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Generations Ministry Summer Update

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Happy mid-summer from your Generations Committee!  I hope that we are all enjoying a change of pace and some special times with our grandchildren!  Generations’ mission is to encourage one another to be intentional about sharing Christ with the next generation, especially those God has entrusted to us as our grandchildren.  I am happy to report that Jane McGreevy is co-chair for Generations.  Our other members are  Suzanne McCord, Noel and Bob Kunes,  Dorothy Lancaster, Brian McGreevy and Peter Rothermel.

I had the privilege of attending Grandcamp at Camp St. Christopher with two of my granddaughters - Rosie (9) and Lydia (7) in June.  This year’s theme was Family Reunion.  It was 4 1/2 days of faith sharing (Grandbits), family devotions, scripture memory, singing, crafts,  mud pit (a camp tradition), swimming, campfire on the beach, and memories and closeness that are precious!  Preparing for the week challenged me to write my faith story - when and how I asked Jesus into my heart; and how my grandparents impacted me with their faith and in other ways.   I made a photo album of our family, including our ancestors, and told my granddaughters stories from their heritage.

Another special time this summer was our family beach week - 17 strong, including my almost 94-year-old mother Adelaide. The children’s ages range from 7 to 17.  Since this was kind of a family reunion, I took some ideas from Grandcamp theme and also Susan Yates’ Cousin Camp book.   I found a booklet called “My Grandma” which had questions for the children to ask “Mammy” (name they call my mother, who is their great grandmother).  The children were mesmerized by the things she shared, including getting milk from a cow.   The photo album I had made for Grandcamp gave them a sense of their ancestry.  Mammy told them her favorite Bible verse, which is John 3:16.  This was one of those times that I hope will be ingrained in their minds and hearts for a lifetime.

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At my prompting, the 17-year-olds gave advice to the younger ones, like choosing good friends - ones who have a positive influence, especially for Christ. Each cousin came up with his or her nickname for the parents to guess.  The teens spearheaded a whipped cream fight, which was a highlight!  There are other ideas I hope to include next time,  One of the things the Yates’ do is ask each child to memorize their ‘family verse’  Deut. 6:5 “I will love the Lord myGod with all my heart, mind, and soul and care for my cousins.  Other ideas for next time: teens share their faith stories; how to be a good conversationalist.   As you can see, most of these ideas aren’t original.  This is why we need to share with each other!  Please email me and I will forward your ‘grand ideas’ to everyone. 

In early October there will be a Fall Kick-Off after Wednesday night dinner in the parish hall.  The evening will include a recap of Generations mission and our history; Brian McGreevy sharing - you guessed it! -  CS Lewis’ literature for grandchildren;  and testimonials from intentional Christian grandparents!  This will also be a time to sign up for small groups. Stay tuned for more information on these in the near future!

Last but not least -  The Southeastern Intentional Grandparenting Conference will be held on Saturday, November 6, at St. Pauls Church in Summerville.   The founder of the National Christian Grandparenting Network,  Cavin Harper,  is the main speaker, along with Sherry Schumann, who has spoken to us at St. Philips, and our own Brian McGreevy.  You will not want to miss this! 

Grand Blessings!

Lynn Dayton