Praying for Covenant

Praying for Covenant
Harpeth Hills Church of Christ Auditorium
Wednesday, March 29
6:30-7:30pm

“Wordless groans.” There are days when that is all you have. Today is one of those days. Our hearts break with those right down the street who are trying to make sense of what happened at the Covenant School when there is no sense to be made. There are no words that can explain this, nor words that will make it better. But there is God. And so we pray.

The Harpeth Hills auditorium will be open on Wednesday evening, March 29, from 6:30-7:30pm for anyone who would like to gather in solidarity with Covenant and in prayer over those whose lives will never be the same in the wake of this unthinkable event. In moments like this, we are even more desperate to be with one another in the presence of God. You are also welcome to come and cry out on your own.

We continue to take our cues from Jesus who wept with his friends, Mary and Martha, and who wept over the city of Jerusalem. We weep with our Covenant neighbors and we weep over our own city.

Our Wednesday evening meal and classes will continue as scheduled. The auditorium will be open, and candles will be placed on the stage if you would like to come light a candle and pray for Covenant before, during and after the meal and/or classes.

If you are a parent and you are understandably seeking discernment for how to walk well with your children, please notice the wise counsel offered by our own Jim Anderson below.

“In the same way the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows…” – Romans 8:26

Because of Jesus,

jason

Talking to Children About Tragedies
Harpeth Hills Counseling Center
Jim Anderson PhD

In light of the recent school shootings in our community, a few suggestions about talking to children may prove helpful.

• Children are comforted by knowing parents and other adults are not ignoring nor hiding the tragedy.
• Having a calm, frank conversation about what happened lets children know they will not be ignored nor left “out of the loop” regarding matters that are very unsettling.
• Acknowledging one’s own emotions as an adult invites a child to feel and express his or her own emotions.
• Reassurance of current safety and efforts that are being made to keep students safe in the future can help a child feel more secure as he or she considers going back to school.
• Generally, children will let parents and caregivers know what they are thinking and feeling and what they want to have clarified. Listen for the questions. They may be subtle.