Then children were being brought to him in order that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples spoke sternly to those who brought them, but Jesus said, “Let the children come to me, and do not stop them, for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.”

~ Matthew 19:13-14

Celebrating 20 Years of Grace Garden

In the preface for God's People, a history of Saint John's written by member (and former Grace Garden parent) Sally Rodgers, she recounts the story of how she found Grace Garden after a particularly stressful grocery store outing with her then-toddler boys. "Driving by, still flustered by the HEB situation, I slowed to stare at a large sign fastened to the church's back fence - a glorious, vinyl rectangle announcing what felt like an answered prayer: Grace Garden Preschool: Now Enrolling."

The feeling she described of parental overwhelm, coupled with the desire to find just the right fit for her family, is something that I encountered often throughout my eight-year tenure as Grace Garden director. When I would give tours to prospective families, parents were filled with good questions about the program, such as: How much time do children spend outside? How do teachers handle typical toddler behaviors? What happens if my child just cries all day? But there was one question that parents usually waited to ask until almost the end of the tour: What about the religious part?

You see, most of the families that enrolled in Grace Garden weren't necessarily there for the "religious part." In fact, I learned that many of those families, perhaps owing to their own uncomfortable histories with religion, were unsure or even downright dubious about the religious part. First and foremost, I would stress that we weren't in the business of forcing religious dogma at the preschool. That said, I would tell them, Grace Garden is a ministry of the church, and students would attend Chapel once a week. My goal in this, I would tell nervous parents, is simple. By going into the Sanctuary and sitting on the chancel steps to sing songs and hear stories, I want the children to know three things:

You are recognized.
You are loved and respected.
You are a part of this place. 

These three points were, for me, a perfect overlap between Grace Garden and Saint John's, a solid foundation for God's love that meets each person just where they are. Parents were reassured. 

First as a teacher and then as director, I'm someone who has been lucky enough to be along for much of the ride at Grace Garden. Nearly every day, I run into former students or their parents out in the community. The graduates from the first years of Grace Garden are now old enough to be finishing up their undergrad degrees in college. They're making their way in the world in the fields of chemical engineering, medicine, finance and marketing, and land management, just to name a few. Some GG alumni who are in middle school and high school now attend youth activities here at Saint John's. Some help me in the sound booth flipping slides on Sunday mornings, or volunteer to help with Grace Garden summer camp. You'll see and hear from some of them as greeters and liturgists for Grace Garden Sunday, which is this upcoming Sunday, April 27. 

Twenty years ago, this little school was born out of the desire to offer ministry to the young families at Saint John's. Today, it serves families not just from Saint John's, but from surrounding neighborhoods and beyond. The friendships and connections that have been made between children, families, and teachers are lasting and have been rewarding beyond measure. So many have discovered Saint John's by having first walked through the doors of our preschool, and what they find echoes what they first felt when they found Grace Garden: This is a place where it's ok to be myself, to ask questions, to grow and change. As human beings still making our way in the world, these are needs we never outgrow.

Tags: preschool ministry, grace garden sunday