Together Again

Hello everyone, my name is Myra Ghabrial. I am the Director of the Children’s Ministry and have been running the Sunday School since 1987. I have been the Preschool Director at Rolling Hills United Methodist Church Preschool (“RHUMPS”) since 1985. 
 
Working with children is just so rewarding. I genuinely love what I do and have made it my life’s work. My daughter Shareen gave me a children’s book by Kitty O’Meara that taught of life’s changes during the Pandemic – “And the People Stayed Home.” In essence it read: 

And they listened, they read books, they rested, they exercised,
they made art, and played games, and learned new ways of being, 
and were still.
 
And they listened more deeply. Some meditated, some prayed, some danced.
Some met their shadows. And the people began to think differently.
And the people healed.
 
And in the absence of people living in ignorant, dangerous, and heartless ways, 
the earth began to heal. And when the danger passed, 
and the people joined together again, they grieved their losses,
and made new choices, and dreamed new images,
and created new ways to live and heal the earth fully as they had been healed.

 
A beautiful book. All of it true.
 
When the Pandemic started, churches were no longer meeting in person. It was important to me to stay connected with the Sunday School children. I contacted Shannon Ebers and Allison Schmitz. We held a masked and socially distanced meeting and assembled packages for the next six weeks. And then another six weeks. And another. And … Some were mailed. Some hand delivered. 
 
The curriculum ended in June, but we were still locked down. We held a virtual Vacation Bible Camp. We set up drive-through arts and crafts. Enter from one way, exit from the next. Families were greeted music and pom-poms, and they exited with their supplies for the projects to be continued at home. 
 
Home. So many of us were home. 
 
We still stayed in touch. We Zoomed and we emailed. New worksheets and activities were emailed every week. New pets were shared in video chats. We saw their finished crafts. Allison kept the kids “Movin’ N Groovin.’ And the third graders still received their Bibles in June (their life-long companions). 
 
One last in-person Sunday School session had been on March 8, 2020. Fifteen long months later, we welcomed the children back on June 6, 2021. They had all grown so much, were a grade higher, had so much to share. 
 
Fifteen months.
 
Vacation Bible Camp is upon us again, running from June 28th through July 2nd. We will be ending the week with our famous waterslide. The five Mommy and Me sessions will begin on July 13th and end August 10th. Kids’ Night Out will resume in September, along with a picnic and another waterslide. 
 
Thank you for sharing your children with us.
Thank you for staying connected to us.
“Together Again” is the theme of this year’s Vacation Bible Camp.
 
I cannot think of a better name.
Children, I am so looking forward to seeing you!

Myra Ghabrial
Director of Children’s Ministry

This article appeared in the Wave on June 30, 2021