A couple of years ago, Father Phil suggested having a day to celebrate the youth in our parish; he said this was common in other churches. I, being a ‘kid-loving person”, thought this was a fantastic idea. That first year we had some complaints about moving the “Emmaus” service to Sunday morning. Some felt it wouldn’t be special for the kids. We tried it anyway, thinking it would be a wonderful way to showcase how special the youth are here in our parish. It was so well received that we decided to make it an annual tradition.

This year, we made it a true celebration of youth. They took part in all aspects of the service. They sang and played instruments; one fifth-grader actually played the prelude on the organ. For those who attended, we could see not only how talented they are but also how deep their faith has become. The mission trip teenagers shared how their lives were changed by their experience in the Dominican Republic. Some of the teenagers spoke of the bilingual service they attended. The local children brought such enthusiasm to the service. They sang, they danced, and showed such caring when they shared the Peace that you couldn’t help but feel God’s love and presence at that time. During our services, 13 confirmands were recognized and honored for their decision to “walk with Christ”. At the 8:30 service, 22 fifth graders participated in the parts of the service. It was moving to see the excitement on their faces when they received their own Bibles and watch them as they read stories or looked at the maps. As Jesus said, “the kingdom of God belongs to such as thee.” They are looking forward to taking a more active role in the church in the future, whether it is as a reader, an acolyte, or choir member. On Youth Sunday, at St. Paul’s, as I watched and listened to our children share their messages, I felt God at work in our parish. He has touched our youth, and we can learn so much from them.

Thank you to all the teachers who shared their time and creativity with the children: Bonnie Smith, Susie Leahy, Alice Szrom, Kathy Bellows, Sindy Hempstead, Mary Ellen Madsen, Kevin O’Connor, Kelli Gillis, Sandra Tierney, Sarah LeBlanc, Kathy Kuiper, Sheryl MacDougall-Fusco, Libby Cirillo, Maria Day Hyde, Jane Winter, Pete and Beth Bergwell, Jayne Mc Bride, Jean Whatmough, and Laurie DeRuosi. You are the reason the Sunday School is so successful. I couldn’t do it without you, and I love teaching and enjoying Sunday mornings with you (and for those of you who took the triple salary signing bonus for next year, I thank you from the bottom of my heart).

The year cannot come to an end without saying thank you to all the parents and parishioners who helped us during the year:

• To the parents who helped out with the receptions on Youth Sunday. Each of you helped out more than I can say.
• To the parents who helped bake bread, and at the rehearsal for the Emmaus class. I couldn’t have done it without you.
• To Alan Eland and the Briggs family for all the extra time you spent for the Youth Sunday service. You went that extra mile for the kids, and I thank you so much.
• To the parents who brought flowers and helped out during our Earth Day Project. The gardens are beautiful. It’s enlightening to see these kids caring about the world.
• To the staff and clergy of St. Paul’s for all your help and support throughout the year

I’m looking forward to spending the next school year with these children and youth. We’ve had a couple of “retirements” from our teaching positions for next year. If you are interested in teaching, please contact me. Remember we always pair up new teachers with more experienced ones.