A Mutual Friend

Nena, 4, came to us in the fall with no experience of church. One of her parents is Christian and one is Jewish, and both had had negative experiences with organized religion. Nena slowly warmed up to the atrium, and her nanny reported that it became her favorite activity. Just after Easter Nena's mother told me this story: At home one day Nena found a small black book. (It was a prayer book her mother had as a child.) She asked if she could look at it and her mother said yes, with no further comment. She watched as Nena turned to the first page and saw the big cross on it. Molly looked up at her mother with a face full of joy, "Oh Mommy, I didn't know you knew JESUS!"

Created with Hope

Prayer by a 4th grade boy whose father is in jail and whose mother is dead:

Lord God, you created us with hope. We thank you for all the good things you give to us. Please forgive your children who went against you and help those who don't have any strength or can't see their families any more because of sickness and can't walk, see or hear. God, you have opened up the light and gates to heaven. We thank your son Jesus for dying on the cross for us. You give us sun, earth, land, trees, animals, grass, people. And at the end to our earth there would be hope.

" I see GOD!"

Mother and child walked labyrinth together. Child ran through labyrinth with great joy. Arriving at the center, child shouted " I see GOD!"

A Variety of Things

During our Pentecost celebration, our 6-12 children brought a plant to represent Creation, when the Spirit moved over the waters, and the following to correspond to the gifts of the Spirit:

- The Good Samaritan for Understanding (He understood the traveler's pain)

- The Good Shepherd for Knowledge (He knows the Sheep and the Father)

-  The Mustard Seed for Fear of the Lord

-  Simeon and Anna for Piety

-  A prophet for Counsel

- For Strength, a variety of things, including the oil of baptism, the woman who looks for the coin, and bread and wine

- For Wisdom, the Maxims

The Door

While doing the Parable of the Insistent Friend, Eddie, 8, and I read the maxim, "Ask and it shall be given you." At the end I asked him, "What door do you think this is?" He said, "The door to the Holy Spirit and the Kingdom of God."

God Says It With Flowers

While doing flower arranging, Bibi, 6, said, "The Holy Spirit comes to me in flowers."