Page 16 - Final Annual Report 2020

Welcome Back Meeting: We had the Cookie Monstah truck come for our Welcome Back meetings. Members from
both groups enjoyed eating giant ice cream sandwiches and participating in various group bonding activities.
Blessing of the Animals: Both SYG and KC also had a Blessing of the Animals meeting. Members brought their
dogs to be blessed and to enjoy some canine social time as well!

Unity Farm Trip: KC and SYG members had tours of a rescue farm sanctuary in Sherborn called Unity Farm. They
got to hear stories about the animals who were rescued and are now living out their lives there. The staff at Unity
Farm also served as wonderful role models of compassion!

Forest Bathing: KC gathered in October to learn about a Japanese spiritual practice called Forest Bathing. Forest
therapy guide, Michele Ryan, took our group into the forest where we all engaged in various activities that got us to
use our five senses to appreciate and connect with nature in deep and meaningful ways.

Gleaning: SYG had a service trip to Waltham, MA where they volunteered with a non-profit called The Boston Area
Gleaners. They helped to box up truckloads of squash that were donated by local farmers. The boxed squash was then
delivered to various food pantries in the metro-Boston area.

Bulb Planting: Both SYG and KC helped to plant 200 bulbs on the grounds of Pilgrim Church. This was a service
project to contribute to the historic Sherborn Daffodil Trail. Thank you to Kim Chester and Addie Mae Weiss for
guiding us with this project!
Miracle Food Packaging Event: KC and SYG members volunteered to help package dried meals for the annual
Pilgrim Church Miracle Event. We were delighted that this Pilgrim Church tradition was able to take place during
this pandemic year!
Winter

The youth groups transitioned from Fall to Winter by moving their gathering location from under the big white tent
to around the new church fire pit! Members have generously been providing logs for the fire and both groups have
been enjoying lots and lots of s’mores! The cold hasn’t been a hindrance. Everyone shows up with blankets and
wearing lots of layers.

Christmas Treat Bags: The Kindness Club gathered on one snowy Sunday afternoon to assemble Christmas treat bags
which they then delivered to church members who could use a little Christmas cheer.
SYG Christmas Eve Service: This year the traditional 7:30 Christmas Eve Service happened on Zoom. SYG
members did a wonderful job with the service and offered many touching “hopes for the world” as they held their
candles. We estimate that around 75 people participated. Thank you especially to Avery Moore and Lily Makkas for
offering beautiful Christmas Eve reflections.
This has been quite a year for the youth groups. We’ve certainly encountered unprecedented challenges and
disappointments. It is during a year like this, however, that Anne Frank’s words provide just the wisdom we need. “I
don’t think of all the misery, but of the beauty that still remains.” In the midst of so many pandemic related
hardships, there was beauty… the beauty of youth group members showing up no matter what, even if it meant using
technology or if it meant bundling up for the cold…. the beauty of dedicated advisors who showed such love and care
for youth group members during unsettling times… the beauty of so many youth taking time out of their busy lives to
serve others and make the world a better place, one act of kindness at a time…. the beauty of the many ways these
youth have answered God’s call to shine light into the darkness. Thanks be to God for the beauty that still remains!

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