Thurs, 21 Oct, 2021
Six Days of Homecoming—Day Four
SJC’s Children
This is the fourth installment in a six-part series around the theme of Homecoming. While our sanctuary has been open for our Rite I congregants since early June, our Rite II service has continued to be held in the idyllic gardens of the Goodwin Mansion on the grounds of Strawbery Banke through these early weeks of autumn. It is with deep gratitude, eager anticipation, fervid preparation and prayer, and a whole lot of hard work that we enter this week of Homecoming. We acknowledge that, although not all who worshipped with us previously for Rite II will be returning to our beautiful Church On The Hill, we hope that through the voices of these individuals and teams we amplify this week, we can all feel the joy in returning our Rite II service to the sanctuary, the joy in Coming Home.
One of the most central parts of the Sunday 10:00am Rite II worship experience at St. John’s is the presence of children’s programs. We find ourselves shepherding the youngest of our parish into the nursery and Sunday School classes, with the older youth gathering together for Youth Group, Service Sundays, and other special projects. When we shuttered the sanctuary and Thaxter Hall after the March 15, 2020 services, we have been missing these important programs. As a parent of two young people myself, I find my anticipation of the return of Sunday School growing daily since we learned that these programs would be returning after this long pandemic-induced hiatus. I spent some time reaching out to other folks with children in the Sunday School program, and will share some of their beautiful words with you here.
Part I: A church is more than just a building
As a member of Saint John’s, it's easy to get caught up in the beauty and mystique of this 18th-century building, with it's 3-foot thick foundation walls, underground tunnels, stained glass windows, George Washington artifacts, and pictures and names of various Governors and dignitaries that have paid us a visit over its long and storied history.
But the church, while beautiful, is clearly not the only thing that defines Saint John’s. This was never more clear than during Covid. With the doors shut to the public for safety reasons, the community carried on. Services were still held, albeit remotely, with the same familiar friendly faces on zoom; their living rooms in the background instead of church pews. The summer and early autumn showed promise when services were held live in the outside gardens of Strawbery Banke. The church carried on, despite the absence of a building.
Saint John’s continued its mission of outreach, of supporting the larger community of Portsmouth, and of gathering to bless its congregation of friends, neighbors, and people. Those friends and neighbors — those people — are the engine of Saint John’s that makes this building feel special, and propel the mission forward, and it's that mission that fills me with pride of ownership, because without those people, Saint John’s would be just a building after all. — Randy Philbrook: Member, St. John’s Vestry
Part II: Family formation through weekly coffee dates and SJC Family Nights
One of the parts I most enjoy about Sunday mornings, pre-pandemic, was the weekly coffee date with some other parents of young people.
On Sunday mornings I would bring my two sons, Easa and Amos, to their respective Sunday School classrooms and bump into all the other parents doing the same. After a time, I caught on to the fact that there were some folks who would take off down to Kaffe Vonsolln, the German cafe and pastry shop on Daniels Street, and sit together for coffee and conversation. I never could have known it, but this low-key weekly social event became one of the most important parts of my week. Having kids is really difficult sometimes, and it helped me a ton to have other people who shared in that experience, and weren’t afraid to talk openly and honestly about it together. It meant so much to me to be able to be in community with these wonderful people.
And on mornings when my wife, Ashley Wade - Director of Children’s Music (among other things) - would have me engaged in some musical event or performance with the youth, I knew I had someone to count on who might bring me the occasional cup of coffee to help me perk up and make it through the busyness of Sunday morning. Justin Haight recalls, “It’s been almost two years since we dropped our kids off before heading to get a coffee, and I’m still pretty sure I remember Olin’s order….a sausage, egg, and cheese on an everything bagel, with a black coffee…or maybe an Americano?” That’s crazy - what a great friend! — Olin Johannessen
Part III: Sunday School and intentional connection
“I have missed having my kids grow and build relationships with the other church kids. One of my favorite parts is watching the kids all pile in the pew together when they come back after Sunday school.” — Whitney Westhelle
“We've really missed the chance for our kids to have intentional time with other kids at church. My children love singing in the cherub choir and I have often caught them singing songs they heard from St. John's around the house. Our kids are really a part of the community at SJC — they aren't an afterthought, like, ‘Oh, these people have kids, we need to find something to keep them occupied.’ Nope. It's always been ‘Here our are littlest members who are very important. What can we offer them?’
“We are excited to be back to intentional gathering. To songs, to stories, and to organized silliness sanctioned by the church! HA! We are excited to have time set apart for our family to be with other families in community.” — Allison Wilson Dudas: Member, St. John’s Vestry