Reverend Christine V. Hides Stories bring us meaning. Stories bring us hope. Stories offer us new life. Stories have the power to transform us into the people God created us to be. Watch this short video to find out how stories help us build strength and resilience for challenging times. Our summer [...]
By The Reverend Christine V. Hides First, the hard news: While the Children's Ministry team looks forward to gathering together in person, the new Restore Illinois Plan tells us that it will be quite some time before we are able to do so. Based on this guide and our faithful commitment to the [...]
By The Reverend Christine V. Hides Many are experiencing wild swings of emotions these days. Finding a moment of silence, taking deep breaths, and prayer are ways to find God’s peace in the midst of different daily routines and schedules.
By the Reverend Christine V. Hides Parents, we are on a long race we didn’t sign up for. In this video I reflect on what we need physically and spiritually to keep going until the shelter at home finish line is in sight: cheerleaders, nourishment, and a compass.
By The Reverend Christine V. Hides There is much about this pandemic that is hard, even traumatic. For this reason, Children and Family Ministry offers a consistent and encouraging message of resurrection hope: God is with us, even in the hardest times. The following priorities, identified in this article from Mindshift, inform our [...]
Children’s Ministry Spring Break Edition Links to this week’s online gatherings and a parent gathering poll are below. Please save this email for future reference as we are mindful of the volume of emails you are getting. The Parenting and Faith page is being kept up to date. —Grace and Peace, Rev. Christine [...]
Lent and Children By The Reverend Christine V. Hides “Spoiler Alert” is a necessary phrase in the age of the internet where we might come across a review of a movie or tv episode before viewing it. Those who reveal essential plot twists without proper warning are met with outrage on social media. [...]
What a great morning with author Ruth Goring! By The Reverend Christine V. Hides “God is home.” This was the answer to the question I asked in chapel, “What is the most important part of this book for you?” Other children said, “When Jesus leads us,” and “that God is everywhere like [...]
Children & Family Ministry Highlights By The Reverend Christine V. Hides “Is it always like this?” I was asked as I showed a visiting family to the Sunday school classrooms one recent morning. On the way there we encountered a joyful traffic jam of parents, teachers, children, and choir members in the central [...]
The Reverend Christine V. Hides
Lent is the time of 40 days plus six Sundays during which we get ready for Easter. Easter is such a great mystery that we need a long time to get ready. During Lent we use purple, the church color for getting ready. People might “give up” something for Lent or “take up” a new practice of prayer or giving during Lent.