Christmas Pagent Invitation to Playgroup

Please consider joining us tomorrow, Thursday, December 17 at 6 p.m. for our annual Christmas Pageant! If you are interested in having your little one participate, they would make adorable sheep (see the attached picture). Please come to the church at 4 p.m. for costuming and dress rehearsal. My son was 1 1/2 last year and made an amazing wandering sheep.

We also have a potluck supper immediately following the Pageant. You are welcome to bring a dish to share or just come and enjoy the food that others have provided - there is always enough to go around!

Finally, around 7:30 those who still have the stamina are invited to join us as we cross the street to sing carols with the Sisters at the Cenacle Retreat House.

Come for one or all of the activities of the evening - and feel free to simply come and watch the Pageant. It's a wonderful little production and a great way to ring in the holiday season.

Peace to you,
Josh Frank
Youth & Children's Formation Minister
Church of Our Saviour
office: 773.549.3832 ext. 12

Playgroup Opens Tomorrow!

Hello parents and caregivers,

I am thrilled to let you know that we are able to resume The Ark Playgroup at Church of Our Saviour this week! For now we will keep the same hours as before our mid-summer interruption:

Tues/Thurs 2:30 - 4:30 p.m.
Wed 9:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

I should be in the building this week during all three sessions of the Playgroup and I look forward to saying hello and catching up a bit!
Peace to you,
Josh Frank

Youth & Formation Minister
Church of Our Saviour
office: 773.549.3832 ext. 12
cell/text: 773.849.4353

Playgroup Re-Opening!

Hello parents!

I am so sorry that the Playgroup has been on hiatus for nearly the entire summer. The flooding we experienced brought more problems than a simple carpet cleaning could handle. We wanted to make sure the carpet was clean and the area safe before inviting people back in.

We are on the brink of re-opening the space! Carpet layers are scheduled to be here next Thursday, 9/10. As long as that goes according to plan (please pray for us!), we should be able to re-open for Tuesday, 9/15; Wednesday, 9/16; and Thursday, 9/17. I will send a confirmation message out after the work has been completed.

Thank you all for your patience. There continues to be growing interest in the playgroup; I have received Meetup group membership requests from 4 people in the last 3 weeks! I hope that as we re-open and re-launch this fall, you all will have a great time playing together and forming new friendships.

Peace to you,
Josh Frank
Youth & Children's Formation Minister
Church of Our Saviour
530 W Fullerton Pkwy
Chicago, IL 60614
office: 773.549.3832 ext. 12
joshfcos@sbcglobal.net
www.coschurch.org

No Playgroup Until Tues Sept 15

Hello again parents,

Unfortunately we experienced flooding in the lower level of our building twice this summer. This is a very unusual experience for us; the church has not suffered flooding in anyone's collective community memory.

We plan to resume the Playgroup on Tuesday, Sept 15. Thanks for your patience, and I will be in touch with further updates as they come along.

Peace to you,
Josh Frank

Youth & Formation Minister
Church of Our Saviour
office: 773.549.3832 ext. 12
cell/text: 773.849.4353

In case you are looking for a parish to join... (this is not an ad!)

Dear All - I hope that no one minds this post - it's just informational.

Our playgroup is not connected to any religious tradition, but it is sponsored by The Church of Our Saviour, an Episcopal parish, and our play space is in the church school "atriums". The Playgroup Coordinator is Josh Frank, who is the Youth Minister at COS. Josh has a toddler son who participates in the playgroup.

I'd like to share some info about the very special children's church school at COS, in case you're looking for a truly exceptional program. Children's Formation ("Sunday School") at COS uses "The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd", which is a Montessori based program. It is a gentle and thoughtful program. Please feel invited to explore this special type of "Sunday School" even if you are not affiliated with COS. About it from the COS Newsletter:

Fall Focus - September 2009
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd - Beginning September 20th at 10:00am with a family breakfast.

What is wonder? Could it be the source of activity? Like a magnet that pulls you forward, is a sense of wonder what moves you to reach?
Wonder is different from just being interested in something.
Wonder causes us to respond.
Wonder is a precursor to faith.
In Catechesis of the Good Shepherd wonder is cultivated at every age by giving children choices that will allow them to reach on their own, and with others, toward God.

Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is an approach to the religious formation of children age 3-12 years. It is based on the conviction that God and the child are in relationship. Drawing upon Holy Scripture, the Church liturgy and Montessori methods of education, the catechist (a carefully trained and dedicated, catechist is Greek for "teacher of faith") is able to foster the child's natural sense of wonder and love for God. Catechists work with small groups of children to help them develop their own unique relationship with God.

Some of the materials available in the atriums draw upon events in Jesus' life, including the Last Supper, the Kingdom parables and the infancy narratives. Other materials include a relief map of the Holy Land, a model of the city of Jerusalem, a liturgical calendar; and replicas of the articles of the Eucharist.

The Atrium is a classroom where Catechesis presentations take place. The term dates back to the early Roman Church where the atrium referred to a room where those coming into the Church were taught. It is "a place of preparation."

The catechist's strive to foster a sense of sacred space within the atrium. The child's experiences in the atrium helps to prepare them for involvement in the larger worshipping community. Some refer to the atrium as a place for conversation with God.

This formation grounds children with Christian roots, strengthens the foundation of their faith, and nurtures their development into a whole, joyful human being.

Atriums open at 10:00 am at Church of Our Saviour.
Families are encouraged to bring their children at that time to have the fullest possible experience. While a presentation takes place at some point, the opportunity for wonder has already begun. We understand all the work that goes into getting a family to church, and deeply appreciate your efforts to respect the atrium, catechists and other children by entering the atrium as close to 10:00 am as possible.

Invitation to Community Families: Vacation Bible School!

Hello parents and friends,

Charles Murphy and I will be leading this year's creative, fun, and energetic Vacation Bible School in just under two weeks! Each day the children will be presented with a bible story and music, and will work collaboratively to create a short skit to perform for parents at the end of the day. There will be story telling, music, art, games, and more. Charles is a gifted musician that often leads music for children and families during worship and other events at St. Chrysostom's Church, where he is the Youth Minister. His songs are unique to this experience and are one reason the kids from last year's VBS remember the bible stories (and even the tunes and some of the lyrics to the songs that accompanied the skits!).

Peter Civetta has been a huge help in guiding me through the structure for this type of summer program and I look forward to offering it myself this year.

The cost is $175 (never to be prohibitive, and we can pro-rate it for those not able to attend all five days).

We do need to have a firm number of registered children in order to make our final plans. Please send me an e-mail or give me a call to let me know your child is attending, then I'll have you fill out the registration form and return it to the church ASAP. Thanks!
Peace to you,
Josh Frank
joshfcos@sbcglobal.net
Youth & Formation Minister
Church of Our Saviour
office: 773.549.3832 ext. 12
cell/text: 773.849.4353