Ok, I need help. Would you please answer these questions for me? Most of you are not at my current church, so your ideas will be fresh for us here. Even if you're here in MD feel free to share!
1. What do you hope your kid gets out of being at church?
2. What kind of program/ activity would you like to see in place to reach that?
3. Other than Sunday School, what are somethings you'd be willing to let your 5th grade and under kid participate in ... whatever the age? With or without parents present.
Even if you don't have kids, lend me your ideas. Ask your kids if you've got some!
It's all in the name of research!! Seriously!
2 comments:
wow, these are really tough questions Debby... most kids have no idea what they want from church when they're young. They want to be loved for sure, cared for, nurtured, and encouraged. They need to hear the gospel and to know their need for forgiveness and the surety of it in our Savior.
I think one of the most impactful activities for children is service-- visiting the elderly and playing checkers with them, feeding the hungry, delivering meals to those who are shut in. As far as structured activities at church, I'm just not sure. I know my children have always needed to hear repeatedly about grace and forgiveness.
Wish I could be more help!
Yes...great questions!
One of the things that I came away from church with as a child was a respect for God and worship. The habit of going and the habit of singing the same hymns and saying the doxology and saying the apostle's creed impacted my greatly as an adult. You know in education there are really four stages of that pair up with four different learning types. The place that youre teaching in pairs up with "polly parrot" you put things in without necessarily expecting the student to understand them completely (memorizing facts, memorizing songs...etc...becoming familiar with stories...) Growing up our church did children's church until second grade then you got to sit in church the whole time. HOWEVER each sunday there was an insert that had some puzzles on it but also some stuff the correlated with the sermon. That was helpful in terms of keeping us busy with constructive activities.
I love the idea of service activities WITH your kids...as in parents an dkids... providing for activities for BOTH groups as I believe kids really learn by SEEING what their parents do. I know for a fact that the girl DOES what i do rather than what I say... its crazy but true. Okay..ill stop, I sort of gave you a whole sermonette there! xoxo miss yoU!
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