Family Newsletter:

Week of January 1, 2023

Family Calendar

Sun, Jan 01 : 10:00am : Worship

Wed, Jan 04 : 5:15-6:15pm : Choristers Rehearsal

Wed, Jan 04 : 6:15-7:30pm : Midwinter Epiphany Celebration

Sun, Jan 08 : 10:00am : Church School (Godly Play & Storymakers)

Sun, Jan 08 : 11:15am : Sunday Ministries/Acolyte Training

Sun, Jan 08 : 6:30-8:30pm : Youth Night Games & Ice Cream (grades 6-12)

Wed, Jan 11 : 5:15-6:15pm : Choristers Rehearsal

Sun, Jan 15 : 8:00 & 10:00am : Worship (No Church School: MLK Weekend)

Wed, Jan 18 : 5:15-6:15pm : Choristers Rehearsal

Wed, Jan 18 : 6:15-7:30pm : Midweek Dinner & Formation for all ages

Three Things of Note

January 4th: Join us for our Midwinter celebration! Fires, cocoa, and grilled cheese in our cloister garden as we celebrate the end of the Christmas Season and Epiphany. We'll be celebrating the end of the season with a Burning of the greens. Bring a small branch from your tree or wreath to add!

Acolyte Training on January 8th: A great way for 4th graders and up to participate in service. Please see below.

Youth Games and Ice Cream on January 8th: 6-12th graders, come enjoy some night games and treats!

Dear families,

I hope your Christmas celebrations have been filled with cheer, joy, love and--even, maybe--rest.

This Sunday, New Year's Day, there is one service of worship at 10am. There is no Church School this Sunday, but if your child would like to help during the service please find me in the sanctuary around 9:45am.

This Wednesday, on what is the Eleventh Day of Christmas, we will celebrate the closing of the Christmas Season with a special "Midwinter" gathering. Please join us for a simple meal of grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup (which, if you joined us at Midwinter last year, you know Duane makes extraordinary), and cocoa. We'll have fire pits in the Cloister Garden as well as inside seating.

After our light meal, we'll observe the end of the season with a Burning of the Greens. We take the greens we used to decorate during the season, and burn them "to mark the enlightenment of Christ's coming to the world." We will burn the greens we used here at church, and you are welcome to bring a small branch from your tree or wreath at home, as well.

Happy New Year!

Bryn

Sunday Ministry Training Day

Are you interested in serving as an acolyte, reader, LEM (Lay Eucharistic Minister), or usher? Join us on January 8 following the 10:00 am service from 11:15 am – 12:15 pm in the sanctuary for our training day.

Children in grades four and up can be acolytes. This is a fun way to take part in our services!

Youth and adults, this is a wonderful opportunity for you to explore ways to serve during worship, too, as readers, ushers, and Lay Eucharistic Ministers.

Please contact Janelle with any questions.

Youth Games & Ice Cream Night: January 8

On January 8 from 6:30-8:30 pm, Epiphany youth (6th-12th grade) are invited to night games and ice-cream here at the church. Join us as we kick off the new year! RSVP to Janelle.

Communion Enrichment Program for Children in 2nd through 5th Grade

On Saturday, January 21 from 9am to 11:00am we will hold our Communion Enrichment retreat. That morning, for both the child and their adult, is a time when we learn about the meaning of Communion, its history, and how it fits into our liturgy. It is a hands-on, fun, and meaningful time together.

Parents/caregivers, you are asked to be part of this experience along with your child. It's a wonderful opportunity to deepen your relationship with other families in your child's age group, to walk with your child, and to revisit the meaning of communion yourself.

On Sunday, January 22 we have Communion Enrichment Sunday, where we recognize the children who participated in the Saturday retreat and thank them for being such important parts of our church community.

While we open this program to any child in grades 2 through 5, this is something a child does only once. In other words, if they participated while in 2nd grade, they don't participate again in 3rd grade, etc. We give you the choice of doing this in grades 2, 3, 4 or 5 so that families have the flexibility to pick the right time for them.

Please note that children of any age are always invited and welcome to partake of communion here; this program is meant to help explain and deepen that experience for our young parishioners.

If you are interested in taking part, please sign up here. Any questions? Please reach out to Bryn.

Communion Enrichment Signup

Church School: Holiday Schedule

No Church School on January 1 (New Years Day).

We resume our Church School classes on Sunday, January 8.

Please note there will not be classes Martin Luther King Weekend (January 15).

Church School Registration

Church School registration is always open! This gives us important information like allergies and opting into/out of photo permissions. We re-register each year to keep our information current. Thank you!

Church School Registration

Important New Opportunities for Youth

Exploring our Faith

All youth (6th-12th grade) are invited to Exploring our Faith, Sundays after the 10am service from Feb. 5th - April 2nd (Skipping Feb. 19th). For those interested in being confirmed (must be 10th grade or older), these classes will be required and fulfill all confirmation qualifications. Please email Janelle at jhiroshige@3crowns.org if you are interested in being confirmed. Pizza will be provided!

Youth Hut Hike: Summer 2023

Save the date for our Youth Hut Hike trip on June 26th-28th in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. We will have a guide from the Appalachian Mountain Club and this will be an opportunity for community building while enjoying God’s creation. Interested? Email Janelle at jhiroshige@3crowns.org.