Grow and Learn: The Great Green Growing Season

In Godly Play, the season of Pentecost is called The Great Green Growing Season. What a beautiful way to name the months that begin just before Summer and run through the Fall. The Great Green Growing Season carries us all the way until Advent, and while those green weeks can seem to stretch beyond our capacity for enjoying them, it takes time for things to grow.

Anyone who has planted a seed has also watched the soil for the first glimmer of a sprout. From sprout to harvest is a long journey requiring good soil, nutrients, water, and lots of sunshine. And so we water and watch and wait. We pull off caterpillars that nibble, fertilize fledgling plants, and pray for pollinators to take our blossoms from beautiful blooms to delicious produce. Sometimes we are rewarded for our work with sweet red strawberries or gloriously fat pumpkins. 

Plants are not the only thing that takes time to grow; we do too. 

And just like the seeds we plant, growing as people of faith requires intention and time. Whether you are a ministry leader or simply a person hoping to deepen your relationship with God, there are lots of opportunities to do that work in the months ahead. Below is a snapshot of some of those opportunities.

LISTEN: The Faith to Go Podcast is a weekly conversation about the Gospel. It is co-hosted by David Tremaine and me and features guests from around the country. I especially encourage you to LISTEN to this week’s episode featuring Bishop Phyllis Spiegel of the Episcopal Diocese of Utah, “Beautiful Healing.” Listen here.

DEVELOP: Godly Play Core Training will be offered again this Summer, this time at The Episcopal Church Center in Ocean Beach. Children’s Ministry leaders are invited to join the training whether or not they are currently offering Godly Play as part of their program. This three day training offers a deep dive into the spirituality of children and encourages adult participants to DEVELOP and expand their sense of Wonder. Registration is now open for the training. 

SERVE: Join Migration Missioner, Robert Vivar on June 25 for a cross-border service opportunity designed to expand hearts and help us live into the call in Matthew 25:35, “I was hungry and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me.” Limited space is available. Register here. 

CONNECT: Formation leaders are invited to spend a weekend at Camp Stevens deepening their Christian Formation tool box and CONNECTING with peers. Companions on the journey provide an opportunity to share resources and to collaborate. There will be time for rest and play too. The retreat is planned for September 29 – October 1. Registration will open in August. 

EXPAND: Pursuing racial justice and combating racism is a life-long journey all Christians are called to by virtue of our baptismal covenant. LARK (Localized Anti-Racism Knowledge) is meant as one step on that journey. LARK training was developed by the EDSD Racial Justice Task Force. Plan to EXPAND your anti-racism knowledge in October of this year.

REST: It can be exceptionally hard to prioritize rest. We live in a culture that encourages constant movement and production, and yet we know in our hearts that we need time to breathe too. As you explore the opportunities above, I also hope that you consider the ways inwhich you are invited to press pause and create room to see God moving in your life, to hear God whisper that you are beloved, and to know the expansiveness of God’s love for each of us and the world. 

Rest and grow.

And remember, even Jesus took naps.

For more information on any of the offerings listed below, contact Charlette Preslar, Director of Formation at The Episcopal Diocese of San Diego, at cpreslar@edsd.org