Two months out A tradition of biblical proportions
W
hen Katelyn Beenken was beginning third grade, her parents stood with her in front of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Forest City, Iowa, and placed
a Bible in her hands. That Bible, her first, was a gift from the church and her parents’ fulfillment of a vow they made at her baptism. Decades before, her mother stood in nearly the identical spot to receive her own Bible. It’s a tradition that is upheld in many ELCA congrega-
tions. At Immanuel, longtime members believe their tradi- tion goes back to the late 1960s. “That Sunday brought back so many feelings for me,” said
Emily Beenken, who still has the Bible she received in 1987. “I wasn’t prepared for the emotion that swept over me when presenting Katelyn hers.” Beenken said Katelyn, now a fifth-grader, faithfully car-
ries her Bible to Sunday school each week. Now younger brother Jacob is eager to do the same. He and Immanuel’s other new third-graders will receive Bibles from their par- ents on Rally Day in September. Jill Miller anticipates feeling nostalgic this year. Her
youngest, Aubrey, will receive her Bible after years of watch- ing older brothers Zachary, now a sophomore, and Noah, a new seventh-grader, faithfully use the versions they received when they were their sister’s age.
Good one! Writing letters to veterans
Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church, Barnegat Light, N.J., wrote thank you letters to veterans last year on “God’s work. Our hands.” Sunday. Jeff Miller said the congregation got the idea from an issue of The Lutheran and it was a perfect fit for their tiny fishing/vacation village on Long Beach Island. The letters were hand delivered to the Philadelphia VA Medical Center’s long-term care facility in time for Veterans Day. “Faith in action doesn’t have to be big and bold,” Miller said. Sept. 13 is this year’s “God’s work. Our hands.”
Sunday, a day dedicated for service in ELCA con- gregations (
www.elca.org/dayofservice).
Promise When parents place in their child’s hand the Scriptures, say: “I prom- ised that one day I would give you your own Bible to study and know. Today is that day. This Bible is yours. Read it often. Study it well. Learn of God’s love.”
With her mother Emily Beenken, Katelyn re-creates the significant moment of her Bible presentation. Brother Jacob receives his this year.
“As youngest, Aubrey has been waiting and wondering,
‘When will I get mine?’ ” said Miller, who appreciates how the church’s curriculum is tailored to the version of the Bible chosen for the third-grade class each year. “Noah has used all the stickers that came with his Bible,”
said Miller, showing how he marked or starred his favorite verses. He also noted how a particular verse made him feel or what a passage has left him to wonder. For Tori Eastvold, the children’s education director at
Immanuel, the Rally Day Bible presentation is a decades-old tradition steeped with meaning. “It’s an anticipated mile- stone in the lives of our young early readers and a way for their parents and home congregation to help them feel sup- ported on their faith journeys,” she said. “You can sense the excitement of the children as they receive their own Bibles.” Older siblings may even provide special support, such as
this advice from Katelyn: “Be careful with the pages. They are very thin.”
By Joy Newcom, a writer in Iowa and former chair of The Lutheran’s advisory committee.
Send congregational stories—those for a specific month/holiday or your best timeless idea—to
julie.sevig@
thelutheran.org.
42
www.thelutheran.org
DANA YOST
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52