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Centered LifeSM Alive!
Ideas to use in your congregation
Rally Day Backpack Blessing
Many congregations celebrate the Sunday
that kicks off the new Sunday school year and the beginning of the
public school year as Rally Day. Consider including the following Rally
Day blessing as part of that Sunday’s worship service in your
congregation.
Ahead of time, publicize that all those
who attend school should bring their backpacks to worship that Sunday.
At the beginning of the worship service on Rally Day, have all students
(young and old!) come to the front, asking those who have remembered
their backpacks to place them close to the altar. Then invite everyone
else who is involved in education to stand—parents and/or guardians of
those attending school, teachers, custodians, cafeteria workers, bus
drivers, school crossing guards, school board members or school activity
volunteers, school nurses and social workers, and so forth. Wish
everyone well as they begin this new school year. Assure them that your
congregation is a community that loves and supports them in all that
they do. End by asking God’s special blessing on them all, using the
prayer that follows if you desire:
Lord,
These backpacks remind us that a new
school year is about to begin. We pray your blessing upon their owners
and upon all students, young and old, as they begin this new school
year. We ask your blessing, also, on all who work with or support them
in their education. Let each person who stands before us now feel the
love and support of this congregation, and grant this congregation the
wisdom and means to meet their needs throughout the coming year.
We all are called to be part of your work
in the world, Lord, and you have given each one of us gifts and
strengths to use in that work. Help each of these students to discover
and develop his or her gifts and strengths and know how to use them for
your purposes. Remind them, too, that whatever their gifts, they are
doing your work when they are kind and caring to others, when they do
their best in their studies and other activities, when they respect
others and themselves, and when they contribute in even small ways to
make things better or more pleasant for others.
Bless also, Lord, those who stand here
with the students. Whatever their task or role in education, guide them
to do it with a conscious effort to in some way make life better or more
pleasant for others. Give them pride in what they do, reminding them and
us that even the most ordinary task becomes extraordinary when done in
God’s name.
We ask this all, Lord, knowing that you
love and hear us. Amen.
Every Day Faith Walk
Encourage members of all ages to think
about living their faith in the world by including a “To think or talk
about today” suggestion in each Sunday’s bulletin. Here’s a month’s
worth to get you started:
Week One:
Think about the path you normally take to
school, to run errands, to work, or to church. What clues do you find
along the way about living God’s love in the world? See how many
clues—and ideas—you can find, then choose one or more to do in the next
week. Here are some examples of clues and ideas:
Litter – pick it up and throw it in an
appropriate place
Flowers – send flowers to someone with a
greeting like “God loves you” (real or drawn or pictured on a greeting
card)
Apartment building – pray each day for all the occupants of that
building
Policeman – wave and say thank you
Bank – Save a little so others can have more (don’t buy coffee one
morning and donate the money to a charity, give an extra 5% of your
allowance twice a week to church)
Tractor – Work to assure everyone has enough to eat
Week Two:
Choose one day of the week other than
Sunday. Share what you did from the time you got up until you went to
bed. (Give some detail, but limit time to 5 minutes per person.) After
sharing, discuss: Where were the opportunities in that day to show God’s
love to others through actions or words?
Week Three:
Think of someone with whom you work,
attend school, play, or know in the community that you find difficult to
deal with or don’t like very much. Name one good thing about the person
and commit to complimenting him or her on it the next time you meet.
Week Four:
Name one of your favorite movies or
television shows. Why do you like it? What do you admire about the
characters? What positive values does it teach or uphold? What pitfalls
does it warn against? What life and/or faith lessons does it teach? Why
would you recommend it to someone else as a good use of his or her time?
Getting to Know You
Look through the page on which you are
pictured in your congregation’s pictorial directory. For each person
pictured, see if you can name his or her occupation, school, community
volunteer activities or other “outside the congregation” interests.
Choose a few of the people for whom you don’t have an answer, look for
them next week, and discover an answer for each of them.
Option:
Note who is sitting directly in front of
you one and two rows up. (If you’re in the first row, start at the back
row. You’ll need to turn around, but everyone will know why, and if you
don’t, the people in the back won’t be included!) Can you name his or
her occupation, school, community volunteer activities, or other
“outside the congregation” interests? If so, chat with that person soon
to see what’s new in his or her life or interests. If not, make a point
to talk with them after worship today or at another time in the coming
week or two. By the way, if the person you identify is an infant, talk
to the parents about their child.
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