The headline may be a little misleading. I won’t be pontificating about that issue per se, but instead I’m reprinting a blog post from my kids’ school. I, along with three of Urban Village’s musicians, led a worship service there a couple weeks ago (one of the advantages of having them go to a Catholic school!) to give the kids a sense of what a Protestant/United Methodist service would be like. It was a great experience with lots of great questions.
Guest Speakers Visit the 5th Grade!
The past two weeks have brought the 5th grade students the gift of two amazing guest speakers: Reverend Chris Coon and Father Tom Hurley. Rev. Coon, who co-pastors the Methodist Urban Village Church of Chicago, is father of Caroline and has participated in several of our Shooting Stars prayer services. Reverend Coon’s congregation, www.newchicagochurch.com, now has three locations in the city: south loop (at the Spertus Institute), Wicker Park, and Andersonville. In an engaging presentation, Rev. Coon explained to all of us how similar the Methodist worship ceremony is to that of the Catholic tradition (and other Christian denominations). In his wonderfully warm manner, he commented upon the scriptures of the day and presented many special aspects to the Methodist worship service. He urged the students to live out the teachings of their own faiths in compassionate and inclusive ways. The talented musicians who accompanied him from Urban Village Church had the children on their feet with engaging song. A most touching part of the presentation was when Jalia and Caroline gave their “testimony” as to why going to church is so meaningful for them. What a terrific learning experience for all!
This past Friday, Fr. Tom Hurley, pastor of Old St. Patrick’s, visited the 5th grade–and the students were delighted to see their ”old” friend, Fr. Tom! Excited to learn about Rev. Coon’s visit, he listened with great interest to the students’ reflections about what they had learned about a Methodist/Protestant service. Fr. Hurley was further impressed with the 5th graders’ insightful questions not only about the Catholic faith but also about the commonaltiies between the Christian faith traditions. He answered many of the students’ questions regarding the changes in the Catholic liturgy and the role that he plays as both priest and pastor.
We are so grateful to have such strong faith leadership in the FXW community. We urge our families to find the place of worship that feels right for your family and to attend as regularly as possible.Thanks for nurturing your child’s faith journey!