Train children in the right way,
and when old, they will not stray
Proverbs 22:6 (NRSV)

I thought of this verse after observing some of the training or teaching that takes place in our congregation. On Sunday mornings, I marvel at the commitment of Sunday School teachers who are present week after week to pass on the faith to the children. It makes me smile to see small children hurrying to their classes, excited and eager for the day's lesson. I am pleased when my own children continue the discussion from the morning's class over lunch.

On Wednesday evenings, the round tables in the fellowship hall are filled with intergenerational groups eating together and praising God through interactive devotions. It is important to me that adults of varying ages and children from preschool through high school get to know each other and share their faith on a regular basis.

On Sunday, Nov 19, approximately a dozen of our junior high school students will be returning from a synod-wide retreat. While there, the young people, and their adult advisors, will have had the opportunity to grow in their faith and share experiences that will "train them up". We have already heard faith stories from those high school students who returned from the ELCA Youth Gathering in San Antonio this summer. Mixed aged groups of folks making trips to the Gulf Coast to aid in hurricane clean-up are still another way that faith is shared and passed on to new generations.

In all this, I give thanks to God for the ongoing and various ways that we take seriously our task to teach children the way of Jesus Christ. Thank you for being partners in this calling

Thank you, Jesus, for this community of believers. Thank you for the teachers, parents, and adults who take seriously their commitment to all children. Thank you for the children in our midst and for the gifts they bring to this congregation. Help us to grow in our faith toward you and our love for one another. Make us bold to reach out to those who have no church home and invite them to become part of ours. Amen

Contributed by Tracie B.
Sunday November 19, 2006
Liturgical Year B Week 52