I helped a little with the school auction that was held this past Friday. Putting together an auction is a lot of work. There were 2 ladies who led the charge with several other people to help out. We had a really nice time. I ended up helping at the event with closing tables and checking out so my husband was in charge of checking on our bids. We ended up coming home with a lot of nice items. We have a beach condo for a weekend, ski lessons, amusement park tickets and lots of other items. I won’t even go into how much money we spent but as my husband said it is for a good cause.
The last 3 nights Tee has woken up because of a bad dream. The dream seems to be the same every night. He keeps telling me that there is a “bus driver” in our house. To translate, “bus driver” means a bus. I have tried to explain that the bus driver drives the bus and the bus stop is where we wait for the kids to get off the bus. It is very confusing to him.
It is very hard to reason with a 3 year old. This morning at 4 am he started crying in bed calling for me. I walk in and he starts talking about a bus driver being in the hallway outside of his room. I picked him up, walked him out and showed him that in fact there was no bus in the house. It usually takes me laying with him for a few minutes for him to calm down and go back to sleep.
The late night wake ups are making me very tired. I hope that the dreams stop sometime soon.
This past Sunday, I taught 2nd grade (E and Jay’s class) Sunday school. Well, actually I didn’t really teach as I was just the helper. I have wanted to figure out what they do in Sunday school for some time now. The boys tend not to give me much information when asked about the lesson.
The program seems fine but I am struggling with the safety of the children. I feel that safety should be top priority within the program and the church.
Safety does not seem to be priority to some. Most of the kids were dropped off by a parent but the parent did not sign them in on the attendance book. Some kids walked in with no parent present. The kids are allowed to walk to the bathroom in the hallway by themselves. There was one girl who said she would have to leave class and meet her Mom upstairs because her Mom was working a table after service. This one girl then came back down and got another girl from class and said her Mom was upstairs waiting also.
This gives me a very uneasy feeling. I would feel horrible if one child got "misplaced" on my watch. I think even in 2nd grade the children should be checked in and checked out. I may be a little nutty but better nutty then sorry.
I am working on an email to the coordinator of Sunday school. Maybe she knows or maybe she doesn’t. I would be happy to help teach Sunday school but I feel like they need to tighten up the safety just a bit. I am curious as to her response.
Showing posts with label Church. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Church. Show all posts
Monday, April 26, 2010
Thursday, February 25, 2010
I think we are going to finally do it
We have been attending a church here on and off for the last 2 years. I am not the type of person to have commitment issues but have had a hard time committing to the church.
I guess I have a hard time dealing with change some times. The church is a bit different from what we were used to at our old church. I could probably write a novel about the difference but at this point it is just best to move on and find our church family.
I have said it before but the main part of service that really bothers me is when it is time to greet your neighbors at the beginning of service. Honestly, I don’t want to shake everyone’s hands (and I am not that much of a germ-a-phoebe). People move all over the place to greet and I just stand as a statue hoping to not have to greet too many. Maybe I have issues!
A few Sundays ago, we found out that our pastor is leaving (he has only been the pastor for 31 years there). We like the Pastor but I think 31 years in one spot is way too long. A new pastor has been appointed. He seems like a young guy who has started several churches in the area. I think this will mean good things for the church.
They also announced a new member’s class that will be held in March. New members are brought in front of the congregation, introduced, prayed for and some other stuff is done. In my opinion, this is too lengthy process for me (one who does not like to be the center of attention). I would rather just continue to check off the box of regular attender than go through the process.
I decided to email the minister in charge of the new member’s class and explained my position. She called me and we spoke for a while. I think she thought I was a recluse and I felt like I had to explain that I was ok and we did have friends but I just don’t want to stand in front on display.
So if all goes as planned, we will finally become members of the church through a transfer of membership with no big to do in church.
I guess I have a hard time dealing with change some times. The church is a bit different from what we were used to at our old church. I could probably write a novel about the difference but at this point it is just best to move on and find our church family.
I have said it before but the main part of service that really bothers me is when it is time to greet your neighbors at the beginning of service. Honestly, I don’t want to shake everyone’s hands (and I am not that much of a germ-a-phoebe). People move all over the place to greet and I just stand as a statue hoping to not have to greet too many. Maybe I have issues!
A few Sundays ago, we found out that our pastor is leaving (he has only been the pastor for 31 years there). We like the Pastor but I think 31 years in one spot is way too long. A new pastor has been appointed. He seems like a young guy who has started several churches in the area. I think this will mean good things for the church.
They also announced a new member’s class that will be held in March. New members are brought in front of the congregation, introduced, prayed for and some other stuff is done. In my opinion, this is too lengthy process for me (one who does not like to be the center of attention). I would rather just continue to check off the box of regular attender than go through the process.
I decided to email the minister in charge of the new member’s class and explained my position. She called me and we spoke for a while. I think she thought I was a recluse and I felt like I had to explain that I was ok and we did have friends but I just don’t want to stand in front on display.
So if all goes as planned, we will finally become members of the church through a transfer of membership with no big to do in church.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Catholic memories
I went to a Catholic parochial school for my K-12 years of school. We were the typical Catholic family. We went to church every Sunday. We also attended mass at school on holy days. I was able to get all of my Catholic education at school in Religion class. In our area, the public school system did not have a good reputation. I am sure my parents struggled to give us a private education.
During my many years, Religion class always took a different form. Some years it was a joke. I had a teacher that made us do Religious crossword puzzles all of the time. I am fairly certain I did not learn much in her class. Then I had a teacher who made us watch Star Wars and somehow made a connection with Religion. My memory has blocked the movie as well as anything I may have been taught in her class. I had a few nuns teach me in elementary school and there were several nuns in high school. I remember Sister Susan chasing me around the halls because my skirt was too short. Those were the days.
I remember going to church every Sunday but not always willingly. I found the homilies to be boring and often times no connection to me as a child. So I basically sat and waited the hour for the mass to be done. I did not want to have my children go through this as well. The Methodist church we have been attending offers Sunday school for the kids during service. So they get to learn in a somewhat fun manner and we don't have ancy children that we have to tend to during service.
We did give a lot of thought on how to raise our children. I never thought that a public education would be for my children. Our ultimate decision was that we could not raise our children in the Catholic church. I do not believe in all of the Catholic teachings and would not ask my children to.
The school issue for us was solved when we moved into one of the best school districts in Maryland. They will get a good education. We still are not sold 100% on the church we have been attending. I hope we can figure this one out soon.
Why does this come up? We went to a Catholic church on Thursday for the funeral of our neighbor's mother. The church was beautiful. The service was lovely. It is funny how it has been so long since I have been to a mass but still remembered all of the responses. It was communion time when the priest made it clear that you are not invited to participate unless you are Catholic and have the same beliefs regarding the Eucharist. And that is when I remembered why we would not raise our children Catholic.
During my many years, Religion class always took a different form. Some years it was a joke. I had a teacher that made us do Religious crossword puzzles all of the time. I am fairly certain I did not learn much in her class. Then I had a teacher who made us watch Star Wars and somehow made a connection with Religion. My memory has blocked the movie as well as anything I may have been taught in her class. I had a few nuns teach me in elementary school and there were several nuns in high school. I remember Sister Susan chasing me around the halls because my skirt was too short. Those were the days.
I remember going to church every Sunday but not always willingly. I found the homilies to be boring and often times no connection to me as a child. So I basically sat and waited the hour for the mass to be done. I did not want to have my children go through this as well. The Methodist church we have been attending offers Sunday school for the kids during service. So they get to learn in a somewhat fun manner and we don't have ancy children that we have to tend to during service.
We did give a lot of thought on how to raise our children. I never thought that a public education would be for my children. Our ultimate decision was that we could not raise our children in the Catholic church. I do not believe in all of the Catholic teachings and would not ask my children to.
The school issue for us was solved when we moved into one of the best school districts in Maryland. They will get a good education. We still are not sold 100% on the church we have been attending. I hope we can figure this one out soon.
Why does this come up? We went to a Catholic church on Thursday for the funeral of our neighbor's mother. The church was beautiful. The service was lovely. It is funny how it has been so long since I have been to a mass but still remembered all of the responses. It was communion time when the priest made it clear that you are not invited to participate unless you are Catholic and have the same beliefs regarding the Eucharist. And that is when I remembered why we would not raise our children Catholic.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Church #2 - strike
I have been seriously searching for a Church that meets my requirements. This past weekend we tried another Methodist church that is about 15 minutes from our house. I now understand about contemporary services. We get to church and check in at the information desk. The lady was so nice and went through going into service, Sunday school and the nursery.
The chapel is nice, nothing spectacular, but it looks like a church. Children attend the first part of the service. After the welcome we were asked to greet our neighbors....just like in the church we have been attending. I had a hard time from laughing at that one. There was a band set up on stage and they sung about 4 or 5 contemporary songs. Yes, people in the pews were singing and swaying to the music with their hands up in the air.
The doors to the chapel are left open and people come and go as they need to. People come in late to service. The children were dismissed after the baptism of a little baby. My husband walks the 2 older boys to their room and I take Tee to the nursery. When we get back there were a few announcements and then the readings were read and the preacher gave a sermon. The sermon was fine but I found the minister to be dry, not much of a sense of humor.
As soon as service ends I go to get Tee out of the nursery. I didn't get a great feeling about leaving him in there. I asked for name tags but the guy said he was just subbing this week. The nursery is very close to the front door. I am not normally paranoid about leaving my child but something felt strange. As we were getting ready to go down to get the boys, the information lady catches us to tell us that Sunday school goes for another 1/2 hour. Luckily, the husband was on game and said that we did not plan for that. We decided to pull them out and leave.
Oddly enough the boys really liked the Sunday school class there even though there were only 5 kids in class. I am not sure why they liked this one so much better. It could have been because they were watching a Bible story on the TV. From the looks of it, it seems like they are fairly organized which makes a huge difference. I asked about the curriculum but apparently each class chooses the curriculum they want to use.
I have communicated with the head of children services at Church #1. Currently they don't have a specific curriculum as they have used a variety and made some up. They were looking for a new curriculum and that will start in the fall of 2009. Sometimes I feel like they are a bit disorganized and I am not sure my kids are learning anything.
At the end of service (church #2) we walked out and shook the Pastor and assistant Pastor's hands. They saw that we were holding a visitor bag but failed to say anything else to us. This really just rubbed me the wrong way.
The Pastor at Church #1 stopped us one day to ask us our names (not that he has remembered) but he always makes sure to greet us as we walk by him.
I came home and did some research on-line of other churches in the area. Tee will be attending preschool at an Episcopal church but they do not offer Sunday school. I spoke with a neighbor this morning who attends a Lutheran church nearby. Their contemporary service (and Sunday school) start at 10:15. I have looked up several Presbyterian churches in the area and almost all of them have service start at one time and Sunday school starts 30 minutes after.
I have a hard time with having the kids in service with me. I grew up Catholic and was made to attend mass every Sunday. I went to a Catholic school so I did not need to attend Religious Ed classes. When I was young I know I did not get anything out of service. I sat sat there waiting for it to end. I want my kids to be able to be in Sunday school and learn about the Bible stories at their own level.
I am not sure where to go from here. There is one more Lutheran church about a 15 minute drive that has a traditional service and Sunday school at the same time. At this point I just don't know if I want to change denominations. It is a lot to think about.
The chapel is nice, nothing spectacular, but it looks like a church. Children attend the first part of the service. After the welcome we were asked to greet our neighbors....just like in the church we have been attending. I had a hard time from laughing at that one. There was a band set up on stage and they sung about 4 or 5 contemporary songs. Yes, people in the pews were singing and swaying to the music with their hands up in the air.
The doors to the chapel are left open and people come and go as they need to. People come in late to service. The children were dismissed after the baptism of a little baby. My husband walks the 2 older boys to their room and I take Tee to the nursery. When we get back there were a few announcements and then the readings were read and the preacher gave a sermon. The sermon was fine but I found the minister to be dry, not much of a sense of humor.
As soon as service ends I go to get Tee out of the nursery. I didn't get a great feeling about leaving him in there. I asked for name tags but the guy said he was just subbing this week. The nursery is very close to the front door. I am not normally paranoid about leaving my child but something felt strange. As we were getting ready to go down to get the boys, the information lady catches us to tell us that Sunday school goes for another 1/2 hour. Luckily, the husband was on game and said that we did not plan for that. We decided to pull them out and leave.
Oddly enough the boys really liked the Sunday school class there even though there were only 5 kids in class. I am not sure why they liked this one so much better. It could have been because they were watching a Bible story on the TV. From the looks of it, it seems like they are fairly organized which makes a huge difference. I asked about the curriculum but apparently each class chooses the curriculum they want to use.
I have communicated with the head of children services at Church #1. Currently they don't have a specific curriculum as they have used a variety and made some up. They were looking for a new curriculum and that will start in the fall of 2009. Sometimes I feel like they are a bit disorganized and I am not sure my kids are learning anything.
At the end of service (church #2) we walked out and shook the Pastor and assistant Pastor's hands. They saw that we were holding a visitor bag but failed to say anything else to us. This really just rubbed me the wrong way.
The Pastor at Church #1 stopped us one day to ask us our names (not that he has remembered) but he always makes sure to greet us as we walk by him.
I came home and did some research on-line of other churches in the area. Tee will be attending preschool at an Episcopal church but they do not offer Sunday school. I spoke with a neighbor this morning who attends a Lutheran church nearby. Their contemporary service (and Sunday school) start at 10:15. I have looked up several Presbyterian churches in the area and almost all of them have service start at one time and Sunday school starts 30 minutes after.
I have a hard time with having the kids in service with me. I grew up Catholic and was made to attend mass every Sunday. I went to a Catholic school so I did not need to attend Religious Ed classes. When I was young I know I did not get anything out of service. I sat sat there waiting for it to end. I want my kids to be able to be in Sunday school and learn about the Bible stories at their own level.
I am not sure where to go from here. There is one more Lutheran church about a 15 minute drive that has a traditional service and Sunday school at the same time. At this point I just don't know if I want to change denominations. It is a lot to think about.
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