I believe the children are our future
Teach them well and let them lead the way
Show them all the beauty they possess inside
Give them a sense of pride to make it easier
Let the children’s laughter
Remind us how we used to be.

Dear Westwood Family,

I am a child of the late ‘80s and ‘90s, and like most children of this era, I had to sing Whitney Houston’s 1985 hit, Greatest Love of All, countless times. Church, school, and all City Choir; every adult responsible for helping to form young children wanted you to know they believed the children were the future. While I am sure some part of me appreciated the sentiment, most of my feelings about it were frustration (not about the song; Whitney is a Queen). I didn’t want to be the future; I wanted my thoughts, opinions, and needs to matter in the present moment as well.

It is difficult to strike a balance between creating a Sunday School environment that prioritizes spiritual growth for who our children will become and one that nurtures their faith so they can live it out today. This is the approach our pastoral team takes, and I frequently see its fruits in my conversations with Isaiah. I wanted to share some of what he has learned in Westwood Kids with you all. The remainder of this note is my “edited transcript” of the conversation Isaiah and I had about Sunday School.

My name is Isaiah, and I am in second grade. When I started Sunday school, I was nervous, but now I really like it. My most favorite part is that I get to see my friends, Dante and Ansel. I also like the teachers; Ms. Fozieh is my favorite, but I like all the teachers. I love to listen to the Godly Play stories because we sit on the rug and hear a story. Sometimes I lie down on the rug because I like to relax. After we listen to the story, we think about the story. I try to remember what we talked about because my Dad will ask me. Sometimes I remember, sometimes I don’t. My favorite stories are Christmas stories because Christmas is the best.

What I have learned in Sunday school is that you should be kind to people because we treat other people the way we want to be treated. We also learn about Jesus and how we should help people like he did, and about how much God loves us. I really like when we light a candle during prayer, and when we blow it out, we say that God is in the smoke. When we light a candle at home, I always blow it out and say that God is in the smoke.

God is the light that helps us to see; God is the smoke that surrounds us in darkness; God is always with us.

Love & Solidarity,
Rev. Dr. Carter & Isaiah Carter