Hi Friends,

Well, we’ve almost come to the end of our first week “at home” with the kids! How are you doing?

I know this is different for each of us, with complications, frustrations, and opportunities coming at us minute by minute, hour by hour. I hope you are being gentle with yourself. There is a lot to adjust to.

Resources

As promised, here are some resources that are geared towards maintaining and supporting your family’s health – body, mind, and spirit. These are suggestions, not something else to add to the growing to-do list! Use what will support you and those around.

SHINE curriculum (available here)

SHINE is making a number of aspects of their weekly Sunday School curriculum available for use at home. This includes lesson plans, conversation starters, and music downloads. Please engage these however they are helpful for your family.

Illustrated Ministry (available here)

I love Illustrated Ministry and they are setting up a weekly mailing of free resources that will come directly to your inbox. Signing up for this will not sign you up for their regular mailings, but rather for resources meant to support families during the pandemic. I’ll be including their “Prayers for When You Feel Anxious” in the worship resource this Sunday for our kids (and grown-ups!)

Pray as you Go (available here)

This is a daily prayer session that can be accessed through the website or through an app on your phone or tablet. There are options for adults, young adults, and kids. I’ve appreciated using it as a calming and centering call to prayer. If you check it out, I’d love to hear what you think!

AHS Resource Sheet (download here): Coping and Connection for Children and Families During COVID-19

The information in this Alberta Health Services fact sheet reinforces a lot of what we already know…and need to be reminded of! Listening, seeking out reliable information, and engaging in healthy practices will be critical for us and our kids in the days to come. I appreciated the reminders here and hope they will encourage you as well.

Looking Ahead

On Sunday, we’ll be posting another short video and package of online worship resources for our congregation. Next week, I’ll be putting energy into ways we can connect more directly with one another – online meet-ups for our Sunday School kids & youth (likely through ZOOM), coming up with activities and projects we can work at in our homes and then share with one another online, that sort of thing. Let me know if you have any ideas/suggestions you’d like to contribute or if would like to help with putting this together week to week.

Staying Informed

FYI, the main platforms for LMC updates and info in the coming days will be:

– the church website (lendrumchurch.ca): check it regularly
– the LMC Facebook group (available here): a members only group, separate from our public Facebook page – let me know if you want to be added
– email as needed

If your family has any emerging needs now that you are getting a sense of what this might be like over the long haul, reach out – to me, to one another! Let’s do our best to support one another.

Peace,

Pastor Sherri