Hello Families!

This Sunday will be Halloween! Children are welcome to wear their costumes to church if they would like AND we will be dressing as Saints and Superheroes the following week for All Saints’ Sunday (November 7). You can get your money's worth for that costume or switch it up and do a “what I find around the house” costume for All Saints’ Sunday. On November 7, we will process in with our costumed selves and banners of the saints before the service starts in church.

I actually love this time of year because we get to raise up and honor the saints from our faith and our life as we normally do at Halloween for Wonder Woman and Spiderman, celebrities and sports stars, YouTube influencers and TikTok choreographers! Don’t get me wrong – I love Halloween and dressing up too, but how cool would it be if our children (and us!) turned to find heroes and influencers from our own faith history each year also? If they saw the courage, commitment, and sacrifice of everyday folks like themselves whose superpower was their faith in God? How would that help root their own faith and their own call to be a saint?

It is so easy to get caught up being OF this world instead of being just IN this world. So easy with technology to know every detail about a celebrity or to get obsessed with a baseball players’ life. It is all right there in the news every day, but that is being OF this world. We are called to be IN this world, but not OF it. It requires effort and intention to turn our gaze to things of our faith, to spiritual learning, to looking for God.  

Here is your challenge for All Saints’ Day: Pick a saint, any saint and learn about them with your child. Lots have gory details to their deaths, so read before you present. You can pick a saint whose day is the same as your child’s birthday. Or a saint that is associated with your child’s interests. Or one that has the same name. Here are a few good websites to look for saints in these categories or just really weird saints!


Happy Halloween and Happy All Saints’ Day!

Kathy
This Sunday, October 31
Children's Church

  • 8:40 a.m. Gathering time
  • 9:00 a.m. Worship service
  • Masked and distanced

If it is 50 degrees or above, we will have Children’s Church outside for 30 minutes and then join you for Eucharist in church. If it falls below 50 degrees, I will leave a sign at the outdoor tent by the chapel steps saying “we have decided to follow Jesus indoors today!”  
 
  • Dress them for the outside: socks and shoes, a hat is great, gloves if their hands tend to be cold, long pants or leggings or joggers, and a good thick coat or jacket.
  • Leave time to drop off upstairs if it is too cold.
  • If we are indoors, we will not be singing. 

This also means that I need one or two adult volunteers each week as we used to do before Covid. Safeguarding God’s Children requires at least two adults with children at all times. Here is a Sign-Up Genius to sign up to help each Sunday >>
K-5th Grade Formation

  • 10:20 a.m.
  • Masked and distanced

We can be a little more flexible with whether we will be indoors or outdoors for formation since it may warm up some by 10:20 a.m. Our 2nd-5th graders especially seem to like being outdoors. And there are always adventures to be had outdoors, so please make sure they still dress for the weather and being outside.

When indoors, they will be spaced as close to three feet apart as possible and masked. Help us by reminding your kids to keep their distance and keep their masks on.
This Saturday: MAC Race for Midtown 5K Walk/Run
The MAC Race for Midtown is Back!

Saturday, October 30 at 8:30 a.m. in Piedmont Park

Join us for a 5K through Piedmont Park to benefit Midtown Assistance Center (MAC), one of our four core service ministries. MAC provides emergency assistance to help prevent homelessness and hunger.

The race course this year is once again inside the park; parking is available in the lot next to Park Tavern.

The cost is $35 per person; please sign up online.
All Saints Sunday: Saints as Superheroes and Supersheroes
All Saints' Day Procession

Sunday, November 7
Meet at 8:45 a.m. under the arcade

All Saints' Day is going to be a real party celebrating the heroes of our faith and our church's namesake. All kids are encouraged to find out about a saint from our faith and dress up as them for All Saints' Sunday. 

We will meet under the arcade before the 9:00 a.m. service, process in with the priests, and then go on out to Children's Church. Even if you don't dress up, come carry a saint's banner for us. If a couple of parents could walk with us, that would be great!

Note: The photo above is from 2019. We will be masked!
Reminders
Teachers

K-1st Leaders: Sarah Bryant, Kathy Compton, Laura Gandy, Anne Elzemeyer, Elinor Hitt, and Beth Frilingos
Curriculum: The Fruits of the Spirit

2nd-3rd Leaders: Danny Johnson, Sue Bess, Sintra Constant, Meg Fogel, Ashley Thompson
Curriculum: The Fruits of the Spirit

Club 45 Leaders: Jack Norton, Tim Frilingos, Julia Wilson, Steve Davis, Emily Pheil, Emi and Michael Gragnani (subs)
Curriculum: Connect
Schedule
K-1st and 2nd-3rd

10/31 Patience: Abraham trusts God 
11/7 Kindness: Good Samaritan 
11/14 Goodness: Zacchaeus 
11/21 Faithfulness:Daniel in Lion’s Den
11/28 Advent Adventure (no class)
12/5 Gentleness: Love your Enemies
12/12 Self-Control: David/Saul in Cave
12/19 Christmas Pageant (no class)
12/26 Sabbath Sunday (no class)
Club 45

10/31 Flood
11/7 Tower of Babel
11/14 Rewind Core Ministry
11/21 Covenant
11/28 Advent Adventure (no class)
12/5 Jacob & Esau
12/12 Jacob to Israel
12/19 Christmas Pageant (no class)
12/26 Sabbath Sunday (no class)
***Please Note Our Sabbath Sundays (No Children’s Formation)***
November 28, December 19, and December 26
Here are a few things that help make formation run smoothly for teachers:

  1. Know that your children will get a snack at the end of class and there are some traditions embedded here. Club 45 gets glazed doughnuts (so please tell your child NOT to get one before class). K-1st and 2nd-3rd will begin getting their favorite popcorn again (up to you about a donut before class, but they should finish it before coming to class). There will be water available in the courtyard and on the playground.
  2. Have your child go to the bathroom before joining class. Since bathrooms are a good bit away from their site, an adult has to go with the K-3rd graders.
  3. Please walk your child to their site for the next couple of weeks, so that we make sure they get to the right spot. A few were wondering around last week. By the end of October, only K-1st will need to be walked directly to tent and signed in by parents. The rest of the children can be watched from courtyard as they go to their site by then.
  4. Pick-up happens promptly at 11:05 a.m. as teachers need to clean up and leave. K-1st and 2nd-3rd parents should pick up kids from the site. Teachers may have something to share with you about the class and we want to make sure all kids have gotten back to their parents. Club 45 may meet parents in the courtyard.
Please Register for the 2021-22 Program Year

If you haven't already, please don't forget to register on Realm for Little Saints, Children's Ministries, and Children's Choirs.
Love to you all,
Kathy Roberts
Director of Children's Ministries
For more information contact Kathy Roberts