We’re quickly coming up on the excitement of Welcome Weekend in the UConn community and here at SCC!  Campus will begin coming alive over the forthcoming days, with the big burst of energy coming on Friday, August 23^rd, as entering freshmen move onto campus.

With the approach of Welcome Weekend, at a recent meeting of ministry leadership, it was discussed that we have a very important message to say to all of you, the members and friends of SCC:  do NOT stay away from SCC on Welcome Weekend!  We know that there’s a pervasive and long-standing myth out there among long-time Storrs-area residents that anywhere in the vicinity of campus should be avoided at all costs throughout all of move-in weekend.  Those of us who’ve had the joy of being here for our Move-in Weekend Tag Sale and for Sunday Worship on welcome weekend in recent years can testify, however, that such advice is unfounded.  Sure, we’ll admit that traffic on Friday, freshman move-in day, can be a challenge in the morning—although with the opening of Discovery Drive and the subsequent redesign of traffic flows for dormitory move-in processes, even that isn’t as bad as it used to be.

But more to the point, getting here to SCC for worship on the Sunday morning of welcome weekend is a breeze!  Parking is plentiful in all the usual locations you’re used to parking throughout the year.  And traffic?  Well, those of us who’ve enjoyed breakfast on the lawn together with new students have, if anything, found it eerily quiet on our corner during the 9 o’clock hour. 

And the truth is, your presence at worship and other activities on Welcome Weekend matters!  You know how the energy and passion of our worshiping assembly feels different when more of us are around, and helping those students worshiping among us for the first time experience that is so important.  Quite frankly, it’s bit “contagious”, and being a faithful worshiper and active part of our faith community is a “bug” we hope gets caught!

So, all of us in ministry leadership here at SCC—our pastors, our staff, our lead ministry coordinators and other ministry team leaders, and our Governing Board members—hope that you will plan to be here for worship on Sunday, August 25^th… and perhaps take part in other happenings of Welcome Weekend, too!

• Move-in Weekend Tag Sale:  Saturday, 1:00 to 6:00, and Sunday, 9:00 to 1:00
• Breakfast on the Lawn with Students:  Sunday, starting at 9:00 am
• Adult Choir – ‘open loft’ (all welcome):  Sunday, rehearsing before worship
• Worship, with the ‘Blessing of the Backpacks’:  Sunday, 10:00 am
• Fellowship Hour outside on the Lawn:  Sunday, following worship
• Carillon Concert, enjoy the welcoming sounds of the Carillon bells while browsing the Tag Sale on the Front Lawn, Saturday at 1:30 pm

Blessing of the Backpacks

August 25^th during Sunday morning Worship
As students of all ages—from preschool to grad school—return to classrooms and life-changing journeys this season, we will pray God’s blessing upon those students through a rite of the “Blessing of the Backpacks”.  Students of any age returning to school this fall are invited to bring their backpack, book-bag, or other symbol of their learning journey with them to the worship service.