Other graduations are still upcoming: Samantha Smith, daughter of Kathy & Ian Smith, graduates this spring, and is headed to West Virginia University to study Broadcast Journalism. We congratulate Samantha, and we congratulate her family as well, knowing that it takes a lot of love and a lot of work to get kids through school and ready for college.
One other transition happening in the near future in our church family is Natalie Klingler, whose service we will celebrate this week after our worship together. Natalie has coordinated our social media for a few years now, and her work was funded in large part by a grant that has now expired. She plans to continue to worship with us—it will be our privilege to get to see Luciana as she grows!—but her paid service with us does come to an end at the end of the month. Please come to worship on Sunday to celebrate her and to thank her for her service! We’ll have lemonade and cookies for our social time together.
Blessings on you with any of the other transitions that are happening right now, and on all of the travel and family visits you may undertake this summer! I’ll see you in church, and to celebrate Natalie—
Becky
Prayer
As we think about students and transitions and summer, I’ll enclose the prayer I wrote for the beginning of the two preschool ceremonies yesterday.
Gracious and Holy God,
Giver of life and lover of all creation,
We thank you for these children,
these human lives you have put in our charge.
With all of their curiosity and their enthusiasm
and their full-power energy,
they remind us that a wide world is waiting.
We are grateful that we get to see the discovery again through their eyes.
Bless them as they move into their next stage,
learning more, making new friends, growing healthy and well.
We thank you for their parents,
who in the midst of all of their other responsibilities
are doing everything they can to ensure that these children
get the resources and the education they need
to grow well and be ready for the next stage of their lives.
We ask your blessing on them,
that they might know that they are not doing this alone,
that a community of love surrounds them,
praying for them and seeking to clear the way ahead of them.
We thank you for their teachers
who have put so much love and effort—so much of themselves—
into teaching these kids this year.
We bless them, too,
as they move into a summer of refreshment and family time,
of reorganizing and streamlining and refreshing for next year.
Give them rest and peace and a few quiet days,
even as they look forward to another year.
And finally, we thank you for this beautiful day of celebration
These moments only come once.
Help us to notice, help us to see,
help us to breathe it in and treasure it in our hearts.
Amen.