I'm the first to admit it: there is within me, deep down inside, a rather big kid.  If I have to go into a department store, as I'm not a fan of shopping at all, a stop in the toy department makes the ordeal of shopping that much more tolerable.  My brother John and I are mirror images in this area; as he loves toys, too.  The older the toy...the brighter the colors...the greater our interest.  If it is a battery operated toy...watch out!  When we're together, we make it a point to check out the local antique shows and fairs and stare at all the great, vintage toys.  I suppose older toys bring back fond memories of my younger days.  Granted, we didn't have many toys, my sisters, brothers and I, just a few that we all shared; the boys with our trucks and bikes and my sisters with their dolls and dishes and such.  Then again, I was happier playing with boxes we'd find.  When a neighbor bought a new appliance, we'd ask for that box, drag it back to our backyard and that box would become a castle or a fort.  This was long before there were computers and we had only 5 to 6 television stations, not the 4 or 5 hundred that are available today.  Our best toy was our imagination...the sky was the limit to what we could do and the fun lasted well into the evening, when parents didn't have to worry what we were up to or where we had gone...because we were in the backyard, a world just beyond the back porch, some neighbor kids and us, playing with what we had and having the time of our lives. 

When it comes to our children here at St. Nicholas, it is of paramount importance that our younger people be part of the Liturgy, and be actively involved and engaged.  Starting in April, the first weekend of each month, which is also Celebration Weekend, we will celebrate a Children's Liturgy, with the sermon geared more toward our younger members.  We'll have the children bring up the gifts and remain around the altar during the Eucharistic Prayer.  All we need to secure now...is the children!  So, we invite our parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts to bring the children, so they can be fully engaged in the St. Nicholas worshipping community, to receive the bounty of Christ's love and know they are welcomed, cherished and important to our future and growth as a congregation and the Church.

There is no need to reinvent the wheel in this matter.  Rather, we are restoring a tradition and more importantly, restoring a necessary and spiritual element to and for our congregation and in particular, to our younger members.  We welcome all to our altar to receive the gifts of Christ present in the bread and wine, simple gifts of the earth.  We must also make gift of the Word:  the story of Christ, the oral and written translation and traditions as well as the epic books and figures of the Old Testament, all of which serves as vital precursors to the Messiah and his entrance into our world.  In this vein, additional children's programs will be created, all in due time.  Blessedly, times is what God affords us and we wish to make good use of our resources and the cherished enthusiasm of our volunteers who wish to be leaders and teachers of our youth.  Time well spent...in service and in worship, for our children, for our young adults and for all of us who remain young in heart, mind and spirit.

Peace to all.

-Manny

manny@stnicholasepiscopal.org

Thanks to:

News from Nick is published by St. Nicholas Episcopal Church, Elk Grove Village, Illinois each Thursday.

Please submit copy to Douglas by clicking here.  Deadline is Wednesday at noon.