One of the wonderful things about Fauntleroy Church is the way we welcome children in worship. When the kids didn’t start back in the sanctuary after we first reopened, didn’t it seem like an energy was missing in this space? Now on a typical Sunday, you lean in again when a child asks a question during the Time with Children. This is not a time when children are put on the spot or on display. This is the time when we try to set a bit of God’s word into the palm of each child’s hand, so they start wondering about a scripture story before they head out to Sunday School to wonder even wider. At the core of this time is the message that they are loved by God and by us; that this is their worship, too, and what they have to say has a wisdom we need to hear; that they bless others and we hope we bless them as God teaches us all to do. In fact, it is beautiful the way you keep singing “Go now in peace” until every last child has heard your blessing on their way to their classroom. Now the children also return to join us on Communion Sundays. While our youngest might not understand the deeper meaning of this sacrament yet, the first thing they do know is that they are an integral part of this community and there is a place for them at God’s Table. May God’s love story unfold from there. For other tips on how you can welcome children to worship, go here.
There are many resources that offer great tips about being with children in worship. Here are just a few ideas. As adults, we can:
Show appreciation for children and their presence through our expressions and body language.
Greet children around us, just as we would greet adults.
Bend down to a child’s eye level to invite conversation.
Get to know children by name. Be sure they have a name tag if adults are wearing them.
Invite a child to help you find or to follow the hymns and scripture readings in the bulletin.
Encourage children to bring their own offering or to add something to the offering collection if they are in worship. (Think creatively—even a picture can be an offering!)
Encourage children to lift up a joy or concern at the prayer time if something is on their heart.
Listen to what children have to say and answer questions in a quiet whisper.
Ask them what they enjoyed about worship. (But make this a moment of connection rather than a pop quiz!)
As parents and grandparents, we can also:
Have times of prayer and silence at home before meals and bedtime.
Talk about our own special memories of church and worship.
Explore the sanctuary when it’s empty.
Borrow a hymnal to sing a song at a family devotional.
Help children learn the Lord’s Prayer.
Create a Saturday ritual: choose church clothes, gather the offering, and pack a small bag with a Bible, thank you note for a teacher, a snack for after or a comfort item, etc.
Plan Sunday mornings so everyone has a good breakfast and no one feels rushed.
Talk about worship and Sunday School on your way home.
Part of the extravagant welcome at Fauntleroy Church has always been the way it regards children and youth as an integral part of its community. We do most of the things on these lists so naturally, but it never hurts to have reminders to keep our commitment to open our welcoming hearts as wide as possible to every one of every age all the time.
