Creating Sacred Spaces

By June 22, 2020

Our First Church Children’s Ministry team, led by Mister Mark, has been hard at work asking questions and seeking answers. They have been polling you, our fearless parents, on what your families have been missing most during this time of physical distancing.

Most answers were the same, we miss our friends, being close with our families who don’t live with us, playing outside, but most parents answered that what their families are missing most – more than physical closeness with friends – was getting to gather in our favorite places. Specifically, our beloved worship spaces, because these are special places, they are sacred spaces.

With that newfound knowledge in his back pocket, Mister Mark got to thinking. “We still can’t safely gather together in our physical spaces, so why don’t we bring our sacred spaces home?” Introducing a new summer venture from our FUMCFW Children’s Ministry – Sacred Spaces at home. Mister Mark explains, “We know God is with us everywhere. And yet our places of worship are special. They are sacred spaces – set apart for a special purpose. Great care is taken through art, architecture, lighting, symbolism, music, and more to curate an environment where we can feel genuinely close to God. So, this is our attempt to honor all that you are going through and all that you value. There are opportunities to connect with one another, to connect with the wonder of nature, and even some ideas for creating you own sacred space at home.”

This week, our Children’s team has safely distributed well over 100 sacred spaces boxes to our First Church kiddos. Each simple brown box (what’s in the box today?) contains a few special treasures: a feather, sand dollar, magnifying glass, sea sponge, drift wood, sea shell, a prayer cross, a few special rocks and stones, a small LED tea light, and a small jar – tiny treasures your kids can use to help create their own unique sacred spaces at home. Your kids’ sacred space can be a place where they always go for family prayers, to explore new Bible stories, or where they can escape for some “alone time” with God.

Each week, on Mondays (but available anytime), Janice and Mister Mark will release a new, short video of Mister Mark explaining the week’s quiet time of reflection, a downloadable, printable version of the video explaining the week’s focus that you can practice on your own time with your whole family. Each experience is designed to be simple, prayerful, and meaningful.

And parents, this doesn’t have to be just for the kids. We at FUMCFW think this is a great practice for us grown-ups to get into as well! Find yourself a small corner, dark closet, or quiet space in your yard to light a candle, sit, reflect, and listen to the holiness that is all around.

Though this time apart has been difficult, it has certainly brought about unexpected gifts and exciting opportunities. This time of family togetherness, connection to nature, and plenty of time at home can provide us all time to reflect, bring us closer together, and bring us closer to God.

If you would like to know more about Sacred Spaces, click here, or email Janice Cooper at jcooper@myfumc.org.