For many parishes, summer is a slow time in children's programming. For that reason, it can be a great time to take a look at the spaces being used for those programs to see how they might be freshened up or repurposed.
A sign-up sheet in the parish hall is a way to include parishioners who don't teach Sunday School or who don't have children in the home in refurbishing Sunday school classrooms and nurseries. Include children and youth in making their spaces new and fresh, too.
Begin your work party with a prayer, and then discuss what the group hopes to achieve in these areas of the building. Individual rooms will be decorated by the teachers and young folk who use them during the program year, but this team can make these spaces more welcoming and usable.
Talk about the tasks before beginning work. What needs repainting, recycling, repairing, or replacing? Does each classroom have needed supplies, conveniently organized? Are there connecting halls in which murals or bulletin boards might reflect a theme for the area? Are nurseries, classrooms, and bathrooms clearly marked? Be sure to give smaller helpers useful work to do--they can sort crayons, check that markers work, clean and polish, and more.
As your day winds down, ask participants to "sweep" these rooms one more time--this time, with a glance. Stop to recognize what's been accomplished by your parish family for your parish family. End the day with thanksgiving for the workers, as well as for the children and young people who will be nurtured there, bringing in turn their gifts and ministries to the parish.
Thanks be to God!
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In Your Opinion . . .
What materials and supplies are must-haves in carrying out children's formation programming?
Share your opinion here.
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Resources Available
Nancy Kershner (Ascension, Amherst) has free resources to share with anyone who is interested. Contact her at nkershner54@gmail.com.
- Godly Play: An Imaginative Approach to Religious Education by Jerome W. Berryman, 1991
- Teaching Godly Play: The Sunday Morning Handbook by Jerome W. Berryman, 1995
- Developing Christian Education in the Smaller Church by Carolyn C. Brown, 1982
- Building Faith Brick by Brick: An Imaginative Way to Explore the Bible with Children by Emily Slichter Given, 2014.
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Kate Garcia
The Episcopal Diocese of Southwestern Virginia
540-342-6797
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