VBC: Day 5

Howdy, partners! "Farmer" Trista here!

Welcome back to our last beautiful day of Vacation Bible Camp where we Taste and See that God is good!  Today we learned that little in the hands of Jesus turns to plenty and when others are hungry, God provides through us.

Although the adults and volunteers were a little sluggish as we made our way into the nave this morning, by the time we sang our opening songs and danced around a bit, we were all filled with the joy of the Lord!  Music and movement are certainly gifts from God!

During music time, Miss Jessica continued working on our songs for Sunday's Mass on the Grass.  We're very excited to sing, "Taste and See" as well as the "Call to Love" (a.k.a. "The Love Round").  We've been working very hard on all of our songs and are looking forward to sharing them with you all!

In recreation, we joined hands and worked together.  Trying to run as a group, we stretched out and linked up with other groups to form larger and larger blobs until everyone had a place to be.  Blob tag is a pretty wild game, which is probably why we all love it!

During the art rotation, we made pine cone bird feeders.  Spreading pine cones with shortening then rolling it in bird seeds was messy work for sure, but we were all excited to take them home and hang them in our trees.  We know that birds are part of God's good creation and we want to provide for them too.  Many of us considered putting the pine cone in the freezer and saving it until the wintertime when the birds don’t have much to eat.  

When we were finished with our pine cone feeders, we joined Miss Rachel at another table and decorated a special frontal for the altar.  Our hands were painted and we pressed them on the cloth in groups which formed the shapes of hearts.  We are delighted to give something special to the people of St Thomas who have given us so  much!

For our outreach time today, Miss Tami showed us how to bake bread for communion.  We made many loaves!  Everyone loved kneading the dough, seeing how it looks before and after rising, and shaping it into beautiful circles.  The scent of baking bread filled the great hall and spilled out into the close, tantalizing taste buds and making mouths water.  Between the smell of bread baking and the sight of our delightful snacks which have been prepared each day by our precious Miss Kim, everyone felt like we were at home on a special occasion.

In story time, our fantastic teens acted out the Feeding of the Multitudes.  We remembered that Jesus was able to feed a huge number of people from the simple gifts of one little boy who shared his lunch.  And we talked about what it might have been like for all of those people who were so hungry after listening to Jesus tell stories and talk about God all day. 

 

Chapel time helped to bring everything that we've studied this week together.  Mother Karen asked us questions about all of the stories and everything we did in VBC this week.  Our answers showed that we have been able to see ourselves in the Bible stories and we talked about the different ways God can use our gifts of food, clothing, toys and money and God can multiply it all.  We really like to share what we have, and we know that God uses us to provide for others!

As we wrapped up our time together, Mother Karen brought us all into the close to chase bubbles and to dance around in the sunshine.  What a gift!  We were delighted by the bubbles and the sun, and then we all held hands and took time to say thank you to God for the many blessings we've received this week.

What are you thankful for today?  Please lift prayers of thanksgiving for a very blessed VBC this week, and prayers of joy for the volunteers, our staff, and everyone who helped to make this such a wonderful time.  Lift prayers of thanksgiving for all of the children who blessed us all so much!

And now, as we wrap up the daily posting from our VBC, receive this blessing, which Mother Karen spoke over all of us at the beginning of each new day:

God bless your eyes: 
May you see what is
May you truly listen to the needs of others and to what God desires for you.

God bless your mouth:
May your words be kind and may you always speak truth in love.

God bless your hands:
May you use them to create beauty and to help others.

God bless your heart:
May you offer love generously and receive love happily from others.

God bless your mind:
May you always know you are dearly loved by God no matter how hard things might seem.

You are absolutely precious to God. And to all of us.
Always, always you are blessed!
So go and be a blessing in the world!  

Thanks be to God!

VBC: Day 4

Howdy, partners! "Farmer" Trista here!

Welcome back to another beautiful day of Vacation Bible Camp where we Taste and See that God is good!  Today we learned that when we are hungry, God provides.

The kiddos filtered in a little more slowly today and were a little sleepy first thing in the morning, but after a rousing round of "This is the Day that the Lord has made" and "I am My Beloved's", everyone was much more awake.  Through our morning liturgy, we all thanked God for all the ways in which God provides.  We said a prayer, received a blessing from Mother Karen and were sent to our rotation stations.

In story time, our precious youth acted out the provision of Manna in the Wilderness.  The Israelites were very hungry and grumbled against Moses for bringing them out into the desert, but after Moses prayed, God provided Manna for them all to eat.  One of the powerful messages from this passage is that if we hoard, our provisions will go bad.  All of the kiddos reflected this in the question and answer time.

During music time, Jessica helped us warm up our voices and stretch our bodies before singing.  The kidos sang "Wendayaho" as a group and then took turns singing in groups of four while the rest of the class listened carefully.  We also continued our work on the "Call to Love" as well.  Everyone definitely gets a chance to shine and to practice singing in front of others in music!

For recreation, the hula hoops came out.  The kiddos were very excited to  try this new skill or to show off how long they could keep the hula hoop going around their waist, on their arms or even on their feet.  They also played a game called "Doggy, Doggy, where's your bone" where one person would look the other way while someone hid a ball behind their back and then they would turn around and try to guess where the ball was hiding.  Freeze tag and running in circles were also quite popular with the younger kids. 

About mid-morning, we had some visitors!  The Blue Angels were practicing their maneuvers right over our heads.  The roar in their wake certainly made the leaders need to pause in their teaching, and anyone who was outside couldn't help but have their eyes glued to the sky watching the swoops and loops and circles above our heads.

Back inside, Rachel and Mother Karen helped us decorate picture frames during art.  Armed with a paper cup filled with bird-feed seeds, a little plate of glue and a q-tip, we covered our picture frames with all kinds of designs.  From the sprinkling of the tiny hands to the intricate borders and flower designs of the older groups, each frame is unique and beautiful just like the kiddos at VBC!

During chapel time, we all took off our shoes and sat on long cushions while Father Steve read us the story of Stone Soup.  A large metal pot sat in our midst, as did a large basket of vegetables.  As Father Steve told us the story of a young woman who inspired a whole town to share what they had so that everyone could eat a delicious pot of soup, we each were invited up to place a few vegetables into the stewpot.  Then we all received little glass pebbles to help us remember the story of stone soup so that we will always share what we have so that everyone can eat.

As we contemplated our Stone Soup story, we made our way to the service station.  There, Tammy invited us to sort the food that we have been bringing each day for Hopelink.  Using the plastic crates and the categories they provided, we took great delight in organizing our foods into piles of peanut butter, canned fruit, cereals, pasta, and all sorts of different categories.  We talked about the different times in our days and weeks when we eat each food and prayed for those who will receive what we have shared.  The kiddos also made cards for the recipients so they will know that they are loved by God and by us.

Wrapping up our day, we gathered again in the nave to sing, "This Little Light of Mine" and to offer thanksgiving to God for our time together.  We're looking forward to another day of activities tomorrow!  Until then, may our lights shine like the stars in the heavens so that all who see our good works may give glory to our Creator God in heaven! Amen.

VBC: Day 2

Howdy, partners!  "Farmer" Trista here!

Welcome back to another day of Vacation Bible Camp where we Taste and See that God is good!  Today we learned how we share with others, even when they are strangers.

Beginning our time together with gigantic voices declaring that "This is the Day that the Lord has Made", we brought several dozen pounds of food to the altar and danced our way back into our seats.  Lifting our hands way over our heads to form a banner, we sang that Jesus' "Banner Over me is Love".  Brian directed our eyes to the breadbasket chart that several of our youth made, and we celebrated the clear visual representation of our gifts of food.  After a prayer of invocation led by "Farmer" Trista, Rev. Karen blessed us and sent us out towards our rotation stations.

For arts and crafts, we encountered fruits and vegetables cut in half and stuck with a fork.  These were sitting in paints of all kinds of different colors.  We were very excited!  White canvas bags with our names already on them were neatly laid out on the table and our craft helpers were delighted to show us what we were to do.  Grabbing one of the forked veggies, we stamped onto our canvas bags and danced around when we saw the lovely prints they made.  Onions, apples, bell peppers and beets all make such different impressions!  What fun!

In recreation time, we divided into two teams - fruits and  vegetables. We held playground balls between our knees and made our way across the field, trying not to drop our precious cargo of "fruits" and "vegetables" while racing against the other team.  It was quite a challenge, but we really enjoyed it!  We also played a game called "grab the loaf".  A squishy ball representing a loaf of bread was in the middle of the field and we were lined up on either side.  When a particular number was called, the person from either team who had received that number raced towards the "loaf" and tried to bring it back to their team before the other team's person tagged them.  We sure do love running games!!!

After some stretching and vocal warm ups in music time, we continued to work on our "Call of Love" for Sunday's Mass on the Grass.  We're learning how to sing it in a round with the help of dear Jessica.  We can't wait to show you what we've learned!  We also sang a song that has become a favorite at St Thomas VBC over the years: Wendeyaho.  Translated it says, "I am of the Great Spirit, it is so".  Truly we are all born from one Creator God and all connected to the rest of creation by God's Breath, the Holy Spirit, who enters us anew each day, helping us to grow in Jesus' name!

Our story time today was about Elijah and the Widow of Zerepath.  Our fantastic teens acted out the story for us.  We were amazed by the way God provided for the widow and her son when she offered the very little that she had to live on!  When the little sack of flour and the jar of oil were suddenly found to be filled when they had been nearly empty before, we gasped in wonder and surprise.  Elijah had promised that the widow and her son would not go hungry because they had given so generously out of their poverty.  The man of God really spoke the truth!

In service and outreach time, we remembered our connection to the children, women and men all around us who do not have the food, clothing and shelter that we all have access to.  After Tami led us in discussion and reflection about what it might be like for the children in our communities who struggle to find food each day, we talked about what kinds of food we might be able to share with them.   

Filling the bags that we created yesterday in craft time was our task during the service rotation.  Each group had a different task.  Some made sandwiches, others packed grapes or cheese slices, and others put in water bottles and decorated cards.  At the end of the day we had many, many lunches to give to the Salvation Army kids camp.  We certainly do share what we have with others, even when they are strangers!  Today's focus became very tangible in these activities.

In chapel time, "Baker" Rev. Karen showed us pictures from a book called What the World Eats.  This book is filled with pictures of what a typical family looks like in different countries throughout the world.  We noticed all kinds of things in the picture, from the size of the family to the kinds of food they have on their tables to the amounts of food that they each had.   

We wondered together about what we eat in a given week and if our food looks like the fresh fruits and vegetables in India, the rice and beans and grains of Mali, or the pre-packaged supermarket food of England.   We consider what we have and who we can share with, and we were all very moved by the pictures in this book and the questions it raises for us and for our families.

"This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine..."  How might your light shine today?  Who might you share with, and what might you choose to share?  We invite you to consider these things as we prepare for another new day together.

We also extend a warm invitation to you.  Please join us tomorrow for the Great Feast of the Eucharist at 10:00 a.m. in the nave.  This will be a wonderful service!  All are welcome!

Reading God’s Word with My Grandfather

I got a phone call last month from my Uncle Hal. He’s a Baptist pastor who is no longer working for the Church, and he called to offer me a complete collection of the Interpreter’s Bible, a multi-volume Bible with tons of helpful commentary. It’s the same set that both he and my grandfather used to write sermons many decades ago.

At first I resisted. I thought, “This gift will be heavy and bulky, and I’ll have to find shelf space for it. Besides, there’s a newer version of the Interpreter’s Bible out there that matches the translation we currently use in the Episcopal Church; that version would be much more useful to me.”

Then I thought more about my grandfather, Harold Fremont Smith, a Baptist pastor and a vital force in the American Baptist Church in the Pacific Northwest from the 1930s into the 1960s. He died in a car accident five years before I was born. To use the same books he used would be quite an honor. So I accepted the gift. See, it’s more than just words on a page. It’s the Word of God. I’ll take the books with me to seminary in Virginia this summer. I can imagine myself sitting there, writing papers or sermons with my grandfather right there at my shoulder, whispering inspiration into my ear. I hope I’ll be ready. I hope my ears will be open.

When I get ready to tell a Godly Play story with kids, I tell them, “You have to be ready! How do we get ready? Eyes open, ears open … mouths closed.” We adults could use the same advice in church on Sunday mornings. This is important stuff! We are gathered together to hear the Word of God: the family stories, the stories we tell again and again.

First we hear a reading from the Hebrew Scriptures, a/k/a the Old Testament. Usually it’s something from one of the prophets, or a formative story of the people of Israel. Next we join with the choir for a psalm, one of the hymns of ancient Israel. These are so varied, and their themes so universal, that we still use the same 150 psalms today. Following the psalm is the Epistle: a reading from the Christian Scriptures, a/k/a New Testament. This is usually a letter written in the earliest years of the Christian Church to communicate something of vital importance to a budding Christian community.

Next we hear from one of the four Gospels, the stories of Jesus. We stand for this reading because the Gospels are at the center of our faith. “Gospel” means “Good News.” And could once a week possibly be too often to hear a piece of Good News? Finally, we hear a sermon, an original reflection that opens the Scriptures to us in our own place and time.

The Liturgy of the Word is a time to open our ears. You may think we tell the same stories over and over again in church, but that’s not exactly true. The difference is you: you are different now than you were the last time you heard the story. If you open your ears, you may well find that the words mean something very different now than they did earlier in your life.

Although I never met my grandfather, I am different now than I used to be. Had my uncle given me these volumes when I was 12 or 18 or 25 or 35, I might not have been able to appreciate such a caring gift. Now it will mean much more to me.

St. Thomas children try their hand at architecture

Yesterday morning, seventeen St. Thomas Sunday schoolers in grades 1-5 created and presented their ideas for our new Life Center. Here’s Life Center architect Mark Nelson consulting with some of our young contributors.

This wasn’t merely an exercise in cuteness. We want the Life Center to feel like a second home to our youngest parishioners. To that end, we do well to listen intently as they describe their ideal building. We may not be able to create the Life Center in the shape of a spaceship, or have a live tree growing through the middle of it. But a disco ball in the youth center? That we can do.

And if we listen deeply enough, delving beneath each child’s fanciful architectural drawings, we will hear the voice of a young child of God, a full member of the Church through baptism, reminding us: “I belong here. I am not the future of the Church—I am the present. You have promised to help raise me in the Christian life and faith. I am a minister too, and I will do ministry right along with you in the new Life Center at St. Thomas.”

All Hallows' Eve @ st. thomas

We've been so busy at St. Thomas that there's hardly been time to breathe. But we still took time to celebrate All Hallows' Eve with a family party in the Great Hall that featured games, music, a costume contest, and another fabulous haunted house created by the youth group.

Along with all this, we spread out butcher paper and invited our participants of all ages to write their "Bucket List." What do you want to do before you die? Here's the full list:

• Bungee jumping
• See the great pyramids
• Drive I-90 all the way
• Go to space
• Be on the radio
• Ride the Oriental Express - the whole way!
• Go to Japan, Australia and Europe
• Skydiving
• Meet “Buried Life” cast
• HUGE family reunion
• Learn Aikido and see a dragon and invent a time machine and invent a computer game and write a book and become famous and go to the Empire State Building
• Live in another country
• Visit Buenos Aires
• Get into an awesome college! (Gonzaga)
• Meet J.K. Rowling
• See the Great Wall of China
• Become a professional fencer
• Learn three more languages and live in 10 different countries
• Play organ
• Go to Europe, Australia and New Zealand
• Survive the rest of high school!

A landmark day for kids and youth at St. Thomas

Wow. Rarely have I come home from church so exhausted, even after a ten-hour day. But it was a great day. 

As parishioners gathered for a 9:15 forum on Christian Life in Palestine, our childcare opened -- and it stayed open for nearly four hours. With Erica Flores joining Danielle Smoot, we now have two paid childcare providers and are able to offer childcare every week during the Sunday forum.

One thing that really made my day was seeing the Junior Choristers, Senior Choristers and Youth Ensemble in action. But here's the amazing thing: despite the fact that 18 kids were busy singing with the Choristers yesterday, we had above-average attendance in Sunday school at the same time!

As usual, we had a spirited group of acolytes -- coincidentally, this week, they were all middle school boys. Back in the sacristy before church, they held a countdown and watched the clock until it struck 10:10:10 a.m. on 10/10/10. 

On other weeks, our middle school Seekers have been busily writing questions and wonderings all over their church programs. We'll gather all our Seekers' weekly questions and go over them at our next get-together in November. But this week, it seems all our Seekers were busy as acolytes, singers, lectors, and instrumentalists. Everyone was so busy creating the liturgy that not a single question got written down! Actually, come to think of it, that's pretty neat.

After church the parishioners gathered in the Great Hall for the first "enrichment gathering," an informational session for the entire congregation about the plans for the new Life Center. We crammed 13 young kids into the childcare room while 16 kids in grades 3-5 met in the Choir Room for Kids' Club. (Why the Choir Room? Because there was so much going on, there was literally no other place they could go.) And some kids even opted to attend the enrichment gathering (along with older youth) instead of Kids' Club. 

The Kids' Club ate lunch and then disbursed funds. Remember the Vacation Bible Camp coin drive? After the kids had given over $500 to Episcopal Relief and Development's Gifts for Life program, another $284.50 came in. So now the kids got their chance to give that away, too.

The kids talked about the money they receive from chores, pet-sitting, grandparents, etc. What do we do with the money? Save it all? Spend it all? How about sharing some, saving some, and spending some? Since the kids will be major beneficiaries of the new Life Center (most of these kids will be in youth group by the time it is completed), I encouraged them to make their own pledge to the capital stewardship campaign.

Finally, we went outside and posed with our Treasure Garden, the garden the Vacation Bible Camp kids planted in July. Look at it now! Anybody want some vegetables?

I gathered with the high school youth in the afternoon to discuss the direction of the group and to brainstorm ideas for service projects and fellowship. On November 5-6, the parish will hold a 24-hour prayer vigil in support of the Life Center project. Our youth in grades 6-12 will be the anchors for that event, pulling a corporate all-nighter to keep the prayers going.

As the youth group dispersed at 6:00 p.m., Danielle and Erica were back to offer childcare again, this time for the Palestinian Women's Potluck and Panel Discussion. What a busy day, and a landmark week for kids and youth at St. Thomas! And I don't know about you, but I'm having a ball.

Kickoff Sunday events @ st. thomas!

Kickoff Sunday @ st. thomas
Here’s what’s happening this Sunday!

Welcome, Karen!
Please join us after the 10:15 am service this Sunday, September 12, for a special coffee hour welcoming the Rev. Karen Haig, who joined the St. Thomas staff on September 1.

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Sunday Forum
September 12
9:15 am
Our Sunday Forums resume with The State of St. Thomas. Father Lex Breckinridge will talk about about St. Thomas Church’s accomplishments in 2010 and goals for 2011. There will be plenty of time for questions and answers.

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Childcare Hours Extended
beginning September 12
9:00 am on
Childcare will now be available every Sunday beginning at 9:00 a.m. This will make it easier for parents to attend the Sunday forum! Also, expect childcare for most special events this fall, including the newcomer series, capital stewardship campaign events, and our upcoming Wednesday night series (to begin in December).

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Kids help make church happen!
Those in 3rd grade and up are invited to join the Acolytes, the Choristers, or the Youth Ensemble. Contact information for Acolytes: Jan Wang -- Choristers: Marion Anderson -- Youth Ensemble: Paul Johnson

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Sunday School (pre-K - 5th grade)
September 12
10:15 am
Sunday School meets in three separate age groups each week during the first part of the 10:15 Eucharist: Preschool (pre-K/K) in St. Thomas School, Primary (grades 1-2) in the Conference Room, and Intermediate (grades 3-5) in the Parkside Room. Contact Josh Hosler for details, and to get onto the Sunday school email list.

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The Seekers (grades 6-8)
September 12
10:15 am in the Library
Today, the Seekers begin their quest! Middle schoolers know that church contains many mysteries. Let’s seek them together. Our group is for youth in grades 6-8. Our first monthly meeting is today during the 10:15 church service, in the library. Tammy Waddell and Josh Hosler are technically in charge, but it’s your group. Is it Sunday school? Sort of … if you like Hogwarts on the weekend. Come try it out. Let’s see what we can uncover …

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Kids’ Club (grades 3-5)
September 12
11:30 am in the Conference Room
Kids’ Club (grades 3-5) meets today after the 10:15 service. This “youth group for the younger set” meets monthly for fellowship and service projects. Lunch included! Come find us in the Conference Room.

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Smile for the Camera!

In the coming weeks, you might see a photographer at your gathering or walking around outside or inside the St. Thomas buildings. This is perfectly OK! We are collecting pictures of the people, places, and activities here in preparation for the upcoming Capital Stewardship Campaign. If you do not want your picture used in any of the many publications and presentations under way, simply let the photographer know.