Brundibar

Last Sunday, our youth helped re-tell the story of childeren and animals working together to overcome a the bully, Brundibar (a Hitler look-a-like played by Zac Sheaffer). The story was told 55 times at the Nazi concentration camp at Terezin. It is a story of hope from a time of unspeakable terror.

In addition to Zac and Brenna (Chorus) shown at left, J2A friends, Ashely and Rachel, were also part of the production. Our leader group was present as were parents and other J2A'ers.

A New Covenant

Last Sunday (3/7/10), we began the task of writing a new covenant for our J2A group to replace the "group norms" which were still before us on an easel and aging poster pad. These "norms" were self-constructed by our group in the Fall of 2007 to provide rules for the interactions of the 11-12 year old. They are, in many ways, still valid. But, in other ways, the maturity of young adults demands more. Our covenant is no longer just about keeping keeping a youthful chaos to a dull roar; the new covenant must define a web of relationships that extend far outside the classroom. It also contains directional signals that always point the way back to the community of All Saints as a safe and restorative place.

The ideas flowed and they reflect a growing understanding about the way the world works and the things to be protected inside a community of faith. We are still working.

Coming Up!

The J2A leader group met on Saturday March 6 at the home of Fr. Doug and Betsy Smith. We mapped out tentative plans for J2A for the next two months. Parents and youth, please take a look at the below dates and provide your feedback as soon as possible.

March 14: No J2A, Leaders and any interested youth will attend Brendebar - Children's Opera. Zac and Brenna are in the cast. Meet at the church at 2:15PM; show starts at 3Pm at the Hanover Middle School; ticket price is $7.

March 21: Workshop. J2A will make palm crosses for Palm Sunday. Sarah Terhune and Toni will guide the work... regular J2A hours.

March 28: (Palm Sunday) Toni and Randy will hold a discussion entitled 15 minutes on How to Talk to Anyone. It is a lesson on building conversation skills.

April 2: PAL: J2A staffs 'provide a lunch'. Be at the Hanover Area Council of Churches Kitchen at 9:30 AM. Expect to finish at 12:30PM.

April 4: NO J2A but J2A will help Toni with the Easter Egg Hunt.

April 10: Movie Night: 7:30PM at the church.

April 11: Washington D.C. Cherry Blossom excursion and Evensong at the National Cathedral, Georgetown. We will leave right after church and return at 7PM.

April 18: Ice Skating. Leave right after church and return at 4:30PM

April 25: Congregation Interviews.

May Plans: We are looking for a date for camping and for a spaghetti dinner fund raiser.

Happy Birthday Fr. Doug

February 28, 2010. This is a late edition to the blog. On the night of the great spaghetti fest (Feb. 1), the cleanup went so long that Joanne really never got to go over 'who did what' and how the work of making a meal for 20 was actually divided. Truth be told, every body was tired and attention spans were very short. So, we came back to that event on the 28th... and, we learned a few things. One who is not normally not very outspoken stepped into the lead; and one who is usually at the head of things willingly delegated authority. There was a clear vote for the 'entertainer' - the one that kept things from getting too serious, and there were several steady eddies who did the role assigned to them and plodded along. We talked about the ways that roles change depending upon circumstances and the importance of quickly developing teamwork in group projects. As an outgrowth of the 'spaghetti fest', the groups is willing to explore spaghetti for sale night to raise money for the pilgrimage. It looks like this will most likely happen on a Saturday night in May. We also talked about the interviews some more and there is a strong desire to meet more of the congregation. Alas, we wished Fr. Doug a Happy Birthday after a meal of meatball hoagies and salad.

Meeting the Congregation

Yesterday our J2A'ers embarked on the process of getting to know the congregation of All Saints as individual people. They conducted their first of many interviews with members of the congregation. The word 'congregation' is a convenient term to describe a body of worshipers but it is also wildly unrepresentative of what a congregation really is - individuals who differ as much in their appearance as in their various faith journeys and reasons for being in church. The mission of our young interviewers is to meet the 'congregation' as the multi-faceted and unique individuals who they really are. Their stories will provide color and depth to their picture of the 'congregation'.

According to reports from both the interviewers and the interviewees, the process was successful and enjoyable. Our youth are looking forward to meeting more of the congregation and I think the reverse is also true.

Our leader group is scheduled to meet on March 6 at the home of Fr. Doug and Betsy Smith. The following is a brief schedule reminder for the next two weeks:

Sunday, February 28: [say happy birthday to Fr. Doug] Regular J2A Meeting: Joanne and Chris will be there to talk about the Spaghetti Fest and what we learned about "The Roles We Play".

Sunday, March 7: Chris and Joanne will lead a discussion entitled: Walk in Love: Creating a Community Covenant.

I close this writing with a hearty thanks to the ECW for their gift of $500.00 to J2A. The money will be put aside for our pilgrimage.

What Role do I Play?

Last evening, J2A cooked for our leader team and their parents. They arrived at 4:30PM to a set of instructions, a pile of raw ingredients and the absence of their leaders. Just shy of two hours later, they served spaghetti and meatballs, tossed salad, garlic bread and a dessert of brownies and cool whip to a total audience of 20 (including themselves). No surprise from this group, they were not content with average. The table was adorned with lighted candles. And, despite the fact that most our group had not cooked before, the completed fare was quite good . The halls were full of laughter and they learned something about the role that each one plays in group settings.

More on the Schedule

This Sunday (1/31): Youth arrive at 4:30PM to cook for leaders and family. Dinnertime for those attending is 6:00PM. Youth will cleanup and then have a short lesson with departure at 7:30PM.

Feb 21: Youth will meet at the regular lesson time.