By Robert G. Pushkar GLOBE CORRESPONDENT JUNE 12, 2015
Palm Sunday. Easter Sunday. Pajama Sunday.
You will not find that last entry on liturgical calendars, but at Ascension Memorial Church in Ipswich, they have been celebrating it for three years now.
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 Cradles to Crayons, a Brighton-based nonprofit that provides essential items to low-income and homeless children.
Rector Brad Clark read “The Pajamas of My Dreams” three years ago at the suggestion of a church member. Its social message resonated with his belief in authenticity and seemed a natural fit for Ascension Memorial.
“I thought jokingly if people are feeling themselves at home and come to church, then why get dressed up?,” he said. “Just come as you are. How easy it would be to blend this excuse for a Pajama Sunday to support the charity.”
Erik Lindahl hands a morning service leaflet to Charlotte Dodge at Ascension Memorial Church’s third annual Pajama Sunday.
“Pajamas” author Laurie Collins and artist Margie Florini are still surprised that their creation, published in 2013 by Millis-based Three Bean Press, inspires readers to take action. Not many authors can make that claim.
Its core idea gestated in Collins’s mind for about two years. A Byfield resident and children’s librarian, first in Newbury and now Ipswich, she said she knew through 15 years on the job what is on children’s minds through their reading choices. She pondered how to tactfully present her idea to young readers without being too preachy.
“There are lots of lovely children’s books about pajamas,” she said, “but none that give you the idea that you might have lovely pajamas but not everyone else does.”
Finally, she shared her manuscript with Florini, an award-winning professional artist and illustrator who has been a friend since their days at Beverly High School. Florini, now living in Danvers, was hooked. They devoted countless hours discussing the presentation.
“Everything we did had a lot of thought behind it,” Florini said.
Florini chose the cut-paper collage medium to give an overall 3-D effect. To her, the pages are suggestive of colorful quilts found on children’s beds.
“I felt each illustration was touchable, soft, and had to be studied carefully and would be the right fit to tell the story,” she said.
The illustrations took about 18 months to complete. The pair hosted parties with friends to cut thousands of pieces of paper into shapes of bodies, hairstyles, clothing, and background items such as clocks, beds, and picture frames. A craft kit complements the book with cut-outs so children can create their own dream jobs.
Hockey player made the final cut, as did paleontologist, mathematician, equestrian, and artist. Though some occupations may seem a reach for the very young, at book readings the contrary appears to be true.
“I see the younger children at these events hunger for those words,” Collins said. “They want to try them out, repeating paleontologist over and over after they hear it.”
“The concept,’’ Florini added, “is that their ideas are bigger than their dreams. I wanted the dreams so big that they fly out the window.”
At readings, they use a “Pajama of My Dreams” rap to maintain attention, watching the children’s excitement build.
Before the ending, Collins pauses to prepare the children.
“I say to them that some children go to bed without a lot of supper, and they don’t have warm blankets, and they’re cold. They don’t feel safe.
“I work in these lovely small towns where most children are privileged. It’s pretty much beyond their ken that there are other children who don’t have these things. When I finish and look out at the sea of little faces, I see the child who is really contemplating what the message is.
“We bring the message, and then we bring all the pieces together so that it really sticks with them. It’s important to teach children compassion when they’re very young.”