Dear Friends,
I fondly remember my 3rd grade Sunday School teacher, Mrs. Taylor. A warm and gracious woman, she had a knack for making each of us feel like the most interesting and valued student in the room. Now by third grade, we students had more or less figured out that we were rotating through a limited repertoire of Bible stories (oh wait, here’s that Whale story again…) but Mrs. Taylor’s enthusiastic personality made these tired stories jump off the page and crackle with new life.
We wanted to be part of what she was doing, even if it meant role-playing an Ark-full of animals, so we could bask in the glow of Mrs. Taylor’s exuberant light.
When, more than thirty years later, I decided to pursue a call to ordained ministry, I thought of Mrs. Taylor. She had been one of the people to plant the seeds of faith in me, and for that I am deeply grateful. Her ability to plant those seeds had little to do with any recitation of Bible stories, and much more to do with the way she embodied the distilled teachings of those stories in ways I powerfully felt. She didn’t just teach about kindness or empathy or love. She was kind, empathetic and loving.
Our young people are a dear and vital part of Talmadge Hill. In many ways, the active engagement and participation of young folks is one of the most significant markers of a healthy church. Though Talmadge Hill is physically small and does not have a dedicated Sunday School classroom, we deeply value the presence and participation of our young people.
As this year’s Sunday School and Youth Group programs take shape and get underway, please prayerfully consider ways you can support and nurture our young people and our teachers. Always remember that each of us are potential seed-planters and seed-waterers in the lives of children, both in and out of church. What we say and do, matters. Deeply.
We don’t know when or where the seeds we plant will take root and grow. Our job is to faithfully and joyfully throw out seeds, water those seeds to the best of our ability, and trust that God will give the growth.
I thank God for the Mrs. Taylors of the world. I thank God for our young people. I thank God for you.
Yours in the Garden,
Jennifer