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What's New!

Sunday Morning

By Dawn Alitz

My friend and colleague Steven Molin and I were musing over the age-old tension between family living and church going on Sunday morning. Sometimes it’s awfully hard to get the family out of bed on Sunday morning. When children are small, is it that important that we go to church? Do they get anything out of it? Do I? Steve’s poem (below) captures the essence of the challenge.

As we move toward the summer months, many families take an extended vacation from Sunday worship. When September rolls around the busy-ness of life settles in and some parents ask themselves, is this really worth it?

The answer is a resounding yes! While remaining quiet and stationary in church can at times be a challenge, there is a great deal of young childhood that is ripe for learning in the midst of worship.

Their young minds are busy learning all the time. At worship, they learn the songs, liturgies, and prayers that are important foundations of faith. They don’t yet need to understand the theological nuances, but they can begin to build their faith vocabulary—grace, forgiveness, unconditional love, Jesus, God, Holy Spirit—that will be engrained deep in their minds and hearts, to be mined for greater meaning as they grow older.

And they learn about people of faith, and (hopefully) discover that they are loved by a far wider circle than just their family. What a gift and asset to your child! Most people in worship don’t mind some movement and distraction, and actually count on seeing the children in worship to learn their faces and names so that they can pray for them.

While this web site is all about supporting faith growth at home, it can never be complete without reinforcement from the wider community. As my daughters point out, without the surrounding faith community, you’re just the crazy God woman! Put your faith practice at home in partnership and dialogue with your faith practice at church!

Tell us what helps your young children feel comfortable in church. Login and add your comment below.

JESUS, THE GOSPEL, AND CHEERIO ROW

Sitting in worship, in the back few rows
The toddlers are munching on dry Cheerios
Surrounded by diaper bags, duckies and keys,
The sermon is starting, “Keep the kids quiet, please!”

Mother’s embarrassed, father turns red
Junior just bumped the pew with his head
Jenny went potty all over the seat
They’re coloring in the hymnal, sheet after sheet

When the sermon is over, when the pastor is through
I’ll take the kid to the nursery, that’s what I’ll do
I’ll take her downstairs where Sundays are fun
Pick her up in an hour, when worship is done
The sanctuary, then, will be a quieter place
To speak about tolerance…patience…and grace

Parents must do what they feel is right
Having children in worship might make them uptight
But just be reminded of what it says in the Word
Jesus welcomed adults, but it was children he preferred

© 1985 Steven Molin

Dawn Alitz is a mother, wife, theologian, scholar, ministry practitioner, college professor, and musician. On any given day she fulfills those roles in various ways.

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Comments (2)

2012-07-24 22:33:53 |Congregational Member| Tammy Olsen

:D We started out putting kids in Sunday School during worship, and or nursery. Now, they do do both Sunday School and worship, and no more nursery for the 3 year old. It has been an adjustment; however, it has been more of a blessing.