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River Families Blog

Praying with our children

2/16/2021

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​One of the biggest seasons in the church Calendar is coming up! Sunday, Feb 21 is the first Sunday of Lent or the 40 Days of Faith, as we call it at the River. It is the time when we, as a church, press into our spiritual lives and prepare for a big celebration on “Resurrection Sunday” which falls on April 4 this year.

This year’s Riverkids/Youth theme is “Ways to pray”. It has always been my desire to create room for our children to recognize God’s presence in their life and respond to this recognition. One of my earliest memories about prayer happened when I was 6 years old. I was woken up one night by my sister’s cry. She had a nightmare. My dad came into our bedroom and led us in prayer. His response to our fear that night stayed with me throughout the years, even during my skeptical times. 

Author Lacy Finn Borgo of "Spiritual Conversations with Children" believes that our spiritual life and relationship with God cannot be separated from our childhood experiences. When children have listening and prayer companions, whether that would be parents, siblings, or friends in the community, who hear, acknowledge, and encourage their early experiences with God, it creates a spiritual footprint that shapes their lives. So, for this reason, I would like to invite our families to embrace this season together with the community - Here are just a few ways to engage: 
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  • Attend our Sunday Zoom services @11.00am (and Riverkids @11:40am): 
    Attending regularly during this season will help everyone in the family immerse themselves in the spirit of the season. Join the breakout rooms after the sermon to catch up, support, and pray with others in the community.


  • Pray together using the “40 Days Prayer Chain”: Share your prayer requests in the Google doc and pray for other River-ites. Simply reading and agreeing with these requests counts as a powerful prayer!

  • Check out one of the midweek Zoom Life Groups: We have many groups running including one especially dedicated to “40 Days of Faith.” For more information email alison@rivernyc.org.

  • Have spiritual conversation with your children. Spiritual conversation does not always come natural or easy, so we create wondering questions after every story to help grown-ups and children have meaningful conversation together. Please check out our YouTube playlist weekly for stories & suggested questions.

  • Bonus Fun: It is a tradition at the River to make prayer bracelets to help us remember to pray daily and intentionally. This year we are mailing the bracelets to you, so be on the lookout! If your address has changed recently or you have not received yours in the next week, please email me at amelia@rivernyc.org. 

And as always, I am always up for connecting with you and your family, so if you have any questions or concerns, or just want to chat 1-on-1, please do not hesitate to contact me. I would love to hear from you!
Looking forward to an exciting season with your family. 


Amelia Cunard | RiverKids Director
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Celebrating advent with your family

11/25/2020

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Hi River families! Join us this Sunday on Zoom as we kick off the first day of Advent. We have some exciting things planned including a new sermon series and weekly meditation for all (Available on the River blog & RiverNYC App). We invite adults, youth, and children to respond in ways that they see fit: 
  • Journaling in response to the weekly/daily reflection questions and words. 
  • Drawing reflectively using one of these templates from Praying in Color.
  • Responding to the daily blog post with a comment and/or sharing your pictures/words on social media using #RiverAdvent2020! 
Many of you have probably received the “Family Activity Bag” that we mailed this week. Set aside time weekly (or whenever works best for your family) to pick a disk from the bag and enjoy doing the selected activity together! If your address has changed or you would like us to resend it, please do not hesitate to contact amelia@rivernyc.org. Wishing you and your families many joyful memories this season!
Amelia Cunard
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Staying Connected Through the Holidays & Advent

11/18/2020

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For many families, this year has turned out much differently than expected. We are faced with uncertainty in so many different aspects of our lives. As the holiday season draws closer, traditions may change and events may continue to unfold in unpredictable ways.

Dr. Ann-Louise Lockhart, a pediatric psychologist and parent coach, explains that we can help our children cope with uncertainty by accepting that uncomfortable feelings are not "bad" and do not need to be avoided. Recently, I had to break some difficult news to my son. Typically, in anticipation of his reaction, I would point out some silver lining with the hope that it would lessen his pain (and possibly mine too). However, I've realized that this often only leads to protests and arguments that neither me nor my son actually enjoy participating in. In her recent sermon, Alison Noll, our Assistant Pastor, reminded me of Romans 12:15: "Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn."  So, that day I decided to just sit with my son and make myself available for chats. It seems to me that staying engaged with emotions is not only helpful, but could make the difference between thriving and just getting by. 
To help us move through the variety of uncertainties, while welcoming this festive season, here are some practical suggestions for families:
  • Get inspired and celebrate the holidays in new ways. Thanksgiving and Christmas are probably the most family-oriented holidays of the year. Though they may be more distant than social this year, we can still be thankful for the traditional parades and lighting ceremonies that are becoming virtual this year. For an even more celebratory November, check out this list of outdoor and virtual events, ice skating rinks, and Christmas train rides in and around NYC. 

  • Learn tips for hard conversations. Learning how to communicate with shared humanity and boundaries in mind could help ease some tensions as we meet with families and relatives in this politically charged year of 2020. Check out these tips from The Gottman Institute.

  • Attend our Sunday Zoom Service, RiverKids & RiverYouth Gatherings, and Lifegroups. Sharing time together and staying connected has always mattered, but can be even more critical in these times. These are great ways to experience community and solidarity. For our past sermons and messages, check out our YouTube channel. 

  • Be on the lookout for our Advent reflection guide and gift. We have some exciting things planned for Advent including a new sermon series, weekly mediations for all, and fun activities for families. Traditions and rituals can help us to process our feelings through the creation of memories and shared meaning. So, in the following weeks we will be mailing our families a special "gift" that you can incorporate in your Advent rituals this year. If your address has changed or you would like us to resend it, please do not hesitate to contact amelia@rivernyc.org.

As always, I am always up for connecting with you and your family, so if you have any questions or concerns, or just want to chat 1-on-1, please do not hesitate to contact me. I would love to hear from you!

Amelia Cunard | RiverKids Director
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Keeping it cool this summer

7/22/2020

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Dear River Families,
How is the summer treating you so far? After months of remote learning and quarantine, I and the kids very much welcome the change of pace and routines. However, summer is long and hot, and this one comes in the middle of a pandemic. So, before the thought of needing to keep my kids positively engaged and consistently enriched throughout the summer starts to overwhelm me, I am reminding myself that God cares for our children, and my inadequacy will not deter His/Her good plan for them. 
Meanwhile having fun is just as important as self-improvement! So I have gathered some resources that I hope can take the edge off a little bit for all of us parents this season:

 
Going Outdoors
  • Take a dip and swim in lakes near NYC
  • Visit reopened beaches hours from NYC
  • Ride a bike and tour NYC (a list of bike & gear rentals)
  • Tour NYC favorite playgrounds
  • If you have access to an outdoor space: Go backyard camping, grow your own food,  enjoy Science & Water experiments,  or play social distancing games with friends & neighbors
 Virtual camps/classes and Indoor activities
  • Outschool is a great resource for finding the appropriate online class for children of any age, interest, and starting date. 
  • A list of virtual summer camps offered by local (or NYC) organizations
  • Free virtual summer camps worth checking out. 
  • A list of indoor/rainy day activities

I Would Love to Connect With You!
 
Sometimes the hardest thing for me is not finding things to do, but gathering the energy to do them, especially after our routines are being turned upside down due to the pandemic. I find connecting with other people gives me just enough accountability to stay engaged and motivated. So, if you are feeling like you could use a 1-on-1 connection with a fellow parent during this interesting time, please email me. We can either chat online or outside. 

As always, please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
Happy Summer!

Amelia Cunard | Riverkids Director
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40 Days of Faith is here!

2/26/2020

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One of the big seasons in the Church calendar is coming up! This Sunday is the first Sunday of Lent or, as we call it at the River, “40 Days of Faith”. 
The theme for RiverKids/RiverYouth this year is “Different Ways to Pray”. During the next six weeks, we will follow the story of Jesus' life in order to learn AND practice different ways of talking with God. This Sunday we are going to kick off the season by making a prayer bracelet together as a reminder to pray everyday. We will decide what we would like to ask Jesus for ourselves and others. 

Want to draw closer to God through this season? Here are our recommendations:
  • Come on Sunday! Attending regularly during this season will help everyone in the family immerse themselves in the spirit of the season. This first Sunday we are going to introduce our theme and explain the exciting things we have planned. 

  • Join our online discussion: Each weekday we will post a short passage from Psalms along with a brief reflection from various members of the River community on the River Blog. We invite you to READ & RESPOND with a comment -- to reflect together as a community, deepen our conversation, and let the writer know that you read their post. 

  • Follow us! If you haven't already, please download our RiverApp. You can use it to listen to our sermons, check out the Riverkids Story of the Week, learn about Lifegroups, see the Volunteer Schedule and give online. You can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter for more news and updates. 

  • Bonus Fun this Sunday, March 1: We'll have a table on the 13th floor for adults so you can make a prayer bracelet for yourselves too!

I'm looking forward to an exciting season with you and your family!
 
Amelia Cunard | Riverkids Director
p.s.  don't forget you can drop off your kids as early as 10:15AM on Sundays
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  • Home
  • About
    • What We’re About
    • What We Believe
    • LGBTQ Inclusion
    • Member Stories >
      • Watch Member Videos
      • Read Faith Stories
    • Pastor Perspectives
    • How We Started
    • Meet Our Staff
  • Virtual Church
    • Virtual Experience
    • What to Expect
    • Get Plugged In
    • Kids, Youth, & Families
  • Connect
    • Contact A Pastor
    • Listen to a Sermon
    • Watch A Sermon
    • Happening This Month
    • Take a Class
    • Try a Lifegroup
    • Join a Sunday Team
    • Serve People In Need
    • Calendar
  • Our Blogs
    • The River Blog
    • Families Blog
  • Give