Hey LNPC!
 
I am part of the Creative Team for a 4-year, Lilly-funded project Youthfront is doing called "Presence-Centered Parenting," to empower parents and grandparents in faith formation with their kids.  It involves things like designing day camp curriculum that has take-home components for families, involving grandparents in camp, creating support groups for parents, and offering training, support and resources to church leaders.

Most of this is happening in the Kansas City area where Youthfront's ministry is centered. My role is largely in the brainstorming and writing parts of the work, but I also lead workshops and get to collaborate and learn from really creative, gifted leaders in ways that circle back and impact my own leadership at LNPC.  We just has our one year check-in gathering last week (some of us pictured above, including dog, Chili), and it was really cool to see how LNPC's own attentiveness to resonance is shaping that project, and vice versa.

I want to share with you the YF Family blog. It has lots of great articles, and their app is fantastic - with helpful resources and links.

Posts include things like:
Intentional Summer: Making the Most of Your Days
Everyday Outside: Making Time Outside Part of your Summer Rhythm 
Discovering Holy Moments: Rituals for Families
Perfect Parenting: What it really means to "get it right"
You are the Equipment

Two articles I have written for the project are here:
 A Call to Just Be
Set-Apart Space: The Practice of Retreating With Kids

I'm excited to share more with you down the road as the project unfolds!
Kara

Look at this empty room!
The Swedish Death Cleaners have been hard at work!

The Hub is now filled with more treasures!

Through July, come take whatever you'd like!

Erin has assembled another winner!
​
Check out the summer 2023 playlist - and all our playlists!

This Quarter's Waffle Worship:

Sunday, July 30, 10 am
Potluck Brunch Patio Picnic
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Paradoxically, NO WAFFLES THIS MONTH -
BRING A BRUNCHY FOOD OR BEVERAGE TO SHARE! 
(Coffee and water provided).

This Month's Theme: Listening, Sharing, Praying.
Sometimes done as "sharing highs and lows" or "What are you grateful for? What are you sad, worried or angry about?" or "Rose, Bud, Thorn," checking in with one another, listening with care, and lifting each other up in prayer are essential ways we live in the Way of God, and practice being church together.

Come enjoy a morning of singing, scripture, sharing, listening, praying, playing and enjoy brunch together on this summery Sunday morning.  

5th Sundays are a time of connection and learning for all ages, practicing belonging to God and each other, and exploring together aspects of our Christian faith and practice. (like Sunday school for all ages!)

The All-Church Book-Read plan is set for 3 Weeks in October,
In-person and zoom.

LNPC Discussion
Week 1: October 11, 7-8:30 pm. Discussing Chapters 1-4. 
Week 2: October 18, 7-8:30 pm. Discussing Chapters 5-8. 

Presbytery Event:
Week 3: October 25, 5:30-8:30 pm. Dinner, Presentation by Andy Root and Conversation. will include zoom (except for the delicious food, can't share that via zoom. Sorry, Kelly and Linda).

Feel free to read ahead! 
Pick up your book in the gathering room, optional donation $15 (pay online or leave check for Krysta in the office).

This is going to be fun!

This summer we are aiming to have a regular time slot, probably Wednesdays 12-3 pm, beginning next week, July 19 through August 30.  (We'll confirm this weekend, July 16).

If you would like to participate but are not available Wednesdays, or if there are some Saturdays you'd love to pitch in, please let Kara know so she can put them on the calendar and invite others!

FYI - Swedish Death Cleaning is our purging and organizing project to revamp our space and ready it for the this congregation in this time to use well.

From Kara

The year is halfway over. Let's check in on our star words we got in January.

My star word was "music" - which,  to be honest, I was pretty disappointed about. After having   "stillness" (2022), "determination" (2021-pandemic time!) and before that, "listen," MUSIC felt too concrete. It didn't inspire me or seem to fit anything I was experiencing at the moment. But here's what's happening as I live with that word and a sense of openness and receptivity to God: I keep finding myself stepping into music in ways I never have before. And music keeps finding me.

I have always loved talking in front of people and been a tiny bit terrified to sing in front of people. But here I go, apparently. Last week in Berlin, without Erin (!), I led the singing part of devotions with a group of people in the Bonhoeffer house, drawing on things I've learned from Erin, (like how to break up a song to teach it line by line).  This is the second time this year that leading singing has been part of my leading something with a group of people I've just met.  And Maisy is inviting me to learn the ukulele. 

Turns out, I am also more attuned to the music around me, attentive to how music is holding people up. This week included organ grinders with stuffed monkeys cheerfully parked on a sidewalk in Berlin, DJs and dancers blasting beats at the Pride festival in Munich, a solo violinist on the banks of the Spree in Berlin whose tones echoed off the tall, glass modern buildings across the river and reverberated back like he was playing in a spectacular concert hall.  People slowed their walking to match his melody.  A Chopin concert at a small salon in Warsaw, the pianist's fingers moving at lightning speed across the keys making one instrument sound like a half dozen, sitting with my son who has recently mastered a Chopin piece himself, watching him marvel at her skill and wondering where the music inside him will take him in the coming months.

That's to say nothing of the bike wheels of five hundred happy sunset bikers whirring by, the early morning bird concert shouting through wide open windows, the church bells tolling together all over the rooftops of Vienna, the sing-song voice announcing the next stop on the s-bahn to the screeching of metal brakes and the whoosh of opening and closing doors, our suitcases rolling over cobble stones, bumping up and down through the cracks before the sun is even up and we're the only people on the street, the cheerful clip-clop of horse hooves passing by as tourists take in a city from a bench of a carriage, the drawn-out, mournful tones of an organ being tuned in a 16th century cathedral.
 
When I sat down to write this, I hadn't thought of any of the rest of that. I only meant to tell you that I led music this week. Ha!  So, there. What a gift music is. How our lives are filled with music! And what a great star word I got this year!  

Who knows how God will meet you through your star word?
(PS - it's not about the word, really. Any word will do. It's the receptivity and prayerfulness to being met by God. It's the willingness to notice, and the availability to being met. So, if you didn't get a word - pick a word, any word! Or call me and I'll give you one! Then let that word be a prayer for you the rest of 2023.)

Here are this year's star words, in case you've forgotten yours: 
Chris M. - Laughter
Andrew M - Solitude
Jen M - Adventure
Robert M - Speech
Kate T.- Calling
Mackenzie T. - Listening
Kara R. - Music
Andy R. - Wonder
Owen R. - Depth
Maisy R. - Nature
Gary J. - Cheer
Sheila K. - Glory
Lisa L. - Humility
Sue G. - Memory
Butch - Support
Georgia - Sustain
Linda L - Discovery
Sue H. - Stillness
Luci F.- Creativity
Rachel F.- Path
Kristen J.- Softness
Billy J.- Family
Rosalie T.- Love
Andrea D.- Splendor
Helen T.- Choice
Ian T.- Integrity
Erin D.- Possibility
Jason D. - Joy
Ellis D.- Heart
Edie D.- Spirit
Linda D - Thankful
Wendy FM - Rest
Erik FM- Passion
David M.- Delight
Coraline M.- Instruction
Jim B.- Devotion
Evan B. - Peace
Katelynn B. - Help
Amy L.- Miracle
Soren L.- Insight
Svea L. - Prescence
Sig L.- Courage
Joyce T- Hope
Diane H- Fun
Lisa J. – Yearning 
Kathy B - Assurance
Charlotte D - Kindness
Larry D- Faith
Barb D - Tranquility
Lee S - Complete
Jonathan D - Exuberance
Brittany D - Amazement
Laurel D- Honor
Rowen D - Mystery
Mike F - Interest
Catie SD - Open
Terry G - Prayer
Dick G - Work
Scott H- Content
Sherri H- Affection
Grand D - Life
Alan I - Awe
Aleta I- Holy
Kathy E- Abundance
Betty J - Will
Raewyn K - Curiosity
Alice W- Daring
Gene L- Promise
Marilyn L - Caring
Theresa L - Beloved
Eleanor L - Beauty
Brian R - Bliss
Ava R- Trust
Kelly S - Pardon
Callie V - Newness
Michelle V - Melody
Vincent HV- Confidence
Minnie V- Blessing
Nick V- Comfort
Ethan V - Order
Tucker V- Journey
Oliver V - Belief
Eva W- Counsel
Bill W- Practice
Erica W - Prepare