Christian Education Fall NewsletterWelcome to the 2016-2017 Church year at Parkminster!

Dear Families,

As a Christian Education Committee, our goal is to offer a wide array of fun programming to build friendships and faith at all ages! And over the 2016-2017 programming year, we are making some changes and keeping some things just as they are as we do our best to meet that goal. This newsletter is designed to give you the families as much information as possible about the upcoming year. It is our hope that by knowing and understanding our plans, you will get as excited about them as we are. It is also our hope that by offering upfront many of the dates of major events from now until June that you will be able to mark them on the calendar and plan fit them into your busy lives. Attached you will find a copy of our registration form. We need all families to fill out this form for their youth under 18, even if you have completed one in the past. Also, please check out the volunteer roles section. We have restructured many of our programs to facilitate volunteer participation. It is my hope that by providing this role break-down, it will be easier for you our families to get involved in making these programs happen. I know this is a long document but please check out all the sections relevant to your family for the coming year.

Kumbayah, Kelly

ContentsWelcome to the 2016-2017 Church year at Parkminster!.......................................................................1

Sunday Morning Activities 2016-2017 at Parkminster United Church.........................................................2

Young Family Parties...................................................................................................................................3

We the Church Youth Group 2016-17.........................................................................................................4

Teen Life......................................................................................................................................................5

Volunteer Role Descriptions........................................................................................................................6

Event Dates.................................................................................................................................................9

Sunday Morning Activities 2016-2017 at Parkminster United ChurchWelcome to the 2016-2017 season of Parkminster United Church’s Sunday Morning Activities. Sunday Morning Activities is a time for the children and youth of Parkminster (visitors and friends also always welcome) to move into their own space, learning and having fun through programing designed for their age range. The Christian Education Committee is excited about the programming we are putting forward for the 2016-2017 church year. We have made some updates and changes that we think will be a good fit. This outline is designed to give you some background into our planning, and to help you as care-givers integrate the lessons your young people are learning at church into your everyday life.

This year we will continue using the format of a one room programming centre, with one leader and two helpers. This means that the children will not be split by age. There will be helping one another and learning together. It is our hope that by keeping our group together we can maximize our leadership resources and still provide a positive environment for our children.

Our program this year is using the curriculum Feasting on the Word. It is based on the new revised lectionary – the same schedule used upstairs in worship. Every Sunday will include a story and an activity, which could be craft, drama, music, or kitchen based. By following the lectionary our youth with learn the traditional stories of our faith and the morals on which our church is built. It is our hope that this information will help get your family excited about what is

happening Sunday morning at church.

Intergenerational Services will be held periodically throughout the year. During these services the children and youth stay upstairs and in the service. There is often a special activity or role for them to play in the service. These services are designed to have both the needs of children and of adults in mind. We feel that there is so much that each generation can learn from the others, and that it is important to give kids the opportunity to feel like an integrated part of the church community. On these Sundays the young family worship space remains open.

Young Family PartiesYoung family parties are some of my favourite events to plan at Parkminster! Our families are all so engaged and wonderful, and after recently opening up these events to the community, we have seen how welcoming and inclusive our young families are too. This year we will continue with young family parties that are open to the community run in conjunction with the Outreach Committee. Our young family parties have two major components, dinner provided, and an activity component. We work to keep the activities in line with the theme, and have options for a wide variety of interests.

The goal of Young Family Parties is to give families with young children (I’m targeting families with at least one child 6 or under – but others also welcome, including older siblings) an opportunity for fellowship and faith formation outside of the structured Sunday morning worship. With the many demands of being a parent it can be hard for families to have the chance to get to know one another. Family Parties offer the chance for fellowship over a meal – a nice break for any young family, and to do some programming activities together.

After noticing some trends, we are moving our family parties to earlier in the evening, and also a shorter timeframe from 5:30-7pm. Hopefully this is less of a departure from your usual family schedule and allows for a more appropriate bedtime. The dates planned for 2016-2017 so far include:

Oct 28th Halloween PartyDec 2nd Christmas PartyFeb 10th Valentine's Day partyApril 28th

May 26th*Young family parties do not have a cost, though a free will offering to cover the cost of food and supplies is gratefully accepted.

We the Church Youth Group 2016-17We the Church Youth Group is one CE program that is changing this year. We will no longer be holding a regular monthly youth group for grades 3-8. Instead we will focus on a few bigger events throughout the year. Hopefully these will include bowling, snowshoeing or tobogganing, seeing a movie, or other fun

events suggested by our youth. It is our hope that by making these events a bit higher profile they will be more attractive to this otherwise busy age group. We understand that these higher profile events may also come with a higher price tag. However we will work to keep costs to a minimum, and offer carpool transportation. Please know that we never want cost to be a barrier for participation, if this is the case please speak (in confidence of course) to Kelly, and arrangements can be made.

We will also continue to offer our PD Day programming for grade 3-8 students. PD day programs may be held at Parkminter or at another partnering church in the region. PD day programs often have a social justice theme and a community outreach component, helping us to live the values of the church. These programs include lunch and usually come at a fee of around $10-

15. We also encourage participation at AVODAH weekends at the 5 Oaks retreat centre, which started out of our We the Church Programming. More information is available on the 5 Oaks website.

All We the Church are open to everyone; members at Parkminster, their friends, neighbouring church members, or members of the community at large. Identifying as Christian is not required, and our conversations about faith can include many other faith backgrounds, including those who are questioning or do not believe. This is an important part of Parkminster’s affirming welcome statement which is very important to us. We do acknowledge that as leaders our personal experience is the Christian context, so while we welcome new learning and points of view, the views of the United Church of Canada are our starting place.

If you have any questions please contact Kelly (parkminsterce@gmail.com) . We really hope to see you at We the Church Youth Group events this year!

Planned PD Days: Friday Sept 23 (at Trillium), Friday Nov 18, Friday Jan 27, Friday April 7, Mon June 5Avodah Weekend at Five Oaks Sat Nov 12- Sun Nov 13

Youth Events: Fri Nov 4th, Fri Dec 16th:Carolling , Friday Feb 17th, Friday March 31st, Friday May 12th

Teen LifeAt Parkminster there are many ways for teens to be involved. This year we are offering the Inquirers program for those in grade 8 and up who are interested in asking the large questions about themselves and faith, and making decision about their future involvement in church life. If you are interested or would like more information about the journey of Inquiry, please contact Kelly. Inquirers will meet with Kelly during the Sunday Morning Activities time, as well as with a mentor on their own time. Other teens not officially participating in the program are welcome to join many of our conversations as they are interested and available.

Teens looking for social and fellowship time are encouraged to participate in the Emmanuel United Church Youth Group. It is for grade 9 and up, every Friday night from 7-9:30pm. There games, conversation, and sometimes food. This youth group is led by Gord Spence of Emmanuel United Church. Kelly often joins to share leadership as her schedule allows.

Also in collaboration with Emmanuel United Church, Kelly and Gord are hosting a group for older teens who are making some big decisions about their future. The United Church has a wonderful process for helping young people decide to go into ministry, but we know all vocations can be a calling, not just working in a church. This vocational discernment program called “Dicsoverment” is a new pilot program, and Kelly and Gord were hand-picked leaders to run the test drive. We are really excited about the potential for this intentional time with teens while they make many big decisions. The exact details are still in process, but connect with Kelly for updates as they are available.

Volunteering is also a great option for our teens as they look to gain experience and get the required volunteer hours for high school. We welcome volunteers at PD Days, Youth Group Events, Family Parties, and Sunday Morning Activities. Check out the info in the volunteer section below for ideas about how you might best be able to contribute. There are also many other areas of the church that would appreciate the volunteer help of our teens, including running the projector, counting the offering, ushering, lay-reading, music ministry, and more. If you want to get involved and aren’t sure how, contact Kelly and she will be happy to help!

Two Countries One World (TCOW) is a year-long global citizenship program for high school students, which includes a trip to a Central American country over March break. This year two teens from

Parkminster will be heading to Colombia to learn about their unique peace process. Keep an eye out for our events and fundraisers.

Volunteer Role Descriptions

Through-out the year, Christian Education hosts a variety of programs and events, from Sunday Morning Activities, to young family parties, up to programs for older youth and adults. Every event requires planning and arrangements to insure the event is runs successfully. There are a wide array of people and interests at Parkminster, so in order to ensure that opportunities are provided to meet as many needs as possible it is necessary to call on groups of volunteers. There are many ways to be involved and many different skill sets from which our programming can benefit. Below are the components, and the associated volunteer roles, for smooth running events. It is our hope as a committee, that by offering clear defined roles for volunteers, it will make it easier to say yes to volunteering, by allowing volunteers to feel they have a clear understanding of their role, and the commitment they are making.

The roles below are intended to be specific but at the same time quite general so they apply broadly, to many types of events. Some of the events we run include: weekly Sunday Morning Activities, Fund raisers, PD Day programming, youth group events, Family Parties. The roles below could fit with any of those types of events. Not every event will require every role, and not every role has to be filled by a different person. If you feel there are a few roles that work well together (perhaps social media coordinator and event photographer) you are welcome to take on several. As the CE Coordinator, I have done all of these roles (often most of them for any particular event) so I’m happy to support you along the way. Furthermore, should there be any additional role you see needing to be addressed or filled, please bring it to my attention. I am very open to going where the spirit leads!

Sunday Morning ActivitiesLeader: Arriving early to prepare materials. Upon coming down stairs with the children, greet them and get them settled for story time. Read the story and ask questions afterward relating to what they heard in the story and introducing the theme of the day. Clearly explain the message being conveyed. Then transition to the activity – craft, drama, cooking (actually if cooking we often do the reverse order get the food going then do the story while it is in the oven) etc. Help with clean up. Assistant: Come downstairs with the leader and kids. Join them for the story time. Help keep behaviour respectful and focused. Provide some ideas or examples if kids aren’t participating in discussion after the story. Assist the leader in teaching the craft/drama/activity. Assist younger participants who may need more guidance. Take children to the bathroom or to wash their hands as needed. Help with clean up.

Events outside of Sunday MorningMarketing: Marketing an event includes several components. I will break it down into each individual task, but any one person may take on a few of the marketing tasks.

Poster Maker: Using Microsoft Word, Powerpoint, Publisher or other program, design a poster to promote the event. Poster should include: the date, time, and location of the event, as well as the target audience ie “Young Families”. It should give an indication what the event is about. It

should include the cost (or that it’s Free, Free will, etc), and anything essential participants must bring. It should also include info about who to contact for more info. Ideally the poster will make use of appropriate images and colour, and will be visually appealing, that said, it is not necessary to be a professional graphic designer! The poster can be printed at the church, and put up on the office door, Kelly’s door and on other bulletin boards as appropriate. Electronic communications: Writing up a blurb for the What’s Up, and write up an announcement to be read in church (Yellow forms to be found outside of main office). Write ups submitted to for the What’s up must be received by Melanie at the office (parkuc@golden.net) Wednesday at 10am to be published in Friday’s What’s up. Social Media Promoter: Posting info about the event on the Parkminster Facebook Page (Kelly can give you access) and then sharing, liking, and commenting on posts through your own profile to reach a larger audience. Where appropriate (i.e. a fundraiser or dinner) you may want to (through the Parkminster page) create an event. Posts can also be made via the Twitter and Instagram accounts. Caller: This person receives a list from Kelly and uses it to make telephone calls personally inviting individuals who would be a good fit for the event. Experience indicates that this is THE MOST effective way of increasing participation in events.

Hospitality: Being hospitable is core value of Parkminster and the United Church. It is through hospitality that we make others feel welcome and a part of the community. It is absolutely true that food brings people together. And food is one thing we like to think we do well at Parkminster. Many of our events happen over lunch, or over supper, or at very least have a snack time component.

Greeters: Arrive early and greet participants at the door, and welcome them to the event. If someone is new or visiting show them where to go or introduce them to someone who can show them around (coat rack, bathroom, and activity space). Please insure the accessibility door is switched ON and that the lift keys are in place (found in the photocopy room).Food Preparation: Food prep can vary from event to event. Depending on the type of event and the food being served, it could include any range of: shopping ahead of the event (*Save your receipts and you can be reimbursed from the church, or get a tax receipt if you prefer to make an in kind donation*), preparing food at home to bring in, or arriving early to prepare food at the Parkminster kitchen. Kitchen Helper: Arrives to event early to assist the person on food preparation with getting food set out, plated, and covered if necessary. Server: Depending on the type of event there might be a need for servers along a buffet line, or serving food directly to tables. Door person: Separate from greeter (or perhaps combined) some events require ticket admission or have a cost to get in the door. This person collects tickets or money at the door. There is a cash box available in office, but it does not contain a float. Upon the completion of money collection, cash box can be brought down and placed on the desk in Kelly’s office.

Logistics: Logistics for an event means that making sure you have all of the resources you need for an event, in place, at the proper time.

Booking Make sure the church is booked for the event by marking it on the calendar outside of the office. Mark down the room(s) needed as well as the time (including set up and take down time).Set up: Arriving early to the event to make sure that any set up (ie tables and chairs, or decorations) are in place before the beginning of the event. This could be done immediately prior to the start time, or possibly (depending on bookings) the day before.Clean up: Staying behind after an event has finished to clean up, and put away supplies. This may also include doing dishes, sweeping floors, putting away tables, or other clean up duties as the event requires. If there is kitchen clean up, please ensure dish cloths and towels, as well as table cloths, if used, are brought home to be laundered. The last person out is responsible for ensuring that the church is closed properly. Registration: If the event requires registration, this person would sit at a table at the entrance and insure we have all the necessary information for those arriving. – May be combined with Door Person, see below. Photographer: We are trying to keep better records of our events. Pictures of participants having fun during an event are a great way to share our ministry with the wider church, and help promote future events.Driver: Sometimes our events happen off site. In those cases, for the sake of inclusion and for the sake of the environment, we aim to car-pool where-ever possible; if you can help by driving participants one way, or both ways, that is greatly appreciated. *Must possess a valid driver’s license and have an insured vehicle.Chaperone: Some events have many youth and need more supervision than can be provided by the program staff. Chaperones are not required to run programs (though we encourage you to help out or participate where you are comfortable), simply to be an adult presence to help us keep our participants safe, and allow us to deal with individual concerns if they should arise. There is the possibility that chaperoning could be for a day event, or overnight. If overnight, a vulnerable sector check is required.

Programming: Traditionally this is the role I focus on most as the CE Coordinator. However, if you have a great idea for a craft, game or activity, I am happy to help facilitate that for you.

Theme Craft: Prepare the materials (from our supplies or by purchasing them) for a craft that fits the theme of the event. Be sure that the craft is appropriate for your age group, and if very young ones will be present, avoid choking hazards. Theme Activity: Prepare any supplies, set up, explain, and run a game or activity that fits with the theme of the event. Be sure that the activity is appropriate for your age group, and the space where the event is being held. Faith/Bible Tie in: At many events we work to have a tie in from the stories of our faith. This tie in can be built into the activities, be read as a story, presented as a drama, or any other way you think works for the group in question. Music: If you play music, want to teach music, or just have music on your phone we can plug in and have in the background, we are always happy to have people share their interests and talent.

Event Dates

SeptemberWelcome back Sunday – Sept 11th

First week of Sunday Morning Activities - Sept 17th PD Day Program at Trillium leaving Parkminster 9am returning at 3:30pm – Sept 23

OctoberYoung Family Halloween Party – Oct 28th 5:30-7pm

NovemberYouth Event (TBD) - Nov 4th

Avodah Weekend at Five Oaks - Sat Nov 12- Sun Nov 13PD Day Program – Nov 18

DecemberFamily Christmas Party – Dec 2nd 5:30-7pmYouth Event: Neighbourhood Caroling – Dec 16th 6:30-8:30pm at Parkminster

January 2017PD Day January 27th

FebruaryYoung Family Valentine’s Day Party – Friday Feb 10th 5:30-7pmYouth Event TBD – Feb 17th

MarchTCOW trip to Colombia - March 10-19th Youth Event TBD – March 31

AprilPD Day Program – April 7th

Young Family Party - April 28th

May Youth Event TBD – May 12Young Family Party - May 26th 5:30-7pm

JunePD Day Program – June 5th Church Picnic – June 11th