September 17, 2013
Dear St. Paul’s Family,
When I was younger, I attended a small, private Christian school in St. Petersburg, Florida. Emblazoned on the south wall of our gymnasium, just below the scoreboard and above the exit doors, were these words in big green letters:
I have no greater joy than this: to hear that my children walk in the truth. – 3 John 1:4
Whenever we’d gather for school assemblies, pep rallies, or home ball games, these words served as a visible reminder of the school’s primary purpose: to create a safe, nurturing environment in which every child received a good education and a solid foundation in the Christian faith. I would like to think that I am a beneficiery of that school’s success in accomplishing its mission.
SONGS FOR THE CHILDREN
In a way, that ought to be the mission of every church: to ground its children in the foundations of the Christian faith, nurturing a safe environment to explore their beliefs and form their convictions. In the words of this poem by Robert Louis Stevenson, it is about teaching our children to “sing” the language of our faith:
“Home, My Little Children, Here are Songs for You”
Come, my little children, here are songs for you;
Some are short and some are long, and all, all are new.
You must learn to sing them very small and clear,
Very true to time and tune and pleasing to the ear.
Mark the note that rises, mark the notes that fall,
Mark the time when broken, and the swing of it all.
So when night is come, and you have gone to bed,
All the songs you love to sing shall echo in your head.
MINISTRY TO OUR CHILDREN
You can be proud that in many ways, St. Paul’s United Methodist Church is taking seriously the call to foster its children in the faith. I am grateful to report to you the great start of our new Wednesday night youth programs. Despite graduating a large number of seniors last year, the senior high teen time has fifteen active kids, meeting at the home of Craig and Monica Schmidt from 6:30-8:00pm. A number of those kids are new to the area, who came by the invitation of friends.
We also started two new mid-high groups: One for 5th-6th graders, led by Nicci Lundquist, and the other for 7th-8th graders, led by Diane Rochleau. Both meet from 6:30-7:30pm at the church and include a light supper. Last week, we had a total of twenty mid-highers, including many folks that were invited by a friend.
And this Sunday, we will be celebrating the nine children in our third-grade class who will be receiving their very own Bible. As my friend and former senior pastor Jim Harnish likes to say, handing a Bible to these kids is one of the most dangerous things a church can do. It can empower them to live as God created them to be, to become agents of love and healing for a broken world.
This Sunday will be a special one, indeed, as we continue our sermon series on the life and ministry of Paul by looking at the pastoral epistles of 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, and Philemon. Our text will be an appropriate one for the day, as we strive to be a living embodiment of the way that young Timothy received his faith from his ancestors, learning the songs of Christian conviction until they “echoed in his head.”
I’m grateful to God, whom I serve with a good conscience as my ancestors did. I constantly remember you in my prayers day and night. When I remember your tears, I long to see you so that I can be filled with happiness. I’m reminded of your authentic faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice. I’m sure that this faith is also inside you. Because of this, I’m reminding you to revive God’s gift that is in you through the laying on of my hands. God didn’t give us a spirit that is timid but one that is powerful, loving, and self-controlled. (2 Timothy 1:3-7)
Grace and Peace,
Magrey
The Rev. Magrey R. deVega
St. Paul's United Methodist Church
531 W. Main St.
Cherokee, IA 51012
Ph: 712-225-3955
Email: mdevega@sp-umc.org
No comments:
Post a Comment