the children's channelDorcas Bartley, Director of Children's Ministries |
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children are a blessing and a gift from the Lord. Psalm 127:3 |
Part of our Mission Statement describes worship as the purpose of this church.
"We will praise God, confess our sin, affirm our faith, celebrate the Lord's Supper, baptize believers and listen to the Scriptures while challenging Christians to holy living and inviting the unconverted to repentance unto salvation."
It does not give an age requirement for being involved in this activity. In fact, children can learn a lot from the experience of being a part of the Family of God. They can model adult behavior and see others worshipping and praising God. This learning cannot be replaced when separating children from their role models.
For parents, this is all well and good. However, how do we teach and help our children to best experience worship without interfering with our own adult worship? The answer, we don't. We are called to teach our children‚ all the time. Proverbs 22:6 says, "Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it." There is no time limit, no specific place for this to happen, no Sunday School teachers (back then) to care for them. But, in the reality of a Sunday morning and the needs we have as parents to worship, pray, sing and reflect, how do we truly handle the interruptions of our children? How do we teach them?
Let's start with 2nd and 3rd graders: this age loves to color, sing with hand motions, tease, eat, ask questions and have fun! It is hard to keep them still. Our pastors are ok with that! Encourage your child to participate in the songs, model praying quietly, discuss tithing and what the bulletin has for information. Explain the Lord's Supper as it happens. Pray in a whisper with them. Set the expectations ahead of time, that this is an important family activity. More specifically, this is important to our Heavenly Father who has given us so much.
During sermon time, help them to fill in the special bulletin. Encourage them to listen for the theme of the sermon. They are concrete thinkers and will need to have some words explained to them. Sometimes, this means that conversational explanations happen after the service. Some parents allow their child to have a snack or special treat during this time.
4th and 5th graders can sit still longer but can also express their desires fully. They may not see the need for time in worship. Discuss with them (prior to the service) why you feel the need to be there. Are there some Bible verses to support your views? Joel 2:16; Isaiah 43:21; Psalms. They are learning to take notes and listen to information. Teach them to fill in the sermon notes and write or say in their own words what our Pastors are teaching us. Pray each Sunday that they can learn something.
I challenge you to talk about sermon topics, or Sunday School classes at dinner time. Read Deuteronomy 11:18-21 together as parents. We are to teach our children all the time. Use every moment you can. Why? Revelation 4:11 says, "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for Thou hast created all things and for Thy pleasure they are and were created."
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