Transcript of Amy's Sermon...

​This is a story that perfectly illustrates God's gift of abundance that we are celebrating today in worship.
There is a lot written today about two different mindsets: the mindset of scarcity and the mindset of abundance. 
The scarcity mindset is the belief that everything is limited and thus it is better to be selfish than generous.  It is a cynical term by nature as it is based around the idea that there's not enough to go around.  This mentality generates feelings of fear, anxiety and insecurity.  In contrast, the abundance mindset is rooted in the belief that there is more than enough for everyone.  This mentality generates feelings of worth and security.
 
The disciples in the story take on a mindset of scarcity.  And who can blame them?  Jesus has just given them the impossible charge of feeding 5000 people with two fish and five loaves.   Naturally they look to their fearless leader as if he had 10 heads!  You expect us to do what?????   And can you blame them?  Imagine this Thursday the guests are about to arrive and you have two turkey legs and five rolls.  And your spouse says, “take it easy we have more than enough to go around”.  
 
But this is not a spouse.  This is no ordinary person.  
This is Jesus. 
And Jesus like any great host, leader, miracle maker looks to them and says make it work.   He doesn't do so because he thinks they will fail but because he knows there will be an abundance of food, plenty to serve all.  I love the creative license that Susan Bock the writer of today’s skit takes with the story as it perfectly illustrates the contrast in the mindsets of scarcity and abundance.  The disciples say "this is ALL we have"? IN contrast Jesus says "You have ALL this!"
 
Most of you have heard the story of what I consider my home church, Christ Methodist by the Sea, in Vero Beach, Florida.  The beach side of Vero Beach is home to mainly retirees particularly at that time and for a little over a year I was the only child in the congregation. 
 
And YET they always, always, EVERY Sunday had a children's message and always, always, EVERY Sunday had Sunday school - EVERY Sunday for this one child.  This was a church that was a living example of a collective mindset of abundance. 
 
They could have like so many churches said, “well with only one we're not gonna bother with the children's message or Sunday school what's the point?”   Or even worse say, “well, we don't have any kids” even though they had one.  
 
No instead they said, “WELL, WE HAVE ONE!”
 
And they celebrated that one!  Now consider the impact of having this approach.  I can tell you their church school program grew tremendously and by the time I was in college they were overflowing with children.   And the impact it had on this one child is without question.  What I do here with these children is a direct result of the gratitude I have for that little church recognizing that what God had given them - that one little child was enough.   
 
Church folks love to quantify things. How many?  How much?  It is honestly our favorite question to ask.   Well how many were there?  How many did you have?   And believe me, I'm not calling anyone out because I am as guilty as the rest of them.   When we hear there are many, we kind of puff our chest out a little bit.   And when there are a few, we feel deflated or worse fearful and anxious.   It's as if the numbers are more important than the quality of the experience and yet we know that is not true. Yet we can't help ourselves.  But we rarely ask, tell me about the experience?  What did the participants do? How did they grow from it?  Did they make a connection?   And it's been like this for a long time.  Years and years ago David Erickson and I went through ledgers and notebooks and minutes from the church's history.  Everything boiled down to either the state of the building or how many people attended.   I can tell you that on January 13th 1929 twenty-two children attended church school and they gave $1.57 in offering.  I can't, however, tell you what they were taught, what their lessons looked like, what activities they participated in, what they learned, how the experience was or how they felt.   I hate to say it, but by the looks of it, our church history looks like one more grounded in the mindset of scarcity than abundance.  I'm not just picking on us; we're not alone.  Every church leans in this direction, every organization in fact.  We as individuals live like this with this mentality of scrambling to acquire and be more.   
 
There has been a lot of commentary and conjecture on today's story.  Was this a miracle?  Did Jesus wave a hand and an abundance of food appeared?  Did he keep breaking pieces of bread and more and more appeared? Or did people come together contributing what they had until all were fed?   I think the “hows” are less important to the story.  The takeaway here is really that exchange between the disciples and Jesus.  Jesus re-affirming to them yet again, like a loving parent, “It’s okay – it’s all going to be okay”.  God provides.  God always provides
 
And so today, let's leave here with a goal of shifting our mentality from one of scarcity to one of abundance.  Let’s leave here as members of this church but also as individuals telling ourselves not but this is all I have but instead with wonder and gratitude and Thanksgiving let us say look at all I have been given.  

​We often use the metaphor of “planting seeds” to describe our work with children.  “Faith is like a little seed, if planted it will grow.”  So we plant the seeds, and tend the garden and hope and pray that some of it will take root. 
I have the pleasure of seeing the fruit of our labors.  I see it in the shy child, who over time learns to speak from the pulpit with grace and courage.  I see it in the acts of goodness and kindness from our children.  I see it in the children’s ability to write prayers, using such beautiful sacred language.  I see it in our youth when they become passionate about an issue of social justice.  I see it in so many, many ways and all of them are like little gifts that are presented to me.
I was given one of these gifts on Sunday.  In our Journey to Adulthood (J2A- youth) class, we were doing a unit on Stewardship.  We looked at the economics of scarcity, the mindset of abundance.  We looked at making choices, and they learned about the difficult task our Trustees face each in year in creating a budget.  Mid-way through the class, I gave everyone Monopoly money and I told them we were having an auction.  Each person got $3000 and were given a list of auction items.  Some of the auction items included: straight As for life, housing for everyone who is homeless, having your dream job, curing all the world’s diseases, an oceanfront home, being closer to God, never being lonely, a trip to New York City, always having a good relationship with your family, endless gift cards to Dunkin’ Donuts and more.  As always in working with teens, the auction went from the sublime to the ridiculous and there were many, many laughs.  After the auction ended, they shared what they won and why they bid on those items.  This also got pretty funny!  I then charged them with coming up with one winning item as a group, as I wanted them to understand the challenges that are faced with lots of folks trying to agree on what’s best.  And that is when they presented me with a gift.  They decided that what they would bid on was to always be closer God.  That was their one item.  They said that if they had that, everything else would follow.  Imagine that!  Seed planted, roots grounded and a most beautiful flower blooms!

I was fortunate to take part in two professional development opportunities offered by the UCC, "Theological Foundations for Youth Ministry" and "Passing on the Faith in Today's Congregations".  Both affirmed something that we value at our church - intergenerational ministry.
 
 
Until the last fifty years, the Christian faith was imbedded in our culture.  The Christian ethos and atmosphere was inherently part of the fabric of our secular society and as a result, the church did not have to work as hard at getting everyone's attention.  It was part of the "mainland" if you will.  Public schools were extensions of church - prayer in schools, hymns and carols were taught in music class.  Churches were the epi-center of the community.  There was less mobility in families.  Most folks married and raised their children in the church in which they were baptized. There were Blue Laws, prohibiting little else other than Sabbath happening on Sundays (and sports and birthday parties on Sundays were unheard of).  Digital media wasn't what it is today, and most television and radio programming was flooded by church worship on Sunday mornings.
 
Fast-forward to 2018.  The church has become so isolated, counter-cultural, like an island floating away from the "mainland".  The traditional structure of Christian Education that was created after WWII (Sunday school modeled after public school education, Sunday evening youth groups), is no longer effective.  As an isolated atmosphere happening in a vacuum, it only intensifies isolation and gives children and youth very little experience of "church".  As a result, it will be impossible when our youth become adults to replicate their church experience if it is only limited to that of craft projects in an education wing or bowling with their peers on a Sunday night.  Fortunately, churches like ours that value intergenerational ministry have found a way to lift children and youth and incorporate them into the body of church in a variety of creative and meaningful ways.  As a result, we have seen vitality and growth that many of our mainline peers have not.   I am convinced that where many churches find their youth programs struggling and disappearing, ours is strong and stable because we are intentional in supporting a well-rounded faith formation program.  Intergenerational worship, fellowship and opportunities are a facet of our church life in which we must invest, we cannot afford not to.  It is an investment that is both wise and worthy, and capable of great returns.
 
Many theological studies support the value and importance of intergenerational relationships ministry and worship.  Research shows that to grow up healthy, youth need to be supported by at least 5 adults in addition to their parents and caregivers, adults who are willing to invest time with them personally and spiritually.  Research shows that young people with strong intergenerational relationships are more resilient in the face of stress and trauma and that they report a wide range of social-emotional strengths.  Research shows that the active presence and engagement of an intentional and consistent adult relationship is the single greatest influence on a young person's faith.
 
The research is enlightening, but it only supports what I've always known to be true.  Firsthand, I know the value of the intergenerational experience because I benefitted from it myself as a child in my home church, where I felt lifted by caring adults in the congregation.  But even more than that, I've seen intergenerational friendships blossom in our church.  I've certainly seen its impact on my three sons who have special relationships with so many of you.  Nothing warms my heart more than seeing the love and care that is so apparent among the children, youth and adults in our church.  We all witness it at coffee hour and the passing of the peace, but I've certainly seen it consistently outside of our four walls as well.  The energy and dynamic created through intergenerational ministry is rich, but it also sets church apart from other community organizations and experiences.  There is something so powerful about folks of different ages, stages, interests and ideas coming together with the common goal of developing a relationship with God. 
I encourage not only the adults in our congregation to reach out and get to know a child, and make good on the baptismal covenant of supporting these children on their faith journey, but I also encourage our families to reach out and get to know an adult member of our congregation. Commit to making an investment in each other.  Not only will you be extending God's love and modeling that love for your family, but it will enrich your life in ways that may surprise and delight you. 
 
Upcoming Intergenerational activities, events and opportunities:
 
February 4th, 10:00 a.m.  Intergenerational Worship - children and youth will participate in our worship service which will explore healing and prayer, using the lectionary stories as our inspiration.
 
February 4th, 11:00 a.m. Pancake Breakfast - our annual Superbowl Breakfast is not only a great fundraiser for our retreat to the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City, but it is also a wonderful opportunity for intergenerational fellowship.
 
February 9th, 7:00-8:30 p.m.  Game Night - all ages invited to bring a favorite game, snack or sweet.  Break the monotony of the winter with a night of laughter, fun and friendly competition.  Transportation is available, phone or email the church office to make arrangements.
 
Lenten Prayer Partners - We'll be creating a "Pray for Me" wall in the fellowship hall and will be grouping intergenerational participants, who can then leave prayer requests in envelopes provided.  Prayer partners will commit to praying for one another during the season of Lent.  All children and youth will be asked to participate.  If you would like to be an adult partner, please connect with Amy amydaremiddleton@gmail.com or 508-241-2403
 
Journey to Adulthood (J2A) Lenten Visits - as is tradition during Lent, members of the congregation will visit the J2A class and share their personal faith story.  These meaningful meetings have had a deep impact on our young people.  If you have a story to share, please be in touch with Amy.  Visits happen during church school time in the J2A room (following the Time for the Young at Heart).
 
Confirmation Mentors - our current confirmation class is paired with mentors, but we have an upcoming group of wonderful 8th and 9th graders who will be in need of adult mentors.  These special relationships have proven to be very rewarding to both the confirmand and mentor.  If you'd like more information or are interested, please reach out to Amy or speak to one of our current, past mentors.

​To live in scarcity is actually is to live with the pain of never having enough. The mind-set of scarcity prevents you from enjoying what you having; instead you are always fearful of what you might lose. It is the classic ‘poor little rich girl’ syndrome that we are all familiar with. Stunted in the ability to think in an expansive and visionary way - to gaze at the stars - people who choose the path of scarcity always want more of what they already have more than enough of. Money, of course. Always more money. Bigger and better variations on the basics. 
The sad thing about the path of scarcity and greed is that it brings no peace or satisfaction or even security to those who choose it. Let me repeat. People on the path of excess live in a culture of scarcity. There is never enough to fill the hole in the soul; to sooth the ache of despair and emptiness. Their most intimate relationships suffer; they trust nobody. Living in scarcity creates a paranoia - there is always the worry that somebody will steal your things. People who live in a culture of scarcity suffer from low self-esteem; their ego strength is compromised by the emptiness at their core, a nagging sense at the edge of consciousness that there might be something more, if only they could find it and amass it. They cannot appreciate the beautiful things in their lives. There is no time to stop long enough for appreciation, it is always time to acquire more. How ironic that the more one has on this path of excess, the more one needs. There is never enough. Thus the sensation of always living in scarcity.
The other path is the path of abundance. The difference in the two paths has nothing to do with how much stuff or money one has. It has to do with how you experience yourself in your world. Are you lying in the gutter face down, grimly trying to pull yourself up? Or are you laying on your back, gazing in awe and wonder at the stars? When you live in a culture of abundance there is always enough. Since you spend less time accumulating things, and then protecting those things, you have more time to appreciate not only your things but the world around you. The truth is, in a culture of abundance, grace abounds. There is so much to be thankful for. And just as greed and fear make you close your fist around your possessions, gratitude opens your hands and your heart.

Rev. Roberta Finklestein is a Developmental Minister at the
First Unitarian Church of Wilmington Delaware

Local Teen Alexis Comeau Starts Cross-Country Adventure

By: Alan Pollock, Cape Cod Chronicle
HARWICH — Driving across the Great Plains, 18-year-old Alexis Comeau of Harwich can look all around her and see wheat fields all the way to the horizon. On Sept. 9, she loaded up a customized van and embarked on a cross-country odyssey that's already broadened her perspective in other ways, too.
Comeau has been planning the trip since she was 14 and dreaming of this kind of travel adventure for much longer. Having graduated high school in the spring, she decided to take a year off before college and chase that dream.
“I've been doing research probably two full years now,” she said, speaking by phone Monday from Minnesota. She and her father, Perry, researched the perfect van and then spent two months renovating the interior into a cozy camper. Inside there's a sink, refrigerator, bed, storage space and a dining table; on the roof are solar panels that charge deep-cycle batteries that provide electricity.
Comeau is traveling with her boyfriend, Tom Shanahan of Brewster, who shares the driving duty. The pair has been making good progress on their goal to reach the West Coast, where Shanahan has family, and then return to the Cape before Christmas.
“Yesterday we drove 500 miles,” Comeau said. The driving is enjoyable because the van is in good shape, and the vista is ever-changing. After visiting some of Comeau's family members in Western Massachusetts and Vermont, they stopped at Niagara Falls and made a short detour to Ontario. Living in the tiny van isn't a hardship, she said.
“It makes you realize just what you can live off of, which is so simple,” she said. “All you can fit in a van is all you really need.” While she does miss being able to take a shower whenever she likes, the freedom of the road more than makes up for that inconvenience, Comeau said.
Half of her “gap year” will be devoted to this trip, and in the spring she will begin some kind of volunteer work, spending a few months on some worthy project – maybe rebuilding hurricane-ravaged homes in Puerto Rico, maybe working in an animal shelter, or maybe teaching English in India.
“I want to do everything,” she quipped. When she begins college next September, she plans to follow a degree program related somehow to the environment and sustainability. (In fact, she and a friend started a small company a few years ago that organizes environmental trash cleanups.)
Admittedly, it was a bit of a challenge getting her parents to support the idea of the trip.
“It took them awhile,” she said with a chuckle. But in time, she convinced them that the journey would be a chance to add to her education in a meaningful way. “And it has been, so far,” she said.
Encountering heavy rain on Sunday, the pair pulled off the highway at a random exit in Indiana and immediately noticed something new.
“There was this smell in the air,” she said. Soon they discovered the source: a smoke-belching steel mill. And then another, and another. “There's just miles and miles of industrial factories and pollution,” she said. On the shore of Lake Michigan, “you can see all of the factories – towers everywhere pouring pollution – and there are kids swimming in the water,” she said. The experience left her with a new appreciation for the clean air and water on Cape Cod, and a strong desire to pursue an environmental career.
“It makes you realize that global warming and climate change are very, very true,” she said.
So far, it looks like the trip has been a life-changing experience for both Comeau and Shanahan.
“Both of us have lived on the Cape our entire lives,” she said from the road in Minnesota. “On Cape Cod, everything is so narrow you can only see what's right in front of you. When you're here, you can see forever.”

     A colleague of mine was recently bemoaning the fact that she cannot find anyone to teach church school in her congregation.  No one.  She said that most of the parents work, are exhausted and needing to be fed on Sundays.  Others feel ill-equipped.  Older members in the church tell her “Sorry, but I’ve done my time.  Been there done that.”  So each Sunday she flies solo and tries her best to give the few children who come a meaningful experience.
 
Fortunately, I don’t find myself in her position.  There is an incredible willingness in our congregation amongst parents and members-at-large to do their part in supporting the faith formation of the children and teens in the church.  And the Christian Education ministry isn’t alone.  The same enthusiasm can be found in other ministries of the church as well.  A recent memorial service called on the support of the Ruth Ministry (an invaluable ministry in our church that provides receptions for memorial services).  Within a few hours, Pat Caswell had assembled a team of volunteers to bake, serve and host the event.  The response to her call for help was incredible.
 
Why is this?  No doubt we have an incredible congregation with a broad range of talents who are generous in giving their time.  But, I’d also add that our unique approach to being a “team ministry” is a big component.
 
The team ministry approach here at the First Congregational Church when it first was employed was certainly “outside the box” if you will.  But more and more churches who are reporting growth and vitality are working in a similar fashion.  When employed, team ministry is not only extremely effective, but a model that embodies the characteristics of the most powerful team ministry of all, the Holy Trinity, sometimes called the “Biblical Dream Team”.  Modeling our work after that of the Trinity translates into working collaboratively in harmony, equal yet unique, all-for-one and one-for-all.
 
In a recent article I read, the author suggested that he used to believe that there were two different types of people, those who walk into a room and say, “Here I am!” and those who walk in and say, “There YOU are”.  But then he went on to say that over the years, he learned that there was a third type of person, who walks into a room and says, “Here WE are”.   And that’s the perspective for which we really all should be striving.  That is one that acknowledges the vital importance of community over self.   He goes on to say, “Church teams or teams of Christ-followers are groups of people who pull together to reach a common goal for the sake of Christ. They are the people pulling not only for their church or organization, but pulling for each other, and pulling for their shared potential in life and ministry.”
 
We presented the congregation with a showcase of our ministry teams last Sunday at our Ministry Fair. It will also be available this Sunday and we encourage everyone to experience it before or after worship, or even during the week.  It is truly a visual cornucopia of team ministry in its splendor.  It’s a celebration of people working as God’s hands in our church and community.  The Ministry Fair’s purpose is not only to educate folks of all of the wonderful things happening here, but also to encourage you to be part of this special team.  You may discover a call to lend your time and talents in a way that surprises you or perhaps you have a particular knack for something and are willing to share that with your church family.  But beyond that we also want everyone to learn how the ministry teams in our church can best serve you.  So please come by and experience your congregation saying to you “Here We are”!

Sermon from the Beach Service July 30, 2017

​The Book of Ruth is an important one and one close to my heart.  My grandmother was a minister’s daughter and the named her Ruth, after this notable female in the Bible.  It’s significant for a number of reasons - it’s one of only two books in the Bible named after a woman, and  it revolves around female figures - Ruth and Naomi.  It is a story of redemption and loyalty and love.  It’s hero is a woman, and a even more surprising a foreigner, a non-Israelite, Moabite woman.  And perhaps most significant is the lineage - Jesse, David and Jesus are all her descendants.
Picturing Ruth in the fields, we instantly chose this story for our “farm-themed” Bible camp.  In teaching the story - we focused on the loyalty and devotion that Ruth had for her friend and mother-in-law, Naomi.
I’ve been thinking a lot about this story.  I can’t help but think of the state of minds of the three women.  Naomi is clearly devastated and broken by the catastrophic loss of her husband and then her two sons.  And in the midst of this deep grief, she had to leave her home and return to her birthplace, for in these days a woman without a husband could not be amongst foreigners.  The three woman must have been in chaos - going through the motions - pushing forward with what needed to be done, but clearly out of their minds.  Any of us who have experienced this kind of loss know what that out-of body, tumultuous pain and confusion - temporary insanity, really is like.  At some point on their journey Naomi urges her daughter-in-laws to return home - we see first hand here how hopeless, devastated and bitter she is.  Orpah dutifully but sadly follows her mother in law’s instructions.  But Ruth clings to her - as you can see in this illustration she clings to her - no where else in the Bible to we get a description of a physical sign of affection quite like this.  And she says those famous words - your home is my home….
What strikes me in the story is certainly Ruth’s loyalty and devotion, but something else - there is a hebrew word for it “hesed” - it means loving kindness.  It’s a sacrificial kind of love - it’s a love that is selfless and compassionate.  
When John and I were in pre-marital classes with our minister.  Tom - he said something that always stuck with me - he said in a healthy marriage - in any type of healthy relationship - there is a great deal of sacrifice from both parties.  Where people get in to trouble is when they start keeping score of those sacrifices.  For on this day in this season in this year - you may be carrying all of the weight - but on another day in another season in another year that weight may shift to your spouse.  When you keep score you take away all of that sacrificial love - all of that loving kindness - or again that hebrew word hesed and you leave your partner or friend feeling like a burden, and you too feel burdened.  Feeling like a burden or feeling burdened eats away at a relationship and leaves us with a cold hard heart - like the pebbles you were given today.
How different the story would be if Ruth had constantly and consistently reminded Naomi of all she had done for her.  If she announced the “score” repeatedly.  But she didn’t.  It couldn’t have been easy going to Bethelehem a foreign land, with her mother-in-law who was admittedly broken and bitter.  There had to have been moments where Ruth questioned what she was doing.  But she intentially made a decision to dig deep and lead with an open loving heart.  Anne Lamott has this powerful quote in her book Bird by Bird.  “We are given a shot of dancing with, or at least clapping sloth with the absurdity of life, instead of being squashed by it over and over again.  It’s like singing on a boat during a terrible storm at sea.  You can’t stop the raging storm, but singing can change the hearts and spirits of the people who are together on that ship.”
And that is what Ruth does.  Her loving kindness begins to soften and change and heal Naomi’s broken heart.  That is how powerful love is.  It can flip the switch.  Jesus knew this - this is why he commanded the great commandment of loving one another.  Because it is powerful enough to change hearts and spirits of even those in the lowest depths of misery.
I recently read of a movement among ministers in response to the latest stance on immigration.  The movement is called “Blessing not a Burden”.  Regardless of your views on immigration, I think we can all agree that is a beautiful sentiment and one that is so apparent in this relationship between Ruth and Naomi.  Ruth never treated Naomi like a burden - she celebrated her as a blessing.
What are your burdens - who is like a pebble in your shoe - annoying you, burdening you - hardening your heart and holding you back from extending hesed - loving kindness.  Are you burdened by your finances, caretaking of a parent or spouse, endless laundry and trips to the grocery store from endless house guests, tourists unable to navigate the rotary.  Is it a schedule so busy that you can’t catch your breath or a job that drains your spirit.  Is it demands made by your family?  Is it loss and heartbreak?  Is it poor health and illness?  What are your burdens?
 At this point, folks were invited to take a pebble and cast it into the water or bury it in the sand, casting away their burdens to open their hearts to loving kindness, "hessed"

“Living a Life of Simplicity” is the title for this session’s Spiritual Gathering of Women.  This week we discussed simplicity of space.  Doesn’t that sound nice?  Visions come to mind of a house with clean lines, free of clutter – a schedule with lots of white space, food that is enjoyed for its quality, not quantity.  Feelings of peace, serenity and joy come to mind.  However, it is easier said than done!  When we moved from our 800 square foot house, and marveled at all of our newly acquired space – a full basement, attic, lots of closets and a one car garage, our real estate agent said, “I give you about 6 months until it gets filled”.  She was pretty much dead on the money.  Within months both of our mother’s called and said it was time we get the boxes of our personal belongings and keepsakes they had been moving and storing for years.  We emptied our storage unit in Brewster that held furniture and items from our apartment in Boston and my grandmother’s house.  It didn’t take long before we were overwhelmed with stuff! (and still are!) What I learned on Monday night is that I am not alone.  Most of us struggle with maintaining all of our stuff, particularly those of us, who are sentimental.
Americans are not alone in this, but I think it’s fair to say we take the blue ribbon.  I recently read that as a society, we’ve become consumers rather than citizens.  The following statistics speak for themselves and certainly should cause us to pause and reflect on our own personal consumption.

• Enough K cups were thrown out in 2014 to circle the earth 12 times.
• In America more money, is spent on fashion accessories than college tuition.
• Nearly half the world’s toys are in America.
• The size of the average American home has tripled since the 1950s.
• Nearly 40% of food in America goes to waste.
• The amount Americans spend in a single weekend is more than half of the total they give to churches in an entire year.
• 25% of people who have two car garages, do not have room to park even one car in them.
• Each year the average American throws out 65 pounds of clothing.
• The average person will spend 153 days (or 3,680 hours) of their lives looking for misplaced items.
• 1 in 10 Americans rents a storage unit outside of their home.

Over the next several weeks, we are looking at simplicity as a spiritual practice, along with the spiritual disciplines of mindfulness and gratitude.  I can’t think of a better focus for the season of Lent.  In my research, I found the most wonderful definition of a life of simplicity (minimalist life) “it’s one that is stripped of the unnecessary, to make room for that which gives you joy.  It’s a removal of clutter in all its forms, leaving you with peace and freedom and lightness.”  As a spiritual practice, living an uncluttered life equates becoming more distilled as person.  It means being intentional with our time and about creating space to not only connect with God, but to connect with those things and people whom we truly love. 
The following is from www.simpleliving.org  It provides a great overview of the benefits and meaning behind living a life of simplicity.
The Art of Simple Living
Simple Living is "living in a way that is outwardly simple and inwardly rich. This way of life embraces frugality of consumption, a strong sense of enviromental urgency, and a desire to return to living and working enviroments which are of a more human scale." (Duane S. Elgin and Arnold Mitchell)
The practice of voluntary simplicity is advocated in the teachings of Jesus, the early Christian Church, St. Paul, St. Francis, and many others. It also has it roots in the teachings of other world religions, the teachings of Gandhi, and the writings of Thoreau. The American Friends Service Committee (The Quakers) define simple living as a "non-consumerist lifestyle based on being and becoming, not having."
Seven Reasons for Choosing a Simpler Lifestyle:
1. As an act of intentional living performed for the sake of personal integrity and as an expression of a commitment to a more equitable distribution of the world’s resources.
2. As an act of creation care for ourselves and especially for our children and grandchildren against the earth destroying results of over-consumption such as pollution, climate change, and resource wars.
3. As an act of solidarity with the majority of humankind, which has little choice about material affluence.
4. As an act of celebration of the riches found in God’s creation, and the riches of community with others, rather than in the "poverty" of mindless materialism.
5. As an act of spiritual discipline ordering our lives to reflect the values of simplicity and just living taught by Jesus and teachers in other world religions.
6. As an act of advocacy for changes in present patterns of production and consumption.
7. As an act of provocation (ostentatious under consumption) to arouse curiosity leading to dialog with others about affluence, and sustainable "green" living to redirect the production of consumer goods away from the satisfaction of artificially created wants toward the supplying of goods and services that meet genuine social needs.
(Based on an article by Jorgen Lissner)  
 

13 years ago I attended my first NEAUCE (New England Association of United Church Educators) conference in Craigville.  At the event, were Rev. David Anderson and Rev. Dick Hardel from Youth and Family Institute in Minnesota.  These gentlemen blew our socks off!  They talked about the ramifications of mainline protestant churches keeping children and the Christian education in a silo.  In the 1950s and 60s the trend was to build education wings, much like we have here at FCC, and model church education after school. It was also in response to the baby boom, congregations needed to find cost effective ways to gain more space in the sanctuary.  Children and youth were taken out of worship and attended Sunday School instead.  All of this was well intended of course, but the problem is that when you take the children out of worship, they have no connection to it whatsoever.  And as a result, it is no wonder that they disappear after confirmation.  They’ve only built a relationship to Sunday School and its teachers, but are completely disconnected to the worship service and the congregation.
 
This is what motivated us to intentionally integrate intergenerational worship into the life of the church.  We began by breaking down Children’s Sunday and fitting into the order of worship.  It had been an hour devoted to a musical presented by the children and presentations of gratitude to the teachers.  We then created an intergenerational worship service out of World Communion Sunday, a service that already was a little outside-the-box and lent itself perfectly to a service of this nature.  Joe and David taught me the importance of keeping the integrity of the worship service, following the order of worship and keeping that rhythm and flow intact.  This was never going to be a contemporary/alternative praise service.  They almost always follow the lectionary, and we typically offer 5 or 6 of them a year.
 
As a result, I am proud to say that our children are deeply connected to worship and to the members of the congregation.  They are knowledgeable about the order of worship.  They understand the prayer of confession, the offertory, the prayers of the people.  They are learning the hymns and enjoying the voices of the choir.  They are respectful and engaged in the service.  Adults have commented that not only do they love to see the children engaged and are impressed by their preparation and presence, but they also enjoy the colorful nature of these worship services where the Bible stories are accessible and truly come to life.  As a bonus, we are teaching a life skill in that we are raising young people who are confident in public speaking because they cut their teeth with the most loving audience, their congregation.  And every time I’ve taken them on a field trip or a retreat and the leaders ask for participants, FCC kids are the first to raise their hands. 
 
I am grateful that we are a church that is welcoming and hospitable to its young people.  I am grateful for Joe’s openness and trust in inviting the children to lead us in worship.  I am grateful to the parents who are encouraging and supportive of their children’s participation.  I am grateful for our young people who are courageous enough to stand before you.  But most of all, I am grateful that our children have the opportunity to not only participate in worship, but worship alongside their parents.  It is my hope that these special moments of time will be valuable memories in their faith story.