as they answered some questions we put to them last week. Whether you are a parent of a youth, child, infant, or not a parent at all - we need everyone in our faith community to know how to be in relationship with our younger saints. God calls us to listen to the children AND become like children.

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Palm Sunday is coming! Meet Lester the Donkey

Palm Sunday is April 2nd and Lester, the Jerusalem Donkey, will be here to help us celebrate. Come early for pictures with Lester - 8:15-8:45 on the grass in the Kennedy Courtyard. Then kids will lead the procession around our block waving palms, ringing noisemakers, and shouting Hosanna! In Hebrew, Hosanna is a cry of praise meaning "Pray, save us".

MAC Lent Food Drive

February 26-April 2

The Children's Ministries will be having a competition to see who can bring in the most canned goods for the MAC Lent Food Drive. So look for those BOGO deals as you shop and get a collection bag from church starting on Feb. 26th. Have your child bring their cans in on Sundays and we will weigh them and count them for their class. I will be sending out a Sign Up Genius for kids to pick a Sunday to hand out bags at 9:00 or 11:15 service. At the end of the collection, Club 45 will be carrying over all the collections and organizing them on the shelfs for MAC as their Faith in Action project for April.