10+ household practices for Advent

St. Luker's decorate wreaths each year for use
in our homes. The wooden platforms (made by
our own Wilbur L.) are a vast improvement over
the styrofoam ones of years past!

Advent.

A season of getting ready.

A time to listen...to prophets and angels.

They are telling us that God still loves us, that light is coming, that we have a part to play.

They are telling us to be quiet. Listen and watch, because God is going to do something amazing.

How will we get ready to see the light in the darkness?

How will we prepare to say "yes" to God's invitation?

Below are few ideas of ways to observe Advent, which begins December 2, in our households. Many of these were suggested by our "Raising Cain" group of parents who gather monthly to discuss raising children, youth, and young adults in the faith.

Advent Practices for Households (a work in progress by St. Luke’s, Durham, 2012)

-Light the Advent wreath together. Include prayers, songs, stories from scripture.

-Use an Advent calendar, opening a door or placing something new on the calendar each day. You can purchase Advent calendars or make your own. Consider a felt board calendar with a different cut-out for each day.

-Set up an empty crèche scene. Move the Holy Family (Mary and Joseph) closer to the crèche each day. On Christmas, place the baby Jesus in the manger.

-“Pad the manger” with “straws of love.” Set up an empty box or basket. During Advent add a piece of straw to the basket every time someone in the family does an act of love for someone else. When we perform acts of love for others, we are getting our hearts ready to receive God’s love, like the manger ready to receive the baby Jesus.

-Sing Advent songs together. There is an entire Advent section in the Hymnal.

-Perform acts of service together as a family. Buy presents for needy families or food for the food pantry. Clean up God’s creation.

-Find quiet times. Just sit in the dark and look at the lights on your tree or the lights of your Advent wreath together.

-Set aside money together as a family that you will donate to a charity that is special to your family. Buy honor cards at the alternative gift fair to support organizations that help others.

-Celebrate Feast Days during the season such as St. Nicholas Day on December 6.

-Look out for other Advent events in the community.

-Select Advent story books to read together.

-Decorate your house/tree in stages, so that you are adding Christmas decorations all the way up until Christmas Eve.

-Look online for other resources. Here are a couple of good ones:

http://storypath.wordpress.com/lectionary-links/ Makes connections between upcoming readings in church and children’s literature (good all year round, not just Advent).

www.stnicholascenter.org St. Nicholas activities, crafts, recipes, and more, plus how to explain the difference between this Advent saint and “Santa Claus.”

St. Luke's Alternative Gift Fair December 2 and 9

The St. Luke's Alternative Gift Fair (going strong now for over 20 years) is coming Sundays, December 2 and 9 from 8:30-12:30.

Advent is our church season of preparing our hearts to welcome Christ anew at Christmas. We prepare by slowing down and making time to be quiet with God. We also prepare by remembering all those in need. Remember that the baby Jesus was born in a stable! Bring your checkbooks or cash to donate to organizations that will help others with housing, food, education, basic needs, and so much more. Most organizations provide a card for you to send to someone letting them know that you gave a gift in their honor. One World Market will be here on Dec. 9 only with fairly traded crafts and foods from around the globe. Learn more about all the organizations that will be represented by clicking here.

This year consider an "alternative" gift that gives to people we don't even know in addition to the people we do know. Drop by the fair in Johnson Hall behind the main church building, even if you don't plan to attend our worship services (although we always welcome newcomers). It's easy to find us and easy to park (1737 Hillandale Rd right next to I-85). And we have great, free food and coffee.

Urban Ministries of Durham offers "honor cards" for a donation

SEEDS has cards, t-shirts, and bags to benefit this gardening
outreach ministry.

Housing for New Hope has homemade jewelry for sale.

Jingle Bell LEAP 5K Run/walk for Latino Education

Jingle Bell LEAP 5K Walk or Run Saturday December 8, 2012. Duke East Campus. Registration 9 a.m. Run/walk 10 a.m. Register online at https://runsignup.com/Race/NC/Durham/JingleBellLEAP All proceeds benefit LEAP.

LEAP is a partnership of Episcopal Churches (led by El Buen Pastor, St. Luke's, and St. Philip's) helping young Latino students succeed in school through Pre-K instruction and afterschool tutoring. To learn more, come out to the Jingle Bell LEAP, visit the website: www.durhamleap.org or contact durhamleapcoordinator@gmail.com 

Starting Up Children's Chapel for Ages 2-4

 

This fall, we’ve been thrilled to be able to start up Children’s Chapel for ages 2-4 in Johnson Hall.  We hope to use this time each week for very basic, developmentally appropriate Christian formation.  Typically, we light the alter candles as a group, pray a short confession, read a bible story together, enjoy some craft time, and sing LOTS of songs.  Although St. Luke’s historically has had a Children’s Chapel time for this age group, this tradition is new to us, so we’re still working out some of the kinks and tailoring our time to the interests and personalities of the children who attend.  We’re so excited to see where this program goes in coming months, especially with the imminent addition of simple music instruments for our times of song. 

We are very actively looking for volunteers for this Children’s Chapel, so please let me know if you could join us every few weeks in our time of worship by emailing me at hilly@stlukesdurham.com. 

Reflections on the NC Pride Parade

During the last weekend of September, about thirty parishioners from St. Luke’s congregated on Duke’s East Campus in support of our state’s LGBT community.  Marchers from St. Luke’s came away from the day with a variety of memories and reflections on our parish’s first formal participation in the NC Pride Parade. Here are a few:

This was my first chance marching instead of "woo-hoo"ing  from the sidelines. It was a blast in spite of the weather. I don't know what was funnier, Peter Kariher's wig or Tom Brooks's fake sideburns glued on upside-down. We laughed. We sloshed. We cheered...and were cheered. Some day my kids will remember that their church (and their embarrassing parents) marched for something that was important. I can't wait until next year !- Ginny Brooks

The Gay Pride Parade was a totally upbeat experience of people sharing positive acceptance of each other. When I stood there in the rain watching the participants lineup, all I could think about was - it is not raining on their parade. -Terri Toohil 

Wynn Cherry and Cathy Rimer-Surles offer to us some extended reflections on the significance of this event.

Wynn writes:
 

Some of you may know that every year a festival comes to town.  Rainbow flags appear from Duke East Campus to Ninth Street, a sure sign that the statewide recognition of gay pride has arrived.   For those of you who have never been, the Pride Parade offers a colorful spectacle of people in our blessedly tolerant area of a conservative state to step out and be supportive of citizens who suffer some degree of oppression from slurs and insults to the creation of an amendment to ban marriage between two people of the same sex.

Saturday, September 29th, about thirty members of the St. Luke’s community, young and not so young, defied the cold rain and joined the fun, donned silly hats or colorful wigs, wore beautiful shimmery dresses or jeans and raingear to march with our beautiful St. Luke’s banner to proclaim “All Are Welcome”.   We joined with Gay Straight Alliances from local schools to businesses to neighborhood groups on the march and returned to our booth on Duke’s campus wet but elated.

So what difference did it make?  For members of a community that even today sometimes live under the radar or with some element of fear, it made a huge difference.   Just the fact that we were there, we marched, we sat in the rain at a table talking to people passing by, we signed our names to a statement of support in a PFLAG ad that appeared in The Independent, made a huge difference to members of a community that look for a place, especially a religious space, to be accepted.

While I was at our table at the rally before and after the march, the mother of a gay son came by and lamented the fact that her teenager, who recently came out,  refused to attend church any longer since a person with a fundamentalist interpretation of Old Testament scripture told him he was going to burn in hell.    Her son wandered up about that time, and I was glad that St. Luke’s was there, that we could stand as a counterpoint to the narrow and restrictive messages that come from so many other places.  The family took a flyer and wandered on but not before we assured him that we would be happy to have them join us. 

My sincere thanks to my fellow parishioners at St. Luke’s, both straight and gay, who stand up for those who still seek acceptance and who by their actions reveal a spirit of love.   I, for one, am very grateful to be part of a truly welcoming community.

 Cathy writes:

Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so

Little ones to him belong, they are weak but he is strong

Yes, Jesus loves me, yes, Jesus loves me

Yes, Jesus loves me, the Bible tells me so

How well I remember singing that song happily in Sunday school so many times as a young child, but how painful it became to sing it as a teenager as I came to believe that Jesus couldn't possibly love me.  Why? Because I believed that there was something terribly wrong with me since all I ever heard Christians say about gay people was that they were "unnatural," "perverted" and "an abomination." 

Those hurtful words seared deep wounds into my soul and caused me to internalize self-hatred and toxic shame – what I now know to be an all-too-common experience for gay and lesbian young people.  Despite the love and support of my family, for many years I felt completely cut off from God and from the Christian community, unable to experience God's love, grace and forgiveness.

I can assure you that on the first Sunday I visited St. Luke's several years ago at the urging of my partner Kelly, it was the last place I wanted to be.   My emotional and spiritual guard was up and I was convinced that once again, I would feel like an unwelcome outsider who did not belong.  What actually happened, however, was something miraculous – the walls that I had built up for so many years began to crack a little.  Thanks to the sincere welcome I and my family have received at St. Luke's over the past few years, I can honestly say that those seemingly impenetrable walls have pretty much crumbled to dust. 

It is impossible to overstate the profoundly healing power of unconditional love and acceptance.  When we embrace those whom our fellow Christians have shunned, we carry out God's work and facilitate the healing grace of God's love.   When we walk beside our neighbors who are lesbian or gay, we affirm the "Imago Dei," the image of God in every human being and celebrate the mystery of God's wondrous creation.   I am profoundly grateful to my fellow parishioners who chose to come out in the rain to walk in this year's Pride Parade with me and my family whether in body or in spirit.  You have truly been an instrument of God's peace.  

LEAPS Pre-K Program Kicks Off The Year!

This Monday marks the beginning of the third week of the LEAPS (Latino Education Acheivement Partnership) program for preschool-aged children.  The class of 14 students meets in the Gray Building on St. Luke's grounds four days a week in the morning.  

Each LEAPS pre-K morning is filled with art, songs, stories, LOTS of counting, outdoor playtime, puzzles, snack, and indoor playtime.  For all of the children, this LEAPS program is their first experience in a classroom environment, so much of teacher Adriana Smith's curricular focus involves teaching the children basic classroom socialization: sitting in circles, lining up, washing hands, taking turns, sharing, raising a hand to speak up, etc.  In addition, the children possess a wide range of English language proficiency; some come from bilingual households while others entered the program only speaking a few words in English.  Over the course of the year, the LEAPS pre-K program will aim to equip these young students to enter the kindergarten classroom with an understanding of school rules and expectations as well as a familiarity with the English language. 

We look forward to many more weeks of learning with these children in the coming months and feel very blessed and fortunate to have the chance to get know and spend time with each of them.  

Enjoy the pictures below, which show just how much learning and play go on each morning with the LEAPS pre-K students!

Raising Cain: 3 ways to get kids excited about worship

Detail of stained glass window
from our children's chapel in Johnson Hall

Here are some notes from our recent "Raising Cain" discussion for parents about raising our children, youth, and young adults in the faith. Our topic was "children in worship." What are the joys and challenges of including our kids in worship with us? We went around and shared some of our experiences, both as children growing up going to church and as parents bringing kids (or grandkids) to church. There were some great ideas about ways we could make worship more engaging for children and youth.

1.Participate. Find ways for kids to participate in what's going on. Parents reported that St. Cecilia's choir and acolyting had increased their kids' enthusiasm for being in worship. I noted that one church I heard about has a rule that adults are never allowed to do anything in the worship service that a child could do. In other words, they have kids doing a lot of things. Here are some more things we brainstormed to get kids more involved at St. Luke's:
-junior ushers. Kids could help the adult ushers.
-oblation bearers: Children or youth could bring up the bread and wine at the offertory
-greeters. Families could greet people at the door, not just the parents.
-kid bags with mini-felt boards inside. Kids can use the felt boards to act out the story of the last supper as it is being told in the Eucharist, for example.

Everyone loves to be close to the worship action,
especially at a baptism.

2. Get up close. We discussed how young kids, especially, like to be a part of the action. When we have a baptism, they enjoy having a front-row seat. We could occasionally invite the children to sit closer to the altar so that they can see what is going on. Likewise, children's sermons where the preacher is close to the children are popular among children and adults (on an occasional basis).

3. More inter-generational interaction. We talked about how the kids like to interact with other adults at church and how other adults (especially the ones without kids) can also enjoy that interaction. What if there were "church buddies" with whom kids could sit during a service so that their parents would not have to be constantly making sure the kids are behaving? This would allow the parents to relax a bit and enjoy worship a little more, perhaps. The kids might look forward to seeing their "church buddy" on a weekly basis.


We also discussed our new pre-school children's chapel offering which begins in October. This offering will be geared to our 2, 3, and young 4 year-olds. It will meet in the Johnson Hall children's chapel each week during the first half of the service.

There are tons of great ideas. The key is making them happen. If you have energy and enthusiasm about something you've read or another idea to get kids more engaged in worship, let us know!