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Leaning into the Mess this Advent
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This year our family did something new when it came to decorating for Christmas....
By Kelly Tancredi, Director of Family Ministries at Liberty Corner Church, Liberty Corner, NJ
Liberty Corner Presbyterian in Liberty Corner, NJ, welcomed Christian children’s author Laura Sassi to share her latest book, Faithful Feet, with the children and parents during Joyful Noise on May 5th.
Laura, a Covenant Partner and Deacon at New Providence Presbyterian, regularly visits Joyful Noise to share her books with the children and their parents/caregivers.
As the children arrived, they were able to make memorable keepsakes of their own “faithful feet” using baby powder and hairspray (who knew?!?). Once their feet smelled even better than when they walked in, the crowd settled in to hear Laura read her book, based on Isaiah 52:7.
Following the book, the children were delighted to join in parachute fun when they were reminded that Jesus loves them “every color, shape, and size. ” The colors on the parachute pointed to God’s creation of apples, trees, the sun, and seas.
The fun continued with a curated collection of “feet-themed” songs honoring Laura’s book. They praised the Lord from head to toe, jumped around, stomped their feet, and balanced on beams as they were reminded to walk closer to Jesus.
Joyful Noise meets weekly in sessions throughout the school year. It is co-led by Lorie Acciarito, a Covenant Partner and Deacon at nearby New Providence Presbyterian, and Jan Schlenker, Elder and current Deacon with Liberty Corner.
Kelly Tancredi, Director of Family Ministries at Liberty Corner, reflects, “Joyful Noise allows us to nurture the faith of very young children alongside their parents/caregivers, reinforcing the church-home connection. We hear from families regularly how they sing the songs at home, and we have our own playlist on Spotify, so these songs, filled with scripture and Truth, are part of the soundtracks of these families’ lives. It is so encouraging to see the Lord’s faithfulness to this ministry; with the arrival of Gen Beta this year, Joyful Noise (which first launched in 2002), now spans three generations!”
“Joyful Noise is delightful,” shares Rev. Dr. Barnabas Sprinkle, Lead Pastor at Liberty Corner. “I never know what I will see weekly when I stop by to say hello. Sometimes they are building the walls of Jericho with cardboard bricks, other times they lift their praises (balloons) to God with flyswatters. My favorite thing is when the room is dark; they each have candles and let their little lights shine. There is always such joy and excitement bubbling up (literally and figuratively) at Joyful Noise that you cannot help but smile. This ministry is an excellent outreach to the families of our Christian daycare (The Children’s Corner) and is a fun way to engage the families in our community.”
It is always exciting to highlight how the Lord works through our ECO churches to further His kingdom here on earth. Have a story to share? Send it to beth@eco-pres.org.
“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,” Hebrews 10:24
