For the next several weeks, Children's Ministry is providing families with an At-Home/Virtual Vacation Bible School program from Illustrated Ministry called Compassion Camp. This program is designed to help families explore what it means to have compassion for others, ourselves, and the world.

Each family should have received a package containing a Family Pack of short readings and reflections along with simple activities using basic materials found in your home as well as some we provided. If you did not receive a packet or need additional materials, please email Mary Beth Tipton. We are limited by copyright restrictions to what we may share online but we may email some files directly to families for personal use only.

Compassion Camp is designed to be used at your convenience. The intro letter explains the components of Compassion Camp and offers ways to use the materials. It is intended to be flexible, adaptable, and fun for the entire family. Each session includes:

We hope that your family enjoys this unique way to focus on compassion and connect with our faith. Please share feedback and pictures with us as you explore Compassion Camp. You may send photos to Amy Zimmerman via email or text 314-960-3474.

This week Miss Kate reads the book Butterflies on the First Day of School written by Annie Silvestro and illustrated by Dream Chen. This book tells the story of Rosie on her first day of kindergarten. Rosie is excited, but a little bit nervous, too. Kate Goldkamp has been a member of St. Michael and St. George for nine years and is a curatorial assistant at Washington University Libraries.

Please join us Wednesday, July 29, at 5 pm via Zoom as mother and daughter authors Irene and Nicole Franklin read their book, Ella's Sunday Song.

Ella's Sunday Song tells the story of six-year-old Ella, who is set to perform as the soloist in her church on Sunday. During the short trip from her grandmother's lap to her choir director's piano, Ella realizes she has to break a code in order to hit all the right notes. This children's picture book introduces the Spiritual, a musical art form that emerged from centuries of slavery in the United States. Following the reading, Irene and Nicole will play of video of a Spiritual performance and will take questions from participants.

Mother/daughter authors Irene and Nicole Franklin are members of a family of artists who cover music, dance, film, writing, and photography. Both Irene and her husband, journalist Donald E. Franklin, also had careers as educators. Irene Franklin is a retired public school music teacher and spent many decades teaching private piano lessons while working as a choir director for the Archdiocese of St. Louis. Nicole Franklin is an award-winning filmmaker also from St. Louis. Her work includes The Double Dutch Divas!, Journeys in Black: The Jamie Foxx Story, Gershwin & Bess: A Dialogue with Anne Brown, the film series Little Brother, and the recently released TITLE VII. Nicole is a university professor in television production and spent her career between Los Angeles and New York working as a news video editor on national broadcasts for NBC, ABC, and CBS television.

Please join us for this unique opportunity. All registered participants will receive an emailed Zoom invitation on Tuesday, July 28. Please direct questions to Mary Beth Tipton.

For those interested in learning more about talking with children about race and racism, New York Public Radio station WNYC presented a Safe Space Radio Special in June providing perspectives from parents, teens, and experts.