Children's Spirituality Summit 2024

"My story: In 2021, I lost both of my parents suddenly to Covid within 10 days. As a worship leader and pastor in the midst of my own grief, I was struck with how little room our faith communities provided for grief, let alone a framework and language for offering Christian lament. Even further, I watched, as my four children, grieving the loss of both of their grandparents, often felt ignored by older generations; they had little resources, let alone language for developing their own spiritual practice of lament. Interestingly, I found my children were often the ones leading me in the rhythms and practices of daily lament. Learning about and practicing lament together became and continues to be a powerful, healing practice for my whole family and our entire faith community.

Proposed Workshop Content:
Children, like adults, experience loss, trauma, transition. Like us, they encounter deep disappointments and grief, sometimes even the loss of a family member, or friend, or a special pet. Like us, children often inhabit the liminal spaces of waiting, disappointment, illness, moving, divorce, and so much more. Children live in a world full of bullying, violence, racial injustice, poverty, and discrimination. But are children permitted and empowered to offer their own lament to God? Do children know that they can approach God honestly with their pain and confusion? Do our children realize that God invites us to practice daily rhythms and rituals that allow us to lament? Even further, do children know that they can lament with their faith community—that lament is not only for adults? How do we make space for children to engage in the spiritual practice of lament in our worship and in daily life?

This workshop aims to answer these questions by providing the following:
• a brief theology of lament as a spiritual practice for worship and daily life that enables us to approach God and community with honesty, vulnerability, and authenticity
• an exploration of how we might make room for lament in our faith communities and at home
• new language to aid us in practicing lament with children utilizing the Psalms of lament and biblical examples (Job, David, Hannah, Jesus)
• practical resources drawing from culturally diverse faith communities and experts in this field to facilitate and create practices of lament through rhythms and rituals, including invaluable input through recent interviews from the following specialists:

o Amy F. Davis Abdallah – author of Meaning in the Moment: How Rituals Help Us Move Through Joy, Pain, and Everything in Between
o Ann Ahrens – author of Suffering, Soul Care, and Community: The Place of Lament in Corporate Worship
o Holly Catterton Allen – author of Forming Resilient Children: The Role of Spiritual Formation for Healthy Development and researcher on children’s spirituality.
o Terra McDaniel – author of Hopeful Lament: Tending Our Grief Through Spiritual Practices and spiritual director for children
o Rachel Wilhelm – composer of Songs of Lament and a major voice on the topic of lament in worship
"My story: In 2021, I lost both of my parents suddenly to Covid within 10 days. As a worship leader and pastor in the midst of my own grief, I was struck with how little room our faith communities provided for grief, let alone a framework and language for offering Christian lament. Even further, I watched, as my four children, grieving the loss of both of their grandparents, often felt ignored by older generations; they had little resources, let alone language for developing their own spiritual practice of lament. Interestingly, I found my children were often the ones leading me in the rhythms and practices of daily lament. Learning about and practicing lament together became and continues to be a powerful, healing practice for my whole family and our entire faith community.

Proposed Workshop Content:
Children, like adults, experience loss, trauma, transition. Like us, they encounter deep disappointments and grief, sometimes even the loss of a family member, or friend, or a special pet. Like us, children often inhabit the liminal spaces of waiting, disappointment, illness, moving, divorce, and so much more. Children live in a world full of bullying, violence, racial injustice, poverty, and discrimination. But are children permitted and empowered to offer their own lament to God? Do children know that they can approach God honestly with their pain and confusion? Do our children realize that God invites us to practice daily rhythms and rituals that allow us to lament? Even further, do children know that they can lament with their faith community—that lament is not only for adults? How do we make space for children to engage in the spiritual practice of lament in our worship and in daily life?

This workshop aims to answer these questions by providing the following:
• a brief theology of lament as a spiritual practice for worship and daily life that enables us to approach God and community with honesty, vulnerability, and authenticity
• an exploration of how we might make room for lament in our faith communities and at home
• new language to aid us in practicing lament with children utilizing the Psalms of lament and biblical examples (Job, David, Hannah, Jesus)
• practical resources drawing from culturally diverse faith communities and experts in this field to facilitate and create practices of lament through rhythms and rituals, including invaluable input through recent interviews from the following specialists:

o Amy F. Davis Abdallah – author of Meaning in the Moment: How Rituals Help Us Move Through Joy, Pain, and Everything in Between
o Ann Ahrens – author of Suffering, Soul Care, and Community: The Place of Lament in Corporate Worship
o Holly Catterton Allen – author of Forming Resilient Children: The Role of Spiritual Formation for Healthy Development and researcher on children’s spirituality.
o Terra McDaniel – author of Hopeful Lament: Tending Our Grief Through Spiritual Practices and spiritual director for children
o Rachel Wilhelm – composer of Songs of Lament and a major voice on the topic of lament in worship
"