Dear Glenn families and friends,
My name is Alison LaGree, and you may have seen me around Glenn Church and Glenn School with family. I’m also one of the teachers for Glenn’s Preschool Sunday School, alongside fellow Glenn Moms Melissa Patton and Ally Kruse, and Suzanne Aloisio, a church member and retired Glenn School teacher who brings many years of love and experience with our youngest Glenn families.
I’m reaching out with an invitation—and also to share a little of my own parenting and faith journey with you.
First, the invitation: We would love to have your family join us for Glenn Church’s Preschool Sunday School—a joyful, engaging class where children can begin to discover what it means to be loved by God.
Our Preschool Sunday School class begins Sunday morning, September 13 at 9:45 a.m., in the Bunnies and Lambs classroom, Room 206 (walk across the stage towards the playground).
Each Sunday, we create a warm, age-appropriate experience filled with Bible stories, music, movement, creativity, prayer, and plenty of opportunities for children to wonder, ask questions, and experience faith in ways that make sense to them.
You are always welcome to stay in the classroom and participate alongside your child, or take a little time for yourself to enjoy the community around you. Our hope is that the whole family feels welcomed, comfortable, and at home at Glenn.
If you’d like to attend worship without your little one, we also have an amazing childcare team in the Bunnies and Lambs classroom during both the 8:30 a.m. service in the Little Chapel and the 11:00 a.m. service in the Sanctuary. Of course, your toddler or preschooler is always welcome to worship alongside you, too—whatever works best for your family.
And now, a little of my personal story.
When I first started teaching Preschool Sunday School at Glenn, I was a brand-new mom in the middle of COVID. My father had recently passed away, and I had stepped away from a consuming career to stay home with my one-year-old son. To be honest, I had absolutely no good reason to volunteer to teach a room full of two-, three-, and four-year-olds.
And yet, something compelled me to do it. Something beyond logic.
So I showed up.
And, by the mystery of faith—and simply the work of continuing to show up—I met amazing people who have become some of my dearest friends. We bonded over the beautiful, exhausting, hilarious, heartbreaking, and sometimes completely bewildering journey of parenting. We celebrated each other’s children, carried one another through hard seasons, and shared the joys that make these years so special.
The children I taught back then are now nine years old. And with every new class of little ones, my own faith continues to grow. I see it in the joy our children so effortlessly share with one another. I see it in the friendships they make and in the connections that form between families. And I see how a church community can become part of the village that helps us raise our children. That has been one of the unexpected blessings of my life.
And now, I want to invite you into it.
The blessing isn’t something you have to earn. You don’t have to know the right words, have the right answers, or have everything figured out. You simply have to show up—with your little one, as you are.
There is a place for you here, and we would love to grow alongside your family.
With warmth,
Alison LaGree
Glenn Preschool Sunday School
P.S. And yes, there’s a place for all ages on Sunday mornings at Glenn— Pre-K and older Children’s Choirs meet from 9:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., followed by Sunday School at 10:00 a.m., plus Nursery care for tiny ones, Youth Sunday School for teens, and several great options for adults to engage in faith discussions and hear from guest speakers to enrich your faith journey.
