New Saturday Service for Families

On February 1st we held a very special, family-friendly, Saturday “Sunday” Service. More than just a Sunday School, it really was like a miniature “grownups” service: suitable for all the children of various ages, and still enjoyable for even the non-parenting adults who showed up to be part of the fun. We had a number of families there, including about 12-14 kids (it’s hard to tell; they move around a lot), and there was a very good balance of energy. The children were all free to get up and be interactive, and they certainly did, but it never lost focus or got out of hand. No small accomplishment!

The hour-long service included sing-alongs with hand motions (to “Oh God Beautiful” and “All the World Is My Friend”), spiritual story-time, drawing/writing/coloring offerings to put on the altar, and even a remarkably safe fire ceremony (with a thorough explanation of how sacred fires are different than anything you might have at home). Everyone stayed enthusiastic and engaged right through the blessings at the end, and on to the snacks out by the playground afterwards. (You can find a few more photos here.)

And guess what? We’re going to make this a regular thing! First Saturday of every month, so if you have a family, know a family, or just generally approve of the concept of families, come join us for the next one at 10am on March 1st. We’d love to get more parents (and eventually even older children) involved in putting these on, too. If you’re interested, get in touch with Julie or the sangha staff.