Over the years, I have done my share of spring-cleaning. Most of the time it is sheer drudgery. But on occasion, I have found lovely reminders of years gone by that make me smile.
Interestingly, some of the best of these reminders have been scraps of paper covered with doodles drawn by my kids while sitting in church. One of my favorites is tucked into my Bible, a drawing of Jesus on the cross by Nicole, age two. Another is a bulletin covered (and I mean, covered) with quotes from the movie “The Matrix” – this by my teenage son and his friends!
While the latter isn’t exactly cause for rejoicing by parents trying to raise a kid in the faith, there were times when we were just glad our kids were in church. And today, those doodles remind me of the importance of kids in worship.
At Colonial, we encourage families to worship together, but summer is the only time we make it a priority. During the summer, elementary kids are invited to worship in big church. It’s on purpose that FaithTrek takes a break.
Before this sets your heart a-thumping, consider this: in big church, kids get to experience a sense of belonging to our community of believers at large. Faith is more often “caught than taught” and kids catch all kinds of spiritual goodness being with God’s people. But the heart thumping question is: how to make church work for a squirmy elementary kid?
- Prepare. Get ready the night before! Make the decision ahead of time that church is where your family will spend Sunday mornings. That way, it’s the default (we go to church Sundays) not the dilemma (should we go to church today?) that rules the morning. Then, do whatever it takes – an earlier alarm, a simple breakfast, clothes already chosen – to take the edge off getting out of the house.
- Participate. Once you’ve made it to church, take a deep breath! Then, model how to worship by participating enthusiastically in worship yourself. Explain quietly what’s going on in the service when needed, help kids open up their own Bibles to the Scripture being read or hymnals to the songs being sung, help them give to the offering and invite them to draw or write what they are wondering about in the service. Encourage kids to be engaged in church, not just distracted to pass the time. You will be amazed at how much your child is “catching”!
- Process. After the service, talk about worship on your way home or at lunch. We don’t give kids enough credit for how well they hear the Holy Spirit. Expect God to speak to your child and encourage them to keep listening by asking them each week what they heard God say to them in church. Then, pray for teachable moments to keep the conversation going.
Beginning June 1, our regular programming in Children’s Ministry will include Stepping Stones for babies through preschool. Elementary kids will join God’s people in big church. If your kids are hankering for FaithTrek during the summer, FaithTrek Midweek will be offered for kids whose families are attending Spiritual Parenting (Wednesday evenings, June 1 – July 6).
Looking forward to a summer of growing in Christ together!
Anne-Marie