The Next Crop of God's Gardeners

Do you remember that everything looks bigger as a child?   My grandfather’s house was on the top of a large hill.  It had a garden when I was growing up; it seemed HUGE to me. He had pear and apple trees.  He grew corn, green beans, lima beans, tomatoes (of course), black eyed peas, and potatoes among other things.  

Even though my grandfather was blind, he had been gardening for so long that he knew the plants by touch and how to sow by heart.  My grandfather grew food for his household, our family of 5, the neighbors, and plenty for the freezer.  Gardeners know it’s important to grow a “cover crop,” too.  These crops, like clover and soy beans, replenish the soil with vitamins so that vegetables will grow healthy and strong.  I do not remember my Grandfather growing a “cover crop,” but since he rotated his plants, he may have accomplished the same thing.  Nurturing and replenishing soil, planting seeds and on and on it goes.  Second Presbyterian Children’s Sunday School is like a precious garden. Let me explain!

On the second floor at Second Church, we are like gardeners tending a cover crop.  We nurture our youngest disciples enriching the soil of faith.  We begin by cultivating a lifetime of knowing that God made each one and that they are beloved children of God.  We focus on relationships with God, hearing good news, and being part of the whole family of God.

·         We begin by planting a Nursery Garden with seeds of love, welcome, and safety.  Babies are welcomed by loving arms and are whispered words of comfort and God’s love.

·         Our Toddlers and Twos Garden has plenty of playtime, a snack, and seedlings of a Bible Stories.

·         Threes, Fours, and Fives classes are merry patches of stories, play, wondering, and music. Truly, they are often “self-seeding,” but the garden is a lovely mixture of small voices and high excitement.

The third floor, Elementary Orchard, has a rotating crop of Stories and Bible Study in which responses such as art, drama, green-screen, games, mission, and Our Maker’s Space flourish. Worship planning, mid-week “church-club” aka “Kids Club,” and children’s choir have a bit more structure, but are still Spirit fed! There may be some “climbing” but they are all grounded in who and whose they are.

Sunday School raises up the next crop of God’s gardeners who will welcome, tend, sow, and play! When you bring your child, or your child brings you, to church—you are giving them the soil, the water, the tools, and the sunlight that they need for the years ahead.  My grandfather’s garden on top of the hill has been replaced by a BIG HOUSE, but when I think about gardening I still think of him and his faith.