As they sang, I wished I knew the words, because I desperately wanted to sing along. I loved the lyrics and they had so much joy in their voices! The oldest carried the youngest, and the youngest, not able to stand still, because the music moved her, added her own choreography.
What exactly am I referring to? The Sunday School graduation presentation we celebrated on Sunday, May 17. The kids had been waiting in the wings to come on as liturgy concluded and sang several wonderful hymns! The first, the one I wish I knew the words to, was a rhythmic tune exclaiming, “St. Demetrios he’s our man.” The second two were familiar to me, the hymn of our Patron St. Demetrios and then hymn, “We Praise You,” from the Divine Liturgy.
By the time the performance reached the final hymn, I couldn’t contain myself anymore and sang along! It was the first time, EVER, I sat in the pews of our Church and sang that hymn (I’m always at the Altar). To hear the children sing that hymn moved me! I thought “WOW! GOD IS GREAT!”
You know, He truly is! God is wonderfully, amazingly, unexplainably GREAT! At that moment of Glorifying God I realized, I don’t do as much with our kids as I wish I could. I get caught up in the day-to-day aspect of leading the parish: Council Meetings, Building Meetings, Festival, Budgets, etc., that it seems I entrust the programs of our Youth to (very WELL INTENTIONED) others. Moreover, I was humbly reminded, without our children, there is no reason to build a new church.
Where do we go from here? We are on the verge of turning soil and starting a Capital Campaign to raise the funds to pay for construction, but will we have the people to populate the buildings?
As we enter the season of Summer, a time in which things begin to slow down and recreation and relaxation take hold, I VOW to dedicate as much of my time as possible to reinvigorating our YOUTH programs!! Why aren’t more kids coming to Sunday School? Why do they come late? Why?
Am I doing enough? Am I doing it wrong? Is there another way to do it?
Can you help? Do you have an idea? Do you share this desire?
Seriously, I will spend my summer thinking about ways to energize our Youth Programs! More kids in Sunday School, participating in Liturgy, maybe a Youth Choir, who knows what it will be, how it will be, BUT I PROMISE TO DO SOMETHING!!
This is too important of an issue to allow it to remain status quo!
I’m invested, totally, in the Youth of this parish! Not one can slip away from here without knowing how much their Priest LOVES THEM!!
