On a gorgeous Sunday morning in May, even the most sleepy-eyed observer could hardly miss the first clue that the 10:15 a.m. service would be different: Most members of the congregation were dressed in their pajamas.
Soon, the reason for their garb became apparent. The 12 members of the children’s youth group, all dressed in their sleepwear, stepped to the pulpit one by one to read from a children’s book. As images from “The Pajamas of My Dreams’’ flashed on a large screen to their left, they returned repeatedly to the book’s refrain.
“In the pajamas of my dreams,” each intoned, “I climb into bed/pull the covers up tightly/close my eyes . . . ”
And dream about what to be. But this is a book with a striking twist at the end. After listing a dozen exciting occupations, it suddenly shifts to more immediate concerns: to have a full belly, to be toasty in well-fitting pajamas, to not feel threatened.
“I dream,’’ the story concludes, “of being warm and safe in my bed at night.”
The service, it turns out, was geared to lift awareness about those who are needy and homeless, and to act upon it: Congregants were asked to bring fresh pajamas to be donated to Crayons to Cradles, a Brighton-based nonprofit that provides essential items to low-income and homeless children.
Click the link above to continue reading.