Life, so often governed by rules, do this, don’t do that! I thought it would be appropriate to share our policy regarding children in church:
If your kids are loud, please still come to church.
If you’re running late because getting everyone out the door was a battle, please still come to church.
If your toddler finds it hard to sit still, please still come to church.
If your baby needs to eat, please still come to church.
If your child asks questions at the least convenient time, please still come to church.
If someone cries, drops a toy, needs a snack, or has to make their third trip to the bathroom, please still come to church. (Washrooms are located downstairs, and a time of fellowship with food is part of every Sunday service)
If your child doesn’t know all the words, all the prayers, or exactly when to sit and stand, please still come to church.
If you feel like you spent the entire service managing your children and heard approximately 12% of the sermon, please still come to church. (Text of each week’s service is available after 12PM Sunday on our Facebook page 🙂)
If Sunday morning feels messy instead of peaceful, please still come to church.
If you’re worried your children are distracting the people around you, please still come to church.
Because children do not learn how to be part of the Church by staying home until they can sit quietly.
They learn by being here.
They learn the hymns by hearing them being sung, and seeing the words on the screen
They learn the prayers by being invited to pray in the midst of community
They learn the value of worship by being included in a community that has come together in the name of something greater than ourselves.
They learn that church is home because we make room for them here.
The wiggles, whispers, dropped crayons, crying babies, and little voices are not interruptions to the life of the Church.
They are evidence that the Church is alive.
So bring the babies. Bring the toddlers. Bring the big kids. Come late. Sit in the back. Sit in the front. Step out when you need to and come right back in.
Just come.
Children are not simply the future of the Church. They are part of the Church right now.