Two different kids' activities we've been part of at church had final activities a couple of weeks ago. Rain canceled our Children's Fellowship picnic along the river. While I rushed to get Lee's chicken, Stephanie, Martha, and Kate came up with a great blowing bubbles activity. Lucy (in her brand-new haircut) (above and below) joined in.
Isabel (about ready to celebrate her first birthday), daughter of children's and youth coordinators Ian and Kate, was just starting to stand (with some help here from Debbie, the music director and leader of Children's Choir, whose practices are part of our activities). While Debbie watched Isabel, Hannah (one of our two graduates - about to go to middle school and the middle and high school youth group) and the older sister of another graduate (Ariane, Mariah's sister) joined in too.
Isabel took a break from walking
Jessi, Vincent's prom date from last year, has helped out with Children's Fellowship and here she led the way with blowing bubbles.
Ethan, Hannah's brother, got creative.
Leila (below), with the adult who comes with her in the background (Anna), blew a big bubble.
Mariah, the other graduate, gave it a try.
So did Leila's little sister, first-timer Laura.
Olivia and Oden got serious.
And Jessi and Ariane had great success.
As we shifted inside to eat, Isabel took another break.
A week later, Vincent - on the verge of having his friend Samantha go to Denmark for a month - surprised us. Although he said No to going to church on a day in which they were honoring hgih school seniors, he said Yes to going to the end-of-the-year youth group activity: the swim/picnic for kids and parents that we'd been to for most of the last three Junes. Vincent hadn't been invovled in church or youth group since he went to the Deam Lake Labor trip with all of us and then ran away. It was nice to get him to this one, and to give us some closure with the youth group experience, since we had basically dropped out as youth group parents too. Below, twins Luke and Rachel (who both went to Guatemala with us in 2007) gathered at a Jewish Community Center picnic table.
Luis, their friend, and Ariana and Mariah talked during supper. These four also appeared in the penultimate picture we took at Deam Lake.
Luis and Daniel's father, Peter (also clerk of the session), and Youth Team member Ben talked over supper too.
So did Dawn, another Youth Team member.
Vincent swears now that he doesn't like swimming, and the water was pretty cold, but he got in with his T-shirt on and swam around with Jessi and her friend and others.
We joined Kate and Isabel and others in the (warmer) kiddie pool. In past years adults have converged on a heated mid-sized pool, but it wasn't open to us this year.
Jason (below) said good-bye, maybe from youth group activities for a while. Father of Olivia and Lucy, he and his wife are about to have their third kid, and so he may have to take a break.
Jessi, Vincent's prom date from last year, has helped out with Children's Fellowship and here she led the way with blowing bubbles.
Ethan, Hannah's brother, got creative.
Jessi (below) tried some more.
Leila (below), with the adult who comes with her in the background (Anna), blew a big bubble.
Mariah, the other graduate, gave it a try.
So did Leila's little sister, first-timer Laura.
Olivia and Oden got serious.
And Jessi and Ariane had great success.
As we shifted inside to eat, Isabel took another break.
A week later, Vincent - on the verge of having his friend Samantha go to Denmark for a month - surprised us. Although he said No to going to church on a day in which they were honoring hgih school seniors, he said Yes to going to the end-of-the-year youth group activity: the swim/picnic for kids and parents that we'd been to for most of the last three Junes. Vincent hadn't been invovled in church or youth group since he went to the Deam Lake Labor trip with all of us and then ran away. It was nice to get him to this one, and to give us some closure with the youth group experience, since we had basically dropped out as youth group parents too. Below, twins Luke and Rachel (who both went to Guatemala with us in 2007) gathered at a Jewish Community Center picnic table.
There are half a dozen plus kids Vincent's age (including Luke and Rachel) who have been at the church and in youth group (off and on). Some including Vincent had quit showing up for most youth group events. Most are going to college (although one of Vincent's friends who didn't graduate but still went to Denmark originally started off in this youth group). Some of these kids - unlike Vincent - grew up together. Below, sisters Phoebe and Lily and their friend posed during picnic supper.
Luis, their friend, and Ariana and Mariah talked during supper. These four also appeared in the penultimate picture we took at Deam Lake.
Luis and Daniel's father, Peter (also clerk of the session), and Youth Team member Ben talked over supper too.
So did Dawn, another Youth Team member.
Vincent swears now that he doesn't like swimming, and the water was pretty cold, but he got in with his T-shirt on and swam around with Jessi and her friend and others.
We joined Kate and Isabel and others in the (warmer) kiddie pool. In past years adults have converged on a heated mid-sized pool, but it wasn't open to us this year.
Jason (below) said good-bye, maybe from youth group activities for a while. Father of Olivia and Lucy, he and his wife are about to have their third kid, and so he may have to take a break.
Thanks, Youth Group folks, for a good four years. And thanks to Vincent for giving our family the opportunity to participate in this closing youth group activity . . . . Click below to watch and listen as Children's Fellowship kids help kick off the outdoor Pentecost Sunday worship service during the weekend in between the two end-of-the-year kids' events.
-- Perry
No comments:
Post a Comment