My children’s summer highlight is vacation Bible school, when 100 children and 70 adult volunteers come together for a memorable week of exciting activities and experiential Bible lessons. My children sing the VBS songs practically daily clear through Christmas. The only thing is they can never participate in the closing worship the weekend after VBS is over. They are nine miles away in our own little Presbyterian congregation, instead of
at the large Lutheran
church where they attend mid-week choir and
summer VBS.
We are not unusual in
this. In my neighborhood, kids might be signed up
for several VBSs in a summer, weaving
them in between swimming lessons,
Little League and multiple week-long
day camps. Children are now often as booked,
scheduled and programmed as their
parents, if not more so. And there is
little loyalty to one congregation—or even
denomination— as families “shop around”
for the best programs for their
children.
As parents, we seek to
give our children enriching experiences
that strengthen skills or expose them to
a variety of activities or
perspectives. In the past, church could be the
majority of a child’s educational or
entertainment extracurricular activities, but we live
in a culture where the opportunities
for children far outstrip what
churches can provide. And yet, we continue to
try to compete against soccer and Girl
Scouts.
My children attend VBS at
a large church that can still pull off
being a programmatic
center of excellence,
when most mainline churches are
shrinking and families’ obligations are
growing. So we wonder, How can we do a good children’s program? How can we get
families to come, choosing church over
track meets or language camp? How do we “reach
out” to families?
But perhaps these
questions are the wrong questions.
I am fascinated instead
by questions like: How can we be the church together for this time and place?
Where is God’s Spirit moving among us? Who has
God made us, this specific
congregation, to be? What do our children, our
people, our communities need that we are already
equipped to provide? At a time when
families are busy, disconnected and tired,
can the church offer rest, relationship and
support?
A few years ago our
little congregation went through a time of
intense reflection and dramatic transition,
and we asked ourselves those
questions. Among other things, we quickly
realized that in an age when many people live far
from extended family, our sanctuary is
packed with grandparents and great
grandparents, and our congregation is
something of a stable “nest” for people
who come and go. And while people are
age-segregated in almost every other
area of life, here we had young and old, readers
and nonreaders, floor-sitters and
wall-standers, all together in the body of
Christ.
We decided to stop
competing with the rest of culture. Our
younger families know where to get good
programs and enriching experiences
for their children and will continue
to do so, with our blessing. We can
be the people with whom these children
have their belonging.
With us they
are free to ask questions, to voice their
thoughts and fears. We will be the
people that stand by them, listen to them
and give them chances to lead. We can do faith together, seeking God in doubt and
joy, all of us. Now shared meals, shared
worship and shared prayers anchor our
life together, and shared themes guide
us. In children’s and adult classes and
worship, we draw from the same
well. Instead of lamenting that we can’t
pull off age-segregated Sunday school classes,
the children learn together
in one group. In addition to exploring
scripture through fun and varied means,
they might prepare a prayer to lead later in
worship. We’ve also flipped the “children’s
time” of worship on its head,
asking children to teach adults what they
are learning, so that we can all learn
together.
In our sanctuary there is
a children’s area with quiet crafts at
sitting and standing tables to help children
participate in worship, and a rug for
playing babies to hang out but also hear
hymns. Instead of a staffed nursery, we
have “children’s hosts” who assist
families in worship, and can also leave for a
spell with any kids who need a break from
worship for a walk or time in the playroom
with toys.
For communion we all stand in
a circle, serving one another—young and old—looking into the eyes of one much
taller or much shorter than
ourselves, and saying, “The Body of Christ,
broken for you.”
Last summer we held our
second annual intergenerational
vacation Bible school. All ages gathered
together for story, music, and hands-on
activities exploring God’s love. It’s a
delightful experience for children to be in VBS
with their grandparents, and for
single people or those with grown children
to share in the excitement and energy
of learning and exploring with
children.
Our congregation
practices sabbath two Sundays a month. We set
the day aside as a day of rest, meeting
the evening before for worship and a
meal that inaugurates our sabbath time. My
young children have grown up
with this three year-old pattern, and sabbath
Sundays are one of the greatest
gifts in our family’s life. We play, rest, and
connect with each other in a different
way than we do the rest of the week, and
we say no to whatever might impinge on
that time.
I am grateful for our
congregation, which lives faith in a way that
runs counter to the craziness of our
culture, and which nurtures people of all
ages in seeking to participate in God’s love
in the world. Frederick Buechner said, “The
place God calls you to is the place
where your deep gladness and the world’s
deep hunger meet.” It could be said,
then, that innovative children’s ministry
begins by noticing where your congregation’s
deep gladness and clear
gifting meet the deep hunger and real need of
the children and families among and around
you. Then your joyful task is to
adapt practices that live from this heart of
God’s ministry that beats between and through
you in this time and place.
Kara K Root is pastor of Lake Nokomis Presbyterian Church in Minneapolis, Minn., a Christian community that shapes its life around worship, hospitality and sabbath rest. She has a M.Div. with a concentration in spirituality/spiritual direction from Fuller Seminary, and is a Minister of Word and Sacrament and Certified Christian Educator in PC(USA). Being mom to two entertaining children and wife and proofreader to a wily theologian spices up her vocational calling and keeps her fully immersed in life. She’s written for Sparkhouse “re:form” curriculum, Homily Service Journal, Working Preacher, Clayfire Curator and Patheos, and blogs
about ministry and motherhood at “in the hereandnow.”
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