Christian Formation Ends for the Summer
The arrival of summer is becoming more and more apparent. Students are preparing for finals, June gloom is in full effect here in the South Bay, the Strand is getting a little more crowded.
With the start of the summer comes also the end of our program year here at St. Cross. This Sunday, June 11, is the last day Christian Formation classes will meet, the last Sunday our choir and youth choir will sing, and the last Sunday our acolyte teams will serve before they all take a break over the summer months. As we wind down these programs, I want to give particular thanks to the many volunteers without whom these ministries would not be possible. Throughout the year they have graciously shared their time and their gifts to help make God’s presence known among us, and we are grateful.
I hope you can join us on Sunday as we take time during our services to honor the work and ministry of our teachers, choir, and acolytes. Until they resume in the fall, I offer this prayer as we wrap up what has been a wonderful program year:
God of endings and new beginnings,
we are finishing the program year at St. Cross,
and we are thankful;
we have learned and played,
we have loved and grown,
and we are ready for a joy-filled rest.
Bless this program year now ending,
bless our Sunday School Teachers, the St. Cross Choir and Youth Choir, the Acolytes,
and everyone in our community.
May our bodies stay well,
our hearts and minds open,
and may all of our formation help to serve this world
that you love so dearly. Amen.
Prayer adapted from “The End of a School Year” in Common Prayer for Children and Families by Jenifer Gamber and Timothy J.S. Seamans (New York: Church Publishing, 2019), 90.
Rev. Stephen Smith
