The children at West Suffield Congregational have a busy month coming up. The big news is that on June 12 they will be running worship. The children will read, sing, hear stories and join in a joyful service to mark the beginning of summer.
Our children have been learning over the past few months that they can make a difference in the world. To point towards a more hopeful view of the future, we have been trying to instill in our Sunday School students a sense of agency and an awareness of their own ability to make change. Now they are literally gathering change. We gave each child a piggy bank; they will clean out sofa cushions, car seats, and backpacks to fill them up, and then the proceeds will be sent to Ukraine. The church has been blessed because one of our young families has a direct connection there and will help us to direct the children’s collection where it will be of most use. In a time when often over 50% of fundraising goes to the people doing the fundraising, we consider ourselves doubly blessed to have a way to bypass that pitfall.
During the coming year as the children exercise their fundraising skills, through bake sales and special events (that they will devise), they will hear stories from Ukraine and see pictures of the humanitarian effort that is going on there. The children will learn that their prayers are being felt and what the money they raise is doing; they will learn that peace is not just an idea, and that with God and great love, anything is possible.
So, if you want to see some bright and shining faces, hear some beautifully written prayers and feel the hope of the future, see you on the 12th.