First Congregational Church of Chatham United Church of Christ
508-945-0800
650 Main St.
​At the Rotary
Chatham,MA 02633
  • Home
  • Who We Are
    • Ministry Team
    • Our Vision
    • How We Worship
    • Directions & Contact
    • United Church of Christ
    • Guests
  • Worship
    • Worship Services
    • Communion
    • Baptism
    • Weddings
    • Funerals
  • Music
    • About our Music Ministers
    • Chancel Choir
    • Hand Bell Choir
  • Ministries
    • Stephen Ministry
    • Christian Education >
      • Children and Youth >
        • Church School
        • Youth
    • Diaconate >
      • Prayer
      • Visitation
    • Missions
    • Stewardship
    • Trustees
  • Members
  • Contact
  • Email List
  • Ministry Team

Getting Real                                                                 by Amy Middleton

6/3/2015

10 Comments

 
Dear families,
I’m going to get real with everyone here.  Please bear with me, because I’ve been wrestling with this stuff for years.  

Last Thursday, I attended a workshop on addiction.  Four speakers got up and shared their stories of struggle and hope with us.  They all now work as recovery specialists.  All of them cited spirituality as being the central component of their recovery.   All of them spoke about the importance of learning to trust, rely and depend on a higher power.  Spiritual wellness is what made them whole again.

I needed to hear this.  I needed to be reminded that what we are doing is important.  Giving our children the tools to tap into God, could quite possibly be one of the most valuable gifts we can impart on them.  I believe this with every ounce of my being.  If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be so passionate about what I do, nor would I be writing this.

In The Spiritual Child,  Dr. Lauren Miller, professor of psychology and education at Columbia University, writes about her decades of leading scientific research in the field of spiritual awareness.  Dr.  Miller explains the clear, scientific link between spirituality and health and shows that children who have a positive, active relationship to spirituality:

  are 40% less likely to use and abuse substances
  are 60% less likely to be depressed as teenagers
  are 80% less likely to have dangerous or unprotected sex
  have significantly more positive markers for thriving including an increased    sense of meaning and purpose, and high levels of academic success.

At a time when many Christian Education programs are dying in churches, I am filled with immense gratitude and pride at seeing ours thriving.  But let’s not pat ourselves on the back just yet.  Church is only one part of the faith formation pie.  For some it’s a big helping, others a sliver, but no matter which way you slice it, it is only one piece.

My kids are regulars at church.  Let’s face it; they don’t have much choice in the matter given my role here.  But even with stellar attendance, the amount of time allocated to their faith is pretty slim.  Look at my oldest...if we reduce his faith formation to church, and he attends regularly during the church school year, that’s roughly 30 hours a year.  Compare that to 90 hours on the golf team, 90 hours on the sailing team or a whopping 952 hours in scouts (camp, camping trips).  Do the math and I think we can all begin to see what a small piece of the pie it really is.  It’s an eye-opening, reality check in assessing our values.  In our family, we do value physical fitness and spending time in the great outdoors, but should it be so proportionally out-of-whack with time spent developing a relationship with God?  For me, it’s kind of a personal wake-up call.

Let’s look at the space between Sundays?  I’m as guilty as the next person for not always remembering to invite God into our home.  Spiritual practices like prayer, reading the Bible, meditation, silence are replaced with errands, cleaning, TV…STUFF!  

So, if spiritual wellness really is so important (as the above statistics would suggest it is), why does it most always fall to the bottom of the pile?  Why isn’t it prioritized?  Well for one, we get away with it!  After all, who is more forgiving of our transgressions than God?  Certainly our coaches, teammates and dance instructors are not as understanding when we are absent.  But God is always there for us and ever present.  An even bigger factor may be that it is counter cultural.  We live in an era of perpetual motion.  Our society values doing over being.  And time not engaged in activity is often considered wasted opportunity.  However, it warms my heart and gives me hope to see mindfulness programs like Calmer Choice emerging in the schools.  Mindfulness is a spiritual practice.

I write this to you just before we “split” for the summer.  I write this to you to generate some conversation and feedback.  This isn’t about attendance.  This isn’t about judgement or guilt - I’m walking along the same path as you!  (No one is throwing rocks in this glass house!)  As the saying goes, it takes a village.  I have some ideas to keep us connected to each other, our church and God over the summer.  But, as the church school year comes to a close, I’d love to hear your thoughts, struggles and triumphs.  What is working for you?  How are we serving you?  Where are we falling short?  How can we best support one another on this spiritual journey?

And I’ll close with telling you just how grateful I am to have you!  Your beautiful families give life and color to our church family.  We value you! 

With love and gratitude,

Amy

10 Comments
Robin Wilkins
6/3/2015 07:30:34 am

well said.i consider myself a child of god with so much to still learn.thank you for also being an example to the congregation as you enable us to witness your comfort with the children.

Reply
Margaret Eldredge
6/3/2015 07:50:33 am

You do an incredible job with the kids. The only thing some of us have been talking about and really don't know how to go about it is being in contact with the young adults that go off to work or college I know we can't get them into church but maybe being in contact with them like a young e blast or let some of us have there addresses and we could drop them a note. Any thing to let them know God and we are thinking about them.

Reply
Karen mcpherson
6/3/2015 08:15:37 am

Excellent idea, Margaret!

Reply
Kathe Rhinesmith
6/3/2015 07:52:50 am

Your message is right on, Amy. Thanks for reminding me that I can do a better job of sharing my faith journey with my grandchildren

Reply
ken campbell
6/3/2015 07:54:41 am

Amy, at 76 years young your , incites and words struck me. We miss the church, the members, and Joe, but not the winters. All the church's in Florida are big big, and it is difficult to asimilate into friendship. Do not get me wrong, I are very happy here. We do miss you all,,
Ken campbell

Reply
Emily King
6/3/2015 08:12:28 am

Thank you, Amy. What you write is beautiful truth and truly beautiful. You give strength and encouragement to those of us who are beginning a journey into Stephen ministry. Thank you for all you do. Emily King

Reply
Phyllis Freeman
6/3/2015 10:15:44 am

Hi Amy,
I read your article about spirituality wellness with great interest. Last night I attended a Book/Author session at the Library featuring Journalist Greg O'Brien who wrote a book On Pluto, Inside the Mind of Alzheimer's. He has been battling the disease for several years. Last night he was articulate, funny, and very entertaining, even when talking about the disease. When he signed my book I told him he was remarkable and that I would never have known he was ailing.
His response was about faith. "Keep the Faith. Hope endures". This positive approach seems to be applicable to those who are addicted, too.
You are remarkable, too. Thanks for all you do for our church community and many others.

Reply
Suzanne Alten
6/3/2015 01:01:48 pm

Thanks Amy .you see the realization that spirituality helps all those in recovery .I truly believe that young children and young adults need to be exposed in order to realize that a road to spirituality can be a SAFE rewarding journey .A journey that will grow and their true self's will become strong ..strong enough to fight the demons that are so tempting..they can realize that they are loved and supported...this journey needs to be encouraged and supported .

Reply
Sandy Westerman
6/4/2015 02:23:04 am

Thank you, Amy for your wonderful letter and reminder that we should take the time in our lives to do the things that really matter. I am going to try harder and to work on these things wih our grandchildren while
they visit here this summer. It will be a start ! Your thoughts are both
beautiful and very helpful. Sandy Westerman

Reply
A guest
6/4/2015 07:31:44 am

I sometimes visit your church and am always impressed by the enthusiasm and joy of the children there. You are doing something right! Having a new grandchild, I will pass this on eagerly to my daughter.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    November 2018
    October 2018
    January 2018
    November 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    June 2017
    March 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    August 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014

Picture
For Visitors
Picture
Worship Services
Picture
Music
Picture
Our Vision
  • Mailing Address 
  • First Congregational Church
  • 650 Main Street
  • Chatham, MA 02633
  First Congregational Church
United Church of Christ
  508-945-0800 or
​Contact Us
copyright  First Congregational Church of Chatham   All Rights Reserved 2014