Hi Friends,
Happy weekend! Tomorrow marks the start of traditions in the liturgical calendar and in our neighborhoods. Here is a summary (adapted from SALT's weekly Almanac) of this weekend's special celebrations:
October 31 is Halloween, or “All Hallow’s Eve.” Though on the surface it can seem like Halloween is all about candy and scary costumes, it's also a beautiful picture of intergenerational sharing and joy when we open our homes to friends and strangers alike. You can read a brief theology of Halloween here (I share it every year because it's such a good reminder of what the day can mean!). November 1 is All Saints' Day, a festival celebrating all the saints, known and unknown. November 2 is All Souls’ Day, honoring those who have died (especially relatives). All three of these days — October 31 through November 2 — are sometimes collectively called “Allhallowtide.” And in communities of Mexican heritage, many celebrate this three-day period as the Dia de los Muertos, “The Day of the Dead,” a time for gathering to pray, remember, and commune with friends and family members who have died.
Tomorrow in worship we will set aside time to honor the names of loved ones who died in the last year, and it will be a beautiful time to come together and bear witness both to loss and our shared hope. Read on for details about kids and our plans for them!
Kids
Our nursery room is open this Sunday for babies and toddlers four years old and under. Childcare will be open from 8:50 AM until the end of worship so that parents can also opt to join one of our Sunday School classes. Parents can enter the building through the park gate on Union Street or from the courtyard by the sanctuary.
Our kids five to ten years old can join us in the park for a time of learning and playing together starting at 8:50 AM, too! Parents can enter from the Union Street gate to sign their kids in and can reunite with their kids in the park after worship. Pastor Mary and I have some different games and activities they can choose from during the adult Sunday School hour, and then we'll transition to our regular Bible lesson and time of play during the worship hour at 10:30 AM. This week in our lesson from Matthew, we will look at the end of the book of Matthew and Jesus' final instructions to his disciples.
Pastor Mary and I invite kids (of all ages!) to wear a costume to church tomorrow if that would bring them joy! We'll have fun Halloween snacks and activities as we learn about spreading God's love and light (both while trick-or-treating and all the time). If your child isn't into costumes, no problem! It'll be a fun morning for all, and we look forward to learning and growing together with your precious kids.
Youth
This Sunday the youth are invited to join the Hospitality team in the morning, and then we will gather after worship for lunch and fellowship. We'll spend time talking about this week's scripture passage from Matthew and then work on our youth room renovation plans. There may also be treats and definitely a few tricks. Parents can pick up their youth at the park gate off Union at 1:30PM. We look forward to this time with our youth!
Upcoming Youth Happenings
As a reminder, the youth have a room renovation planning party on Friday, November 5, from 5:30-9:30 pm. On Sunday, November 14, we have an inaugural gathering with the Pasadena Youth Coalition at McDonald Park from 2-4 pm. Keep an eye out for another email with reminders about those events.
With love and gratitude for you,
Pastor Lindsay
