Monthly Musings:
Preparation begins during the month of November for our multigenerational Holiday Service on December 8th. Our core team of volunteers this month include Kelly Wolf, Cathy Grise, Leslie McAnanama, and Jennifer Wallace. Together they will be working with the children and our November worship theme of “Communication: Getting the Message” and developing the service with the children asking them “What do you want to tell the rest of the congregation?” While we wait for that to be revealed in December, I’d like to share the CYRE Covenant that was created by the children and youth on September 22nd when Rev. Victoria spent her first Sunday with us this year (see text box).
CYRE Covenant 2019-20
We will do our best to:
Be good friends to one another
Listen when others are speaking
Have fun Help each other
Ask others to join in
Inform adults of our needs when necessary
Be respectful of other’s things and space
Keep trying Tidy up after ourselves
And remember: It’s okay to be who and how you are!
While the CYRE works on their upcoming service, two other programs will be active this month. Both OWL Gr. 4-6 and Coming of Age (Gr. 7-9) are now active. Owl runs from now until December, Coming of Age until June.
This month marks one year since I took on this staff role. Like any new job, there was a learning curve when I started. Despite being a member of the church for over a decade, there was a culture and history in CYRE of which I was largely unaware. It isn’t a job you can do by yourself…it’s all about relationships and people. A dedicated core of volunteers were integral in the development of the program in co-operation with a number of staff persons over the years, all with one thing in mind: the healthy development of our children and youth with our 7 principles as the guide. I am grateful for all the help, support, patience and guidance all the congregation has shown me in the last year. It’s a great gift to be able to serve our children and youth in this way!
On October 6 about 30 volunteers from our congregation gathered after the service for the CYRE Orientation. I want to thank everyone who was able to join us that day and Pat Dickinson and the rest of the CYRE committee for their help in organizing and setting up the event. The levels of sensitivity, commitment and complexity demonstrated by our participants during our discussions and activities was great! There are another half-dozen or so congregants who were unable to join us that we will be “catching up” within the next few weeks, providing a solid group of folks to deliver all of our programming this year. If you are now a part of this dedicated group, I want to let you know that I have posted the sign-up sheets for the year outside my office. Please have a look when you get a chance and find a theme or a month that you would like to volunteer! Whether taking a lead role or just supporting our growing number of children, every volunteer is important!
Yours in Service,
Tim