When we’re all in the same building on Sundays, even adults who don’t have children in our Faith Formation programs can still get an idea of what’s up: you’ll see craft projects being carried past, or overhear interesting conversations. But now that our programs are mostly held on Zoom, you might be wondering what’s going on in Faith Formation! Here’s a quick peek.

On first, third, and fifth Sundays, we join together as a multi-age group for Makerspace activities that help us put our faith in action. So far, we’ve used our winter supply bags to make star ornaments appropriate for a variety of winter holidays, handwarmers we can put in our pockets when we go outdoors, and seed bombs full of wildflower seeds that need exposure to the cold of winter before they can sprout in the spring.

On the second and fourth Sundays of the month, we host age-based small groups. We do this by joining a single Zoom call and creating breakout rooms, which is working well! Our youngest kids have just finished a series of Spirit Play stories grounded in our Judeo-Christian heritage, including the tales of Naomi and Ruth and David and Goliath, the life of Jesus, and a retelling of the Sermon on the Mount. Next, we’ll learn about Hinduism. Older elementary schoolers and high school youth are using the Soul Matters curricula for their age groups, engaging with the same monthly themes as our adult small groups: this month’s is “Imagination.” Our middle schoolers are exploring a Soul Matters interfaith-multifaith curriculum that asks, “How much do we know about our sources? How do they guide and affirm our own spiritual search?” They’re planning to welcome a guest speaker soon!

Our middle and high school youth group meets twice a month: once online, and once at Fort Harrison State Park, where we go on masked, socially-distanced hikes that build community and feed our spirits with time spent in nature.

To offer our hands something to do during online worship, we’ve expanded the age range for our Busy Bag items; we send them home with our seasonal resource bags. You can find more information about winter busy bags here. Weekly kids’ pages in our Dear Families newsletter keep us connected to church life. And for those who aren’t able to do Zoom programming at this time, we’re offering online resources, including a virtual Spirit Play classroom with links to all our stories, and Makerspace tutorial videos!

None of this would be happening without support from volunteers and parents. I am so grateful to this community for your willingness to try new things and learn new skills to meet the needs of our children and youth no matter what life brings! Thank you all, and have a wonderful week.