Life in the Eucharist program at St. John’s. Lent 2023

 Over the course of three Friday nights and one Sunday session, three families and seven children participated in learning what happens on Sundays in the Holy Eucharist. They mastered many terms of furnishings and the parts of the church building. Similarly, they learned the parts of a service which belong to the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. As children grow older and experience more of the richness of our traditions, the Church assumes that in a few years, these same children will take Confirmation classes and gain more knowledge about our worship and faith. Hopefully you have noticed the large collage of faces cut from magazines and pasted together in the shape of a human body. This collage represents “The Body of Christ” which we call “The Church”. Notice the diverse people in the pictures they included!  

At one session, children displayed souvenirs of their own baptism, the sacrament which officially joins us to the Body of Christ. It was very tender to see some family photos and even a baptismal gown. The prayer chain which you see hanging around the Baptistry contains specific names of people the children and their families know and want to pray for. This reminds them that praying for others shows how we can care for others in the Body of Christ and in the world beyond the church. In the last photo we see how engaged the children became in making their own bread to take home. Earlier in the evening, we broke apart one loaf with each family taking one section and sharing it among themselves. How much fun they had!  

In the last session, we explored the ‘Holy Hardware’ used at the Eucharist. Lots of “ah’s” and “oh’s” filled the air as they handled precious eucharistic vessels and furnishings rarely seen up close. The children especially enjoyed practicing how to receive unblessed bread and water from the chalice, giving them an opportunity to feel confident about receiving communion in the future. Now they are fully prepared to participate in the Holy Eucharist, thanks to our amazing team (in alphabetical order) Susanne Adams, Susan Little, Linda Palmer, Gayle Shears, Cathy Tell, Patti Troughton.

Respectfully submitted Susan Little