By The Reverend Dr. Katie Snipes Lancaster

In Christ, all is new. God is doing (and always has done) new things among us. As we celebrate our 125th anniversary, we are cognizant of the next anniversaries. What do we want to do now, in order to make a lasting impact for the church at the 150th or 175th anniversary? This fall, the Board of Trustees, Children’s Ministry Committee, and staff will start a journey of re-imagining—wondering what we need to do today in order to more fully nurture disciples into the future, specifically as it pertains to guiding and nurturing the faith of the youngest among us—our children and youth. The Board, Children’s Ministry Committee, and staff are tasked with this work of re-imagining, and will meet on November 11 to get the ball rolling.

Please pray for all these leaders, and for the whole congregation. The “us” in the prayer below includes you, for—no matter who we are or where we are on life’s journey—we are all truly called to “guide and nurture” here at this church, and in fact, we already promised to do so, every time we baptize the smallest sheep in Christ’s fold. Please be so bold as to pray:

Holy God, we give you thanks for the ministry of Kenilworth Union Church, and in particular for the Children and Youth ministries that foster faith in the littlest ones in your kingdom, cultivate sacred meaning and purpose among the young people, and give hope to all who call this church home. Let your Holy Spirit settle into this place in a new way as we discern and envision a next stage of our ministry to children and youth. Help us to honor and respect our sacred story, now 125 years in the making, and inspire us to dream a bold plan for our future. Grant us the imagination, creativity, energy and love that might allow our work to build connections among people and draw people closer to you. In Jesus name, Amen.