Youngchurch
Buddies are a blessing I
t started with a study. Kim Wilson, an ELCA pastor, read research indicating that children are more
likely to be involved and stay active in the church if people there— besides family—know them and call them by their first name. With that piece of information, Wilson created Blessing Buddies to build intergen- erational relationships between Sun- day school students and older adults. “We’re only in worship for an hour on Sunday mornings. We don’t get the chance to deepen the relationships then,” said Wilson, who began pairing Sunday school students with active adults in her former congregation, Bethlehem Lutheran, Baldwin, N.Y. The idea was that kids would know someone else in church who would greet them by name. It was also valuable for children who don’t live close to their grandparents and extended families.
The program made such an
impact that Wilson started it at the congregations she now serves, Our Savior Lutheran, Glen Head, N.Y. A mailing goes out each fall,
Send stories of your youth group (pre- school-confirmation age) to: Andrea Pohlmann Kulik , 8765 W. Higgins Rd., Chicago IL 60631; andrea.pohlmann@
thelutheran.org.
inviting Sunday school students to participate. The Blessing Buddies have two events a year that serve as get-to-know you gatherings. Buddies may make scrapbooks for each other, sharing pictures of themselves, their favorite hob- bies, their pets, their houses. Or the Bud- dies may team up for a scavenger hunt in the church, finishing the event with prizes and refreshments. Most of the supplies and treats are donated, so the costs are minimal. As part of the
40 The Lutheran •
www.thelutheran.org
For its Blessing Buddies program, Our Savior Lutheran Church, Glen Head, N.Y., pairs a child with an adult to build intergenerational relationships. John Kinsedahl (left), Thomas Cooke, Todd Sorensen and Jason Basile paint photo ornaments at a December event. Participants were asked to exchange their creations and pray for their Buddy every time they saw the ornament on their Christmas tree.
covenant, the adults are asked to pray for their young Buddies and keep in touch once a month. They may send a birthday card, give a small Halloween treat, send something homemade or write a note. The focus is on exchanging thoughtful—not expensive—gifts. The coordinator makes an effort to pair Blessing Buddies who share simi-
lar interests—a retired pilot with a young boy who has a passion for planes, for instance. But often the rewards come from learning about each other’s differences.
As for the adults, many report being uplifted by their younger Buddy’s instinctive and trusting faith. A challenge can be when the older Buddies die. While it was usually a young Buddy’s first experience with death, “it wasn’t traumatic,” Wilson said. Although it was someone they knew and love, “to experience death in the context of faith built hope and was faith-affirming,” she added. The young Buddies age out of the program when they begin confirmation. Some students find this upsetting, but they are reassured that the relation- ships endure—the friendships are for life. “It’s amazing the things that come out of it,” Wilson said. “It’s missional—it’s like throwing a stone in the water. It ripples out and you don’t know how.” M
Sarah Gioe
Gioe is director of communication and interpretation for the Metropolitan New York Synod. A ver- sion of this article first appeared in the synod e-newsletter.
For more information, contact Kim Wilson at
pastorkimwilson@optonline.net.
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