|
Friday, October 28, 2011
November
On the way to Elijah’s Grandparents house on a drizzly Tuesday morning,
Elijah asked to listen to his “God music.” A Little People Sunday School Songs CD. He sang along to “Rise
and Shine” and then saw the picture of Jesus on the sign when you get on north I-75 at Dixie Highway. At the same time
the song playing was “I’m so happy, so very happy, I’ve got the love of Jesus in my heart...” Elijah
asked, “Momma is Jesus’ love in my heart and your heart and Daddy’s heart?” To which I responded:
“Yes, Elijah, Jesus’ love is in all our hearts.” Then he went on to ask if Jesus’ love was in every
extended family members’ heart, his teachers, his school friends, his church friends, etc. To which my response was
always, “Yes!”. And we continued to sing his favorite Sunday School songs with Jesus’ love and Hosannas!
It turned a rainy morning drive into a bright spot in my day. When
people told me four years ago that having a child would completely change my life forever, I don’t think I truly understood
the extent that my life would be changed. Especially when it comes to my faith. My pregnancy and the early arrival of our
son was tough, but having to answer three year old questions about faith is something that even Seminary didn’t prepare
me for! And yet, it is one of my most favorite parts of being a Mom. Being reminded that Jesus’ love is in my heart
by my three year old keeps it real. Elijah may not understand it all right now, but the seeds are being planted. Perhaps you have noticed that the Infant Room was recently cleaned, painted, and new
toys and equipment were purchased to make it a welcoming environment for young families. Now it is time to work on Room 114.
I have gotten many comments that The ROCK rooms are great, why can’t the rooms for our toddlers and preschoolers be
just as exciting? You are right, our young children are important and need to have a welcoming, exciting place to learn about
God, Jesus, the Bible, and the Church. Miss Holly has been doing a fantastic job teaching the kids and over the next month
or two we will be transforming Room 114 as well. If you
would like to clean, paint, or donate toys (new or gently used) or monetary donations, please contact me. We want to be a
church that makes young families feel welcome and invited and much of that is how we welcome and care for the children. Blessings, Rev. Kathy
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Write the Scripture on Their Hearts
I attended a great conference in Loveland, Colorado last week about Family Ministry.
I have a heart for family ministry, especially now that I have a child. Ever since I was in college one of my passions has
been helping equip and empower parents to be the spiritual guide in their home. This conference really helped to equip me
to be able to equip others. One of the Scriptures that is hanging on my bulletin board is Deuteronomy 6:4-9:
"Hear,
O Israel: The Lord our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all
your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about
them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on
your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates."
The part that stands out to me is "Impress them upon your children." We as parents and people in the church are
commanded to raise our children knowing and loving God with all their heart, soul and strength. One way to do this is by sharing
Scripture with our children. Every month we have a Bible verse that is connected to the lesson from The ROCK. I also often
put a Scripture verse in the Kids Central Email. Take that verse (or another one that you like) and say it to and with your
children each day. Here are some ways that you are share the Scripture with your children and help to write it on their hearts:
* Write it on the bathroom mirror (with a dry-erase marker);
* Write it on a chalkboard in the Dining Room or
Kitchen and talk about it over breakfast;
* Put it on a note care and pack it with your child's lunch;
* Say the
Lord's Prayer before bed;
* Send it in a text message;
* Write it on a post-it note and stick it in the car. Read
it and talk about it on the way to school or practice.
Do you have more ideas about ways you can "Impress
them on your children"? Post them to the blog.
Oh, and our Bible Verse for March is: "You shall love the Lord
your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor
as yourself." Luke 10:27.
2:36 pm est
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Sending Medicine to Haiti!
Words cannot express how proud I am of our elementary children (and several of
their parents). The kids made, decorated, and sold baked goods to raise money for a medicine box to send to Haiti. The Bake
Sale raised $700!! They sold almost everything that was donated! It
was amazing!! One of the best parts of the morning for me was standing in the hallway, not being able to even get to the bake
sale tables, and watching the kids help people as they chose baked goods to take home. And the best part was they knew why
they were doing it - to help people in Haiti get the medicine they need. What a great opportunity to show our kids how they can make a difference in the world - and then let them do it!!
Thanks to all the kids who helped (and parents too)!
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
My Journey to Ordination
Some of you know that I have spent many hours working on my paperwork for Ordination.
These consisted of 14 questions about theology, my practice of ministry, a social/ethical issue, United Methodist doctrine
and more. I started this journey when I was in college (sometime around 2000) so you can see that it has been a long process
for me. I finished my paperwork last week and now wait until March for my interview with the Board of Ordained Ministry. Hopefully,
I will be ordained at Annual Conference in May. What does that mean? Well, I am working toward ordination as a Deacon in Full
Connection. A Deacon is a clergyperson who serves as a bridge between the church and the world. Unlike an Elder, who is itinerat,
I find my own place of employment. That means that I will be at Central UMC as long as I want to be (or as long as the church
wants me). I am already in a place of ministry that I love and intend to be here for a long time. Being a Deacon is important
for me because it is a way of saying that God has called me to do what I am doing and that I love what I do. Want to know
more? Email me @ kpittenger@waterfordcumc.org.
5:08 pm est
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Christian Educators Fellowship
I spent the weekend of October 24th at a Christian Educators Conference in Louisville,
KY. I had the opportunity to meet and network with other Christian Educators, attend Bible Studies and Workshops and get new
ideas, and see friends that I haven't seen in a couple of years. Why is this conference important? Because it gives me new
ideas to bring home to my church and place of ministry so that we can have a more effective and successful ministry. In the
past I have learned about new ideas like the Blessing of the Backpacks, Babies 1st Christmas Blessing, Family Home Visits,
and ore. I come home with new books and resources that can help equip me for ministry. Perhaps the most important thing I
bring home is a new network of people who I can call on when i have a question or feel stuck. I have a network of people who
can pray for me when I am going through a life or ministry struggle. The CEF National Conference happens every two years -
in 2012 it will be in Green Lake, WI! I am already looking forward to it!
So what did I bring home this time? I
came home with a new confidence that the children's and family ministries that we are doing at Central is awesome. Of course,
there is always room for improvement and growth, but we are doing well here. The ideas that the workshop leaders were sharing
are many of the things that we are already doing - like the young families group and the parenting mini-workshops. I did get
some new ideas for workshop ideas - like Dealing with Bullies or learning about Cyber-safety for kids. I found some new books
and resources (I love books!). I learned about a few new communication tools and resources. But mostly, I discovered that
we are doing great things here at Central. We have fabulous families. We have great ministries - now I have to work on getting
involved in our community - so more people can get involved in what we have to offer - mostly Jesus Christ and a life that
means so much more with him.
What do you think we do well at Central? What do you think we could do better? Is
anyone reading this blog? What are the needs in our community and how can we be more than "that big church on M-59"?
|
|
2011.10.23
2011.02.27
2011.02.13
2011.01.09
2010.10.24
2010.08.08
2010.02.01
2009.02.01
|
