Family Newsletter: Week of September 11, 2022
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Family Calendar
Sunday, Sept 11 : 8 or 10am : Blessing of the Backpacks Sunday, Sept 11 : 11:15am : Rally Day Picnic and Celebration
Tuesday, Sept 13 : 6:30pm : Church School Training (for adult volunteers) Wednesday, Sept 14 : 5:15pm : Choristers Rehearsal (choir for grades 2-8)
Saturday, Sept 17 : 5:00pm : Youth Kick-Off at Boda Borg (grades 6-12)
Sunday, Sept 18 : 10:00am : First Day of Church School (please REGISTER) Sunday, Sept 18 : 5:00pm : Word and Table Worship Service |
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Dear families, Rally Day--this Sunday--is the official kick-off to our program year (which is our church way of saying "school year"). It's a special service, a home coming, and a party rolled together. Part of our Rally Day tradition is the Blessing of the Backpacks (offered at the 8am and 10am services). We encourage all the children and teens to bring their school backpack to church with them, and to bring it up front when Nick invites them forward. We will say a blessing on the backpacks--and most importantly, the kids--as we pray for them and their new school year. It's this church's way of reminding the kids that we love and support them everyday, everywhere. We'll give them tags for their backpacks and stickers for their laptops (or water bottles!), to help them remember. After the 10am service, join us outside for a delicious lunch (catered by Bella Isla, the restaurant we partnered with to fight food insecurity in Chelsea during the pandemic). We'll also have a bouncy house obstacle course (who can beat Nick this year?), crafts, and a rector dunk tank. Love & Blessings, Bryn |
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Church School Begins September 18
Our faith formation program for children begins on Sunday, September 18. Our two classes (preschoolers through first grade, and second through fifth grade) meet on the second through fifth Sundays of each month, during the 10am service of worship.
Please register your child now. Registering gives us important information, such as allergies and how to contact you in an emergency. Thank you for taking two minutes to do this! |
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Godly Play
Our Godly Play Class is for preschoolers through first graders (ages 3-7).
Godly Play is a way of sharing the Christian faith with young children through storytelling, play, and wonder. Through a creative, hands-on telling of the stories that form the basis of our faith, children are invited into the tradition, language, and friendship of the church.
The youngest children (toddler, young preschoolers) come with a parent or caregiver; those able to stay on their own are dropped off. We begin with circle time, where a teacher shares the week's story through words and props, and then engages the children in “wondering questions." After our story circle, the children are invited to choose a station where they consider the story while working with different materials, such as drawing, clay, craft supplies, or the story figurines themselves. The class then regathers in our circle for prayer time, where they love to share prayer requests or engage in other prayer practices. Then it’s back to church we go to join our families!
Class meets in Upper Parish Hall from 10:00-10:40(ish) Sunday mornings. Church School holds class the second through fifth Sundays of each month; on first Sundays, worshiping together in the 10am service is an important part of children's faith formation.
Storymakers
Our Storymakers Class is for second through fifth graders (ages 7-11).
Our Storymakers are dropped off (although parents are always welcome to join us). Class centers on a lesson from our "zine" (which is a fancy word for our combination guide, magazine, and workbook). Each lessons contains beautiful art work, a story told in play form with many character, interesting facts about our story or Biblical times, and a social-emotional prompt that helps us think about our reaction to the story and how the day's lesson fits into our own lives. We also love to move, and to do something creative like a craft or science experiment. After a time of shared prayer (using fun tools like our Intercessory Prayer posters, prayer dough, or labyrinths), we head back to the sanctuary to rejoin our families before Communion.
This fall, our lessons will take us into ancient Egypt with Joseph!
Class meets in the Suter Room and Hadley Hall from 10:00-10:40(ish) Sunday mornings. Like our younger group, Church School holds class the second through fifth Sundays of each month; on first Sundays, worshiping together in the 10am service is an important part of children's faith formation. |
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Church School Training: Tuesday, Sept 13
All grownups and teens interested in helping with Church School--in any role--are invited to join us for a fun evening training session on Tuesday, September 13, from 6:30-8:30pm.
The training will be an opportunity for us to
- get to know each other and feel part of a connected & supported ministry group
- understand the curriculum, and the goals of our ministry
- get practical information, strategies, and tips--on the lessons, and the kids
- see more clearly what the different roles in our ministry are
- ask questions and work together to make our Church School as welcoming, comfortable, and rewarding as we can--for us adults and for the magnificent children we serve.
The training does not commit you to serving in the Church School. Please join us even if you are just curious! RSVP to Bryn so we know to expect you.
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5:00 PM Worship: Word and Table
We are launching a new worship service on the third Sunday of each month at 5:00 pm. Our first Word and Table service will be Sunday, September 18 at 5:00 pm in Hadley Hall. This casual, contemporary, and creative service will be based on our familiar Episcopal liturgy as we explore an ancient and modern worship experience. We hope this service will engage those new to or familiar with our tradition, but also meet the needs of those who are unable to attend Sunday morning services. Families are welcome! |
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Choristers: Join us Wednesday Evenings
The Chorister choir program at Epiphany is for children entering grades 2-8. Our weekly rehearsals are on Wednesdays from 5:15-6:15pm (a snack and optional skills session will also be offered from 6:15-7:00pm on many Wednesdays). Children will receive professional music theory and vocal training, and will sing in church monthly (on First Sundays).
This program isn’t just for Epiphany parishioners—children are welcome and encouraged to bring friends along to try out the program. It is perfectly acceptable to try out the program for a few weeks without committing to the entire season. Please reach out to Jeremy Bruns, Director of Music & Organist at jbruns@3crowns.org with any questions. |
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Youth Kick-Off on September 17: Boda Borg!
Youth in grades 6-12 are invited to join Janelle and the youth leaders for a program year kick-off at Boda Borg on the evening of Saturday, September 17. Boda Borg offers a series of "quests" in which small teams figure out clues (sometimes intellectual, sometimes physical) in order to open doors and advance through challenges. Quests have unlimited chances, so they are perfect for trial-and-error thinking, and teams need kids with all sorts of different skills, interests and perspectives in order to be successful. It's terrific fun! We'll gather for pizza at the church beginning at 5pm, and carpool over to Boda Borg at 5:50pm. We'll return to the church by 9pm. Please reach out to Janelle for more information and to sign up. |
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Important Fall Dates for Families
Sunday, Sept 11 : 10:00am : Rally Day Picnic & Blessing of the Backpacks
Tuesday, Sept 13 : 6:30pm : Church School Training (for adult volunteers) Saturday, Sept 17 : 5:00pm : Youth Kick-Off at Boda Borg (grades 6-12)
Sunday, Sept 18 : 10:00am : Church School Begins (meets 2nd-5th Sundays) Sunday, Sept 18 : 5:00pm : Word & Table Service (evening worship every 3rd Sunday)
Friday-Sunday, Sept 23-25 : Parish Retreat Weekend Away (no church school)
Sunday, Oct 2 : 10:00am : First Sunday Worship & Formation
Sunday, Oct 2 : 5:00pm : Blessing of the Animals Service
Wednesday, Oct 5 : 6:15pm : Midweek Dinner & Formation (1st, 3rd Wednesdays) Sunday, Oct 16 : 11:15am : Ciderfest Looking ahead:
Saturday, Dec 24 : 4:00pm : Christmas Pageant & Christmas Eve Service
Saturday, Jan 21 : 9:00am : Communion Enrichment Program (grades 2-5)
Sunday, Jan 22 : 10:00am : Communion Enrichment Sunday Sunday, Feb 12 : 10:00am : Church School's Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Coat |
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70 Church Street, Winchester, MA 01890
781-729-1922
www.3crowns.org
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