What's Going On? Children In Worship
We are whole persons, incarnated beings, humans made in the image of God with minds and bodies meant to learn and grow and do and be. We are not simply “brains on sticks.” Though some of us indeed learn best by reading words and listening to podcasts; others of us learn best by using our hands to create something that exemplifies what we’ve learned; and still others learn best when they’re able to process out-loud with a small group of learners. Teachers know this so well and make lesson plans with all their learners in mind!
At any one worship gathering we have young ones who cannot read yet and adults with ADHD. We have creatives who need to draw as they listen and teenagers who need words spoken in their modern language. There will be kids with sensory needs and adults who can’t hear without aids. There will be folks in chronic pain who need a pillow or comfy chair; and nursing babies who need their mothers. We want to do our best to be hospitable and gracious to all our worshipers.
A small sub-team of the Worship Ministry Team has been learning and growing and meeting occasionally over the last year or two, always looking and searching for ways that our children can experience worship in ways that engage their development levels. As a church we want our children to know that the worship space is a place where they belong. That is our deepest hope: that our youngest ones are accepted and loved with all of their movement and noise and need for whispered worship explanations.
REMINDERS: On the months that have five Sundays, all our children (except for babies and toddlers) are welcome to join their families and all of us in worship on that fifth Sunday. In the summer, the two long weekends are also times when there is no Kids Ministry for the school-aged children. On the last two Sundays of the summer (this year, August 30 and September 6) all the volunteers from Kids Ministry get a break, which mean even our toddlers, and babies, and 4-year-olds are worshiping with us! It’s a beautiful time of family worship.
The article below is written by Karen DeBoer, who was the creative resource developer for Faith Formation Ministries of the Christian Reformed Church of North America. She is an expert in forming faith for children, especially in worship. It’s a beautiful “letter to parents” expressing our love for the kids coming to worship. Please do read it, you’ll be glad you did. (Linked HERE)
