Families, Mission & More with Susan Rice

A Good-bye Note

2008-05-14T07:38:00.000-07:00

Dear Families of Vanderbilt Pres
I could say, “It’s been a blast,” and it has been. I could say, “We’ve had fun,” and we have. I could say, “We’ve learned a lot together,” and we have. But, what I want to do is to tell you how much you have all meant to me. It is so refreshing and inspiring to be with people who struggle with issues related to the spiritual development and faith of their children and their family. It has been wonderful to watch you all “play” together, learning that life does not always have to be structured around little league, dance lessons, music lessons, etc; but learning that there is joy in just being together. I want to thank you for all of the support you have given me over the last three years, for your words of encouragement and your excitement about family ministries. I also want to say that it does not have to end here. There is so much good that is happening from Stepping Stones, to Sacred Shelter, to Vandy 500 to Beach Cleanup Days to Trunk-n-Treat and on and on. Here at VPC you have a safe place to gather to relax and have fun, you have a safe place to ask questions about God and faith and “how do we teach our children?” You have the opportunity, now, to do a new thing, something daring and on the edge so that your children and youth remain excited about what it means to be a Christian. My charge to you, as I leave Vanderbilt Presbyterian, is to always strive to make Vanderbilt a welcoming place for families of all shapes and sizes and all socioeconomic backgrounds, all stages of faith development. Be open to new ideas and be open to those that continue to ask questions. Think OUTSIDE THE BOX! And remember; remember that first and foremost is God. If we don’t teach that to our children and youth no one else will. That behavior must be modeled in you. Okay, now I’m lecturing—but you get it! Last, but not least—Yes, I will miss you. I am excited about the future, yet sad about leaving. I will miss all of those wonderful smiles and bright eyes during children’s moment—my favorite thing in the world. I will miss our camaraderie, our come as who you are attitudes, and I will miss YOU. Take care and God bless. “Behold, I am doing a new thing: now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?” Isaiah 43:19.

Vandy 500

2008-03-05T08:46:00.000-08:00

News Flash!

2008-03-05T07:50:00.000-08:00

Sorry it’s been so long since I blogged! Time flies especially when Lent and Easter practically fall on top of Christmas! No excuses, however. Just because I haven’t blogged doesn’t mean there has not been a lot going on. For instance the Vandy 500 was quite a hit! Thanks to a special donor at the Daytona 500 we had fantastic prizes and gifts for all participants including the adults! With about 200 folks in attendance the races were on. As you can see from the pictures, competition was stiff, but the most important thing is – EVERYONE had a good time! Good company, good food, good fun, what more could one ask? And yes, the great and wonderful Rev. Dr. Tom Harp did win the staff race. Did I let him win has been the question. Well, one will never know, will one? Regardless, everyone had a wonderful time.

Of course life here at Vanderbilt is never slow, so don’t even blink or you will miss more fun and excitement in Family Ministries. Coming up is the Egg-Stravaganza and Pancake Breakfast on Saturday, March 15th at 9:00 a.m. This is for all ages—crafts, games, the Easter Story and of course the famous egg hunt! So mark your calendars for that event.

Now, on a more serious note—many of you attended the Ash Wednesday Service here at Vanderbilt. Attendance was wonderful and it was the first time we had made a special effort to include families and children. The children had a time all to themselves when we talked about the significance of Ash Wednesday and why we put ashes on our foreheads in the shape of a cross. The service took a little longer than planned because attendance was so good (a great problem to have), but I think it was very meaningful to the children and to the families. This process continues during Holy Week. It is very difficult to embrace the wonderful news of the resurrection unless we have walked through Holy Week before hand. Palm Sunday will get us started as the children all participate in procession of the palms at both worship services. Maundy Thursday service will also have a special time for children as we talk about Jesus washing the disciples’ feet and actually go through that foot washing ceremony together. The Good Friday service is just as meaningful and sets the tone of the crucifixion. It is a brief service in which families will be extinguishing the candles until there is total darkness. We will leave in silence and in darkness to return on Sunday morning in joyful anticipation and excitement over the resurrection of Jesus Christ! (Alleluia!) I know, technically I can’t say “alleluia” until Lent is over—oops!

This is a wonderful season to share together as a family. It is a meaningful season that focuses on the life, death and resurrection of our Lord. Help your children to understand the full meaning of Easter by attending these special worship service and then by talking about it afterwards. Of course, nursery is available at all the services for kindergarten and under, however many preschoolers can understand the tones of Holy Week and the celebration of Easter Sunday. So use this time to impact your family and your children as you grow together in faith.
See ya!

Christmas Caroling with Dolly The Trolly

2008-01-09T08:10:00.001-08:00

href="">

Look What's Coming!

2008-01-08T11:10:00.000-08:00

“Back to Normal”
Today is always the day that I mark as things getting “back to normal” whatever “normal” is. I guess what it means is that everyone is pretty much back in school—the office is back to its “regular hours,” and we begin to say, okay—what’s next? There are lots of exciting things coming at us in this New Year. One thing we MUST keep in mind is how early Easter is this year which means Ash Wednesday and everything else is early too—but more about that later.

Stepping Stones Begins!
Have we had fun at Stepping Stones this year, or what? And the next semester promises to be just as much fun. Don’t miss the first night, January 16th! It’s Family Game Night. Bring your favorite board game, card game or whatever and let’s all “play” together. Feel free to invite a friend or two. We hardly ever take time as families just to play games—so let’s have a blast. And then the fun continues with a reverse dinner starting with Banana Splits. Yep, dessert is FIRST! The fun continues each Wednesday night. AND . . . mark your calendars now and begin practicing for the VANDY 500- on February 20th. This is the annual remote control race car (or truck, or jeep, or whatever) rally held each year. If you haven’t registered yet for Stepping Stones, don’t let that stop you. There is still time and you can also register the first night.

A meaningful time for families
Now back to the Lent and Easter stuff. Lent can be and should be a very meaningful time for families as we prepare for the celebration of Easter. We miss so much if we skip over all of the Lenten practices and jump straight in to Easter. This year, you have the opportunity to both learn more about Lent as a family and as an individual as we begin the season with Ash Wednesday. On Ash Wednesday, February 6, we will have a Pancake Supper beginning at 5:30 followed by our Ash Wednesday service at 7:00 p.m. During this year’s Ash Wednesday service there will be a special time for children and families to come forward to learn about what Ash Wednesday means and to receive the disposition of ashes as a family. This is a very meaningful service and probably my favorite special service of the year, as we take time to reflect on the life of Christ and our discipleship. So plan on making it a regular Wednesday by coming for the pancake supper and worship service—of course childcare will be available for children Kindergarten age and under. You will also receive from me a Lenten calendar that will help you as families focus on important scripture passages, activities and prayers that are “family friendly.” Please take advantage of this wonderful season to share your faith with one another, to pray together and to learn more about the life of Christ and your own life of discipleship. This can be a time of transformation for both you and your family. So slow down a little, make faith based choices, and take time for Christ!

Look at all the fun we have!

2007-11-07T12:32:00.001-08:00

Family Ministries Activities Are A Blast!!!

2007-11-05T08:09:00.000-08:00

Family Ministries Activities Are A BLAST!!!!!!

Wow, we have had such fun in Family Ministries lately and it’s not ever too late for you to come and be a part of the excitement. First of all Stepping Stones has gotten off to a great start with lots of activities, laughter, music and fun. The month of October was spent exploring our faith through art—we called it Images of Faith. From pottery to painting, to photography children and families worked together to express their faith. You should see some of the art work created. The photo collages showed families spending quality time together talking about how God is at work in their lives. How exciting for children to hear their parents and grandparents talk about their faith. The month culminated with a celebration dinner and art show.

And of course one need not forget the fun that was had at the Trunk or Treat and the dance that followed. About thirty cars lined up in our parking lot all decked out in fall and Halloween finery for the one hundred or so children to trick or treat or rather trunk or treat! Then everyone gathered in the fellowship hall for music, dancing, cotton candy, snow cones, popcorn and crafts. Everything from the Electric Slide to the Chicken Dance and of course the Macarena (hope I spelled that right!). It was hard to figure out who some folks were all dressed up in their costumes.

Sacred Shelter has also been going especially well this year. Special thanks to all of you who have hosted. It’s so nice to be part of a group that eats, meets, plays and prays together, knowing you are being supported and encouraged through the good times and the rough times of life—knowing you can share with friends in a safe environment without being judged. What a gift we are giving to our children as well. I’ve noticed lately in church how the children are all hanging out together and it truly is becoming “a village” for everyone. God is truly great!

Anyway—look at the photo album attached—of course for safety reasons we try not to show full face views of the children, but you can figure it out! See you in church!

Going to School Blues

2007-08-07T14:00:00.000-07:00

Picture this scene! You've parked the car and walked around to get your kindergartener out of the seat--backpack on his back, shoes on the right feet, hair combed, lunch box in hand and then all of the sudden, he becomes a wide eyed, bewildered statue. "Waah" is followed by tears streaming down the cheeks, hands glued to the car door handle, and those brand new tennis shoes cemented to the pavement. Too late now--so you end up dragging your child screaming into the classroom. And now, YOU are crying too! Wow, what a morning! Is it possible to avoid this scene? Is there anyway for that first day of school to be a little easier? Well, hopefully yes--but you must start NOW--especially for those "first time in school kids."
Yes, the first day of school can be emotional for both parent and child, but it is all really quite normal. You can, however, reduce the fear of the unknown and therefore much of the anxiety surrounding that wonderful dreaded day. Listed below are just a few tips that might help you and your child survive and perhaps even enjoy the first day or so of school.
* Ease Your child into a New Routine: Have your child go to bed at school night bedtime a few nights before the first day. Set an alarm clock for the correct school wake up time and get up!
* Try a School Run or Two: Go over your child's bus route (if they are riding a bus). If your child is a car rider, then get in the car with your child and actually "do the drive" to the school, talking about where you will turn, showing your child where you will drop him off and pick him up. You might even want to "practice" walking into the school door.
Get ready the night before: Establish a routine that requires your child to pick an outfit (if not in uniforms) for the school day. Pack the backpack the night before. (This is good for EVERY school day so that any last minute rushing is eliminated.
* Breakfast and Prayer: Make sure you and your child have enough time to sit down to an adequate breakfast. Pray with your child thanking God for this wonderful opportunity and adventure.
* Talk, Talk Talk: Talk, POSITIVELY, about the school, the teachers, the principal and the entire school experience.
* Take a School Tour: Call the school and arrange to tour the school with your child. Help your child find their way around the school and the location of their classroom and teh bathroom. If possible meet with both the teacher and the principal.
* Make a New Friend: If possible, introduce your child to a classmate before the first day of school.
* What Now: Make sure your child knows what to do after school is out. If going to an afterschool program, familiarize your child with that program just like you did the school. Make sure your child has emergency phone numbers in his or her backpack and also knows how to get help in an emergency.
* Ask and Listen: After school make sure and ask your child SPECIFIC questions about the day, such as, "What letter did you work on today?" "What is the name of one new person you met today?" Discussion questions are much better than yes or no questions. No multitasking when you are talking to your child about school--what could be more important, anyway?
Of course there are lots of other ideas, but hopefully this will get you both off to a good start. Remain positive about the school experience. If you start crying--it's okay--it's a big deal for both of you. If your child sees you crying it's okay to explain to him or her what you are feeling, reassuring them that going to school and learning is a good thing! So--off to school with you and have a GREAT year!

Mission Trip Photo Gallery

2007-07-03T08:22:00.000-07:00

'>http://

Mission Trip Update 7/2/07

2007-07-02T08:22:00.001-07:00

What an adventure we had! Germany was everything and more than what many of us expected. It’s amazing how a smile and the light of Christ cuts across cultural and language barriers as we all served alongside our brothers and sisters in Christ to reach out to the community surrounding the American Church in Berlin. Obviously internet connections are not a high priority which is why it was very difficult and often impossible to get to the Blog to continue to update. So please accept my apologies and take a look at the pictures just added so you can get a taste of what wonderful work is going on in Berlin in the name of Jesus Christ. You will meet Kumar—who met us at the airport along with Denise. Kumar continued to remind us that we were “the light of Christ” as he too wielded a paint brush all week. Denise gave us detailed instructions on our apartments as well as how to use the U-Bahn and the S-Bahn. You’ll meet Sarah, the preschool teacher I worked with all week and see a few of the children. You’ll also see a little of the tour through Berlin as we all experienced the magnitude of the Holocaust as we walked through the “memorial to the Jewish people.” We were given personal stories from those that had experienced the coming down of the Berlin wall as we stood at what was left. You’ll see Laura and me washing windows at a Children’s Hospice center, Joan and Molly teaching the ESL Instructor’s class – they did a GREAT job!!! And be sure to notice that Greg Minck is doing the detail work on painting the walls in the area of the church that will be used for the children’s Sunday School room. And yes, they finished painting before we left. I could write a book on the diversity that is wholeheartedly embraced and how, for me, it was truly reflective of the kingdom of God and the church universal. Some other pictures will be forthcoming soon from the worship service on Sunday—I will talk more about the wonderful blend of voices praising God together. Thank you for all of your prayers and support.

Berlin Photo Fun!

2007-06-19T14:55:00.000-07:00

New! We hope you enjoy viewing the airport shots, steeple of the church, pictures of the food distribution on Friday, and the pictures of us painting in the church. We will send more photos tomorrow. Things are going great! Everyone is working really hard and learning to speak German. Miss you all--miss ice cubes!

Berlin Mission Trip Photo Gallery (click refresh button to view the most recent photo upload)

2007-06-19T14:47:00.001-07:00

'>http://

We have arrived in Berlin!

2007-06-16T12:49:00.000-07:00

Hello! After a long 10 hour plane ride, we arrived safely in Berlin. We "lugged" our luggage all over town finally locating the area in which we are living which is a culturally diverse area of Berlin.

Friday was our free day. Using public transportation many of us enjoyed touring the city and visiting Potsdam. Friday evening was spent working at the American Church in Berlin helping with the food distribution fellowship program. We sorted various fruits, veggies and breads to be given out to many families including Muslim, Turkish, Russian and Greek families. Many of us served as liaisons to over 70+ families as they came through the food line. We experienced one-on-one interaction where language seemed to be of no barrier. Our friend, Kamar, one of the representatives for the American Church in Berlin, explained that we were God's light and his theme song for us is "This Little Light of Mine." After serving food, we scrubbed and cleaned up including the many tomatoes that had been smashed on the floor. In this church, everything takes place in the Sanctuary - from food preparation to the food distribution fellowship meals to worship!

This Saturday morning we went to the church and helped reorganize, moving tables from one level to another level of a church - upstairs! Kamar took many of us on a tour up to the top of the steeple which is around 300 feet.

Tomorrow, Sunday, we look forward to leading in worship and taking place in the adult forum, which is like an Adult Sunday School class. We are also looking forward to sharing in a pot luck with the members of American Church in Berlin and then sharing in city tours together.

Weather is cool, beautiful and the temp is around 70 degrees.

We've already made a lasting relationship with the pizza place on the corner. They give us the low down in what we should and and should not do. We also experienced culturally diverse demonstrations with police presence and all their riot gear.

We're having a great time and feel like we've known these people forever. Keep checking this blog for updates; we were unable to upload photos to the blog at this time but hope to resolve this and will post the many beautiful photos as soon as possible. Please continue to keep us in your prayers. -Susan

Leaving Me for Germany?

2007-06-04T12:01:00.000-07:00

This is Molly, one of my Pembroke Welsh Corgis. She does NOT like it when the suitcases roll out because she knows that means I am leaving for a while. While I am gone she hides out underneath my bed. The suitcase has rolled out as I pack for the upcoming mission trip to Germany. Molly's response: "Not again!" Follow along on Vanderbilt Presbyterian's first international Mission Trip. The fun begins, June 13th. The trip is over on June 22nd. Say a prayer for the trip and one for Molly, too! I will try my best to keep everyone updated with photos and info during the week of the trip--of course that means I'm actually going to have to learn a little more about blogging!

Come Along With Us To Berlin

2007-06-01T08:44:00.000-07:00

Come With Us To Berlin Germany Our first international mission trip - to Berlin, Germany takes place this June, 2007....Come along with the Vanderbilt Presbyterian mission group through this blog! Look for updates, photos and more as we experience mission work with our sister church. We leave June 13th!
Labels: Berlin Mission Trip

What? Stepping Stones Already?

2007-05-31T08:56:00.001-07:00

This year’s Stepping Stones promises, once again, to be a wonderful time for families to come together to share in fun, fellowship and faith development. We will begin meeting again on Wednesday, September 12th with a surprise kick-off that you will not want to miss. The times are a little bit different this year to try and make it easier for you to get here without rushing around. The activities will begin promptly at 5:30 with dinner being served at 6:30. This fall we will be using the curriculum “Seasons of the Spirit” in which children explore a Bible passage through games, arts and crafts, music and drama during September and November. In October—we will be sharing together in art. The theme is “Images of Faith.” Children and youth will work with local artists, including a potter, an art teacher and others to create their own images of faith which will culminate in a dinner and art show on Sunday evening, October 28th. This fall families will have the opportunity to grow in faith together as we come together each week to learn and share together. Adults will have the opportunity to attend Bible Study, Parent Empowerment Classes, Marriage Enrichment Classes and Chats with Tom. Children’s Choir will be working on songs of faith and will be singing once a month in worship.
Middle Schoolers will be involved in Bible Study time and their own fellowship time around the ping pong table, foosball table and other games. What a wonderful addition that has been-thanks to Carolyn Upham!
Remember EVERYONE is invited to participate—nursery is available, classes begin for four year olds through adults. Dinner is open to all—so get registered now—you don’t want to miss this exciting year of Stepping Stones coming soon!

2007-05-30T17:00:00.001-07:00

Welcome to the Family Ministries & Mission blog about life, experiences, spirituality and more with Vanderbilt Presbyterian Church.

All of our Fall Activities are beginning soon for both Family Ministries and Missions. You will also find, under "Tips for Families" many helpful postings concerning all aspects of family life. Feel free to respond and ask questions! Also stay up to date with the next mission and service opportunities.

Follow along with us as we post messages, photos and updates through this blog.