Friday, June 13, 2008

70 Children and Two Communion Services

I spent the morning at the Public Library with about 70 children ages 4 1/2 to 12. (don't worry, there were other adults present.) We were finishing off Week 1 of our Vacation Bible School by beginning research on "Bible Science Projects", which will be displayed at a program for parents at the end of next week.

What is a Bible Science Project, you ask?

I'm not quite sure. All I know is, our group's project was to discover "Why did God create bugs?" One girl read up on mosquitoes, another on spiders, a boy was having trouble finding anything positive about ticks, and a little girl had help learning about bees. There were eleven other groups. I know one group was researching the animals on the ark, but beyond that, I'm curious about what the other science projects could have been.

I am in awe of our Children's Ministry Coordinator. I left the Library dead tired, with a half a day of work still ahead of me. I love kids (I mean it), and everyone was pretty well-behaved, but there is something about being around about 70 kids at one time that is just kind of tiring. Yet our Children's Ministry Coordinator keeps everyone together, is extremely well organized, and is just the right blend of tought and tender. And she gets results.

Our group had seven children. The youngest was 4 1/2 and was just there to be with his brother I think. The oldest was twelve, a beautiful Hispanic girl who goes go Sagrado Corazon Church. She decided to study spiders. One eight year old girl kept watch over the 4 1/2 year old and his brother, and helped them study gnats. Another nine year old finished her study of mosquitos and read all about bees to a 6 year old girl. It reminded me of all the strengths of a one room school house.

After the morning at the library, I had two communion services at senior apartments. I tied up the communion ware in a square Japanese cloth called a furoshiki. I just discovered this method, and it does seem to work, and keep everything stable.

We sang, we prayed, we confessed, we listened to Scripture. I read Exodus 19:2-8, about God carrying the Israelites to himself on eagle's wings.

That pretty much took care of my afternoon. I think I had time to make two phone calls, and organize two things for Sunday.

How was your day? Are you tired?

6 comments:

Ruth Hull Chatlien said...

It sounds like an exhausting but rewarding time.

So why did God create bugs?

Diane M. Roth said...

I'll tell you when I find out!

Fran said...

Oh Diane, I am tired vicariously!

Kidding.

It does sound truly lovely and the kids, oh those kids. Pat always says "Jesus always blessed the children and taught the adults. We have spent the past 2000 years doing the opposite. Maybe we should change!"

Which is not to day that we shouldn't teach the children, but oh what their open hearts can teach us.

I love the idea of your communion ware in the Japanese cloth; it makes my soul feel still and rich.

That Exodus reading came up in my Small Faith Sharing group on Wednesday. I just wrote about SFS on the church blog, but not that line.

How I love the image of the eagle's wings bearing us with great love. Now I wish I had included that in what I wrote!

Hot Cup Lutheran said...

wow... how interesting it is to see how differently folks make their calls/visits. i suppose we use the gifts God gave us and step forward in faith.

it's my day off... but loads of laundry, polishing woodwork, and dang it forgetting to defrost something for supper have made me tired!

Diane M. Roth said...

hot cup -- probably I was not specific enough. But these weren't just visits, but services... at one and at three, we have a service with about 15 people in attendance at each one. 2 different senior highrises sponsor every month.

more cows than people said...

just caught up on over a week's worth of posts. sorry i got so behind. you share such riches here.

let's see... my saturday... drove an hour south to teach my final Reformed Theology class to Lay Ministry candidates. fielded very challenging questions and fairly high anxiety for several hours (that's what happens when you get to the topic of death- and apparently to the topic of the church), found out that we were letting go of the house that we thought we were buying, drove home from said class, polished last sermon, sorted clothes and put clothes away, made up a bed for my sister who was on her way to visit, gathered props and supplies for skit in worship Sunday morning, put together my worship binder, went to a late dinner with my sister and husband when my sister arrived. hung around a bit with my sister, tried to watch battlestar galactica- crashed.

with days like that... this is why i get behind on my my blog writing and reading.

i think that vbs activity sounds FABULOUS. and that is so great you have such a gifted children's ministry coordinator.