Spiritual Toolkit for Families
| Sharing here a “Summer Spiritual Toolkit” first developed four years ago. This toolkit contains formation resources for adults and children alike and was created in response to a request from our young families for summertime formation material. It also includes several offerings appropriate for adults — so do take a look! As your schedule shifts and (hopefully) slows this summer, I pray these resources will fill your cup, and provide delight, as well as offer support and spiritual sustenance to you and your children / grandchildren / nieces / nephews / neighbours / friends. If there is anything on your mind, or something you’d like to discuss emerging from the resources listed below, I welcome meeting for pastoral conversation over a cold glass of lemonade or iced tea during the first half of summer, before I leave on vacation in late July. Also keep in mind that if a particular topic here resonates, we can create a small group this upcoming program year to do a “deep dive.” In this transitional time of endings and beginnings, may the joy and blessings of summertime be yours, and congratulations to all of our children and youth on the completion of another school year! Nicole+ |
Launching into Summer Having the Summer of a Child “What if we stopped? What if we approached those moments of summer, those holy moments of pause, rest, renewal, and rejuvenation with an attitude of gratitude and intention? What if we had the summer of a child?” Experiencing Thin Places as Family “Where are your thin places? Where are the places where the barrier between heaven and earth are so thin that the two worlds feel like one? Where are the places where you consistently experience God’s presence with intimacy and immediacy?” Praying Compline with Children during the Summer “Saying the short liturgy of Compline alongside my family teaches me to keep dreaming of and working for a church that inspires, enlightens, and liberates. Ending the day bathed in candlelight at the table with our children reminds me that Christ’s dream for loving our neighbor and offering liberation lives in me because God’s spirit dwells in me. Despite how many people these days blatantly use Christianity as a method for manipulation and control, Jesus did not stand for empire and domination; he turned toward suffering and he stood for full liberation of our bodies, of our minds, and of our lives. If I don’t at least try to help my children experience a Christianity that illuminates, frees, inspires, and offers peace, how will they ever come to love it enough to repair or reform it?” Note: In addition to the Compline service found in the Book of Common Prayer (Episcopal Church, US), the Book of Alternative Services (Anglican Church in Canada) includes a service of Evening Prayer on page 61. Extra copies of the BAS can be found at church – just inquire with the clergy. The New Zealand Prayer Book also includes a beautiful liturgy Night Prayer on page 167, as well as a Family Prayer liturgy that begins on page 187. Candlewalk: Bedtime Prayers to God is a picture book version of Compline, appropriate for young children. |
| Lectionary-based Reflection for All Ages: Sunday by Sunday Lectionary-based reflection for children, youth and adults of all ages from Lesson Plans that Work for youth and young adults. July 5 – Proper 9 July 12 – Proper 10 July 19 – Proper 11 July 26 – Proper 12 + Emancipation Day / Liturgical ResourcesAugust 2 – Proper 13August 9 – Proper 14 August 16 – Proper 15 August 23 – Proper 16 August 30 – Proper 17 A complete calendar of Lectionary readings may be found here and here |
| Book Recommendations for Children and Youth of All Ages: Children’s Book Recommendations by Lydia Wylie Kellerman for children and youth of all ages. |
Parenting ResourcesMagazine Mothering – Selected pieces from Geez’s issue 53. The Children Will Prophesy – Selected pieces from Geez’s issue 69 includes wisdom and prophetic words from children. Book The Sandbox Revolution edited by Lydia Wylie-Kellerman “It is a complex time to be a parent. Our climate is in crisis, and economic inequality is deepening. Racialized violence is spreading, and school shootings are escalating. How do we, as parents, cultivate in our children a love of the earth, a cry for justice, and a commitment to nonviolence? Where do we place our bodies so we teach our kids that resistance is crucial and change is possible? What practices do we hold as a family to encourage them to work with their hands, honor their hearts, and nurture their spirits? Be sure to download this study guide perfect for small group discussion.” Podcast Nurturing the Our Children’s Souls with Rabbi Sandy Sasso A rabbi and parent, Sandy Eisenberg Sasso wants us to think about how we might teach our children’s souls, not just their minds. She says nurturing the spiritual lives of our children is the work of understanding for ourselves “what really matters in life, what’s precious, what’s more important than earning a living and going through our daily routine.” Video How can we be “the village” in raising our children?: A conversation with Dr. Christina Hong (St. Luke’s Episcopal Church and Ebenezer Baptist Church, Atlanta) Wonder Box Curriculum Intergenerational curriculum and lessons that encourage engagement of scripture and the more than human world through exploration and questions that are learner-focussed. Designed to be used and practiced outside. (Selal + Cedar) Building Faith Webinars Equipping and inspiring churches and individuals for the ministry of Christian education and faith formation. (Virginia Theological Seminary) Formation Webinars (Episcopal Parish Network) Adolescent Mental Health and Spiritual Tools for Parents with Lisa Miller, PhD (Church of the Heavenly Rest – Episcopal, New York City) Miller is the author of The Awakened Brain: The New Science of Spirituality and Our Quest for an Inspired Life and The Spiritual Child: The New Science on Parenting for Health and Lifelong Thriving.” Supporting Teens in a Digital Space with Angela Gorrell (Church of the Heavenly Rest – Episcopal, New York City) More conversions with Angela Gorrel can be found here. |
