The Parish of the Epiphany |
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Family Newsletter
May 3 2020
The Fourth Sunday of Easter |
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Dear Epiphany Families,
Earlier this week while I was speaking with our faithful Interim Rector, Sarah used a phrase that really opened my eyes to the present moment: she spoke of our movement from “crisis to chronic.” I've meditated on these words since; they say so much to me as I process why getting through the first six weeks of living in a pandemic doesn't mean our path is now clear.
In these days I've thought a lot of the Israelites who dramatically escaped from Egypt and then wandered a barren wilderness for forty years. For me, the first month of the pandemic was actively holding back the flood waters; and I tend to have energy, passion, and faith abounding in a crisis. But chronic is so much harder for me.
So this week I've asked myself and I've asked God: What is it, to keep wandering and waiting, in life and at Epiphany?
Perhaps we can re-frame our feelings of confusion and weariness. Can we learn to more faithfully seek God in the chronic? Can we craft a holy resilience unlike anything we thought we’d need? That’s not shuffling our feet in the sand; that’s digging deeply for water. Perhaps even the contemplation of this wilderness is energetic, responsive work right now.
Just as importantly I hope we can actively work together, maybe in more profound ways than ever before. Next week our 2020 Children’s Ministry Committee is convening for the first time. There, on virtual holy ground, we will think and work and pray together about how to serve, love, and grow our young people through this wilderness. If you feel a calling to this ministry, please reach out to me. And to everyone, we appreciate your partnership in prayer.
Peace be with you, Bryn
bhollenbeck@3crowns.org |
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Public Service Announcement Mother's Day is NEXT Sunday, May 10. Co-Parents, your child will not be bringing home a cute homemade Mother's Day gift from school this year. |
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This Week's Pajama Church:
Sunday School
Hi everybody! In our Sunday School lesson this week, we're learning about a big rough storm that hit the disciples' boat while they were crossing a lake with Jesus. Do you know what happened?
Watch our lesson here!
We've also created a video of just the Calm the Storm Jar that I use in our lesson, which offers 2 and a half minutes of calming jar footage set to music the children know from Chapel. This can be found here. This is intended as a relaxation or prayer tool for the children.
Parents, click here for directions on how to make a Calm the Storm Jar for your family, just like the one I use in our lesson. These are highly recommended by child psychologists and I love mine! May I recommend making this without your children? The end result is fabulous, but the process involves glitter and sticky stuff. Alternately, you can buy similar jars on Etsy, Amazon, and special education websites--or you can try a snow globe! |
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Church Worship Service
Please join us for the live stream of worship at 10am on Sunday. Children, the gospel is one of our favorite Good Shepherd readings! Here are some related materials YOU can use during the service:
Coloring Sheet: Because coloring helps us calm our body, listen, and worship.
Word Find: Did you hear these words during our Scripture reading? (Parents, the word find was a huge surprise hit with my kids last Sunday! Give it a try!) |
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Church Fellowship Coffee Hour on Zoom
Did you know that we gather together in "virtual Hadley Hall" after the Sunday worship service ends? We would LOVE to see families! Come drop in to say hello, or stay for a while!
Click here to join. (Fellowship starts just after the service ends, at around 11:05am) |
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This Week's Family Devotions:
Monday: This week's Sunday School lesson talked about Jesus calming the storm. Read this story from Matthew 8: 23-27 and talk about it. How do you think the people in the boat felt during the storm while Jesus was sleeping? How did they feel when they saw Jesus calm the storm? Can you remember other times Jesus showed such amazing power? Tuesday: Check out this Comic Story about Matthew 8: 23-27. Wednesday: Let's get hands on! Create boats out of recycles in your house--foil, containers, jars. Float them in the sink and reenact Matthew 8: 23-27. Thursday: Do you know this story really well now? Try this Word Find! Friday: Our family just found a fun app called Bible App for Kids: Interactive Audio & Stories. My kids love it! It gives you a Bible Timeline full of key stories; download a story and watch & listen! At the end there is a question, a game (like Memory, or recreating the story line), and kids earn stars and awards along the way. Give it a try! [Note: to get out of the app, you scroll to the end of the time line, and your phone buttons will return. My first time playing, I thought we'd be stuck in Animated Bible Land forever. But don't fear! It works!] |
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Youth: Genesis and YPF Genesis Genesis, we are meeting THIS SUNDAY, May 3, at 7pm. We'll check in with each other and try a virtual game. John, Laura, and Bryn are looking forward to seeing each of you--we miss you! The zoom link is coming to your parents. YPF YPF will meet over Zoom on Sunday, May 10 from 6-8pm. Chris and Heather are looking forward to seeing you! You'll get the zoom link in an email from them. |
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Did you know Every Monday Parish of the Epiphany sends out a parish-wide newsletter, called The Three Crowns. You can find issues here. There is a Bible Study for grown-ups (and teens) at 9am each Sunday via Zoom. Click here to join. |
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Local Support for Parenting Children Through This Crisis: Health and Wellness
This is hard, parents, I know. Whether you've got toddlers or teens, we all need extra support right now. Here is a list of things I personally find helpful as I parent and process:
Dr. Rachel Kramer’s excellent webinars; she is a local clinical child psychologist and she covers everything from anxiety to dis-regulated emotions. Seriously friends, I love these. Her newsletters also have fabulous resources, some of which I pull out below.
Here is a helpful children's book about understanding the coronavirus and the many changes and difficulties right now, by the National Child Stress Institute: Trinka and Sam Fighting the Big Virus. Parents are encouraged to preview this book and use the pages that relate to their family and their child's feelings.
Here is another helpful book, by the Yale Child Study Center and Scholastic: First Aid for Feelings: A Workbook for Helping Children Cope During the Coronavirus Pandemic. I'm using this with my children, especially to help our big feelings around wearing masks.
These guided meditations and mindfulness exercises for children from Annaka Harris are very helpful. Perhaps this meditation on Soothing Uncomfortable Feelings would be helpful right now for young people experiencing physical sensations related to difficult emotions. Or this meditation on Sending Friendly Wishes for those missing friends.
Meditation apps like Insight Timer also have materials for both adults and children. |
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Please excuse the glitter. |
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A Welcoming Episcopal Community
70 Church Street, Winchester, MA 01890
781-729-1922
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