TRUSTING THE SERMON TO CHILDREN
On a dark and stormy Sunday morning, Pastor Charles Smith looked out at his congregation and almost fainted. The children were actually paying attention. He knew it wasn’t just his eloquence. He suspected that Deborah Byrne’s plan to involve children in the worship service was working.
Deborah, a volunteer in the church, creates special worship bulletins for children ages 7 and up. Recently introduced at Maplegrove Alliance Church in Chesterton, Ohio, the bulletins grab the interest of children and help them better understand the sermon and worship service.
Each week Pastor Smith gives Deborah his plans for the next Sunday: sermon outline, notes, the order of worship, hymns, and Scripture references. Deborah tries to design a worship aid simple enough for 7-year-olds and yet challenging and/or funny enough for the older children.
Each bulletin is four pages with a cover sketch on the sermon’s theme. The children read the same order of worship as adults, but each section is enhanced with points of interest: word lists, fill-in-the-blanks, rhymes, multiple choice exercises, and questions about the sermon. Different levels of humor are included in the bulletin to appeal to all ages. (Many adults take one for themselves!) Here are a few examples.
Hymns
When Morning Gilds the Skies.
“Gild” means to cover with GOLD! Did you ever see an early morning sky that looked like gold? Sometimes the morning sun makes the sky and trees look golden. When the writer of this song woke up and looked outside, what words did his heart sing?
“_____Jesus Christ ________.”
When do you feel like praising God?
? Early in the morning
? When you are with your family
? When your homework is done
? When you see a sunset
Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise.
Match these words with their meanings about God.
Immortal Always awake and alert
Invisible Never will die
Unresting Never in a hurry
Unhasting We cannot see him
Circle the word you like best.
Offering
If you had $1,000 in your sock this morning, what would be the BEST thing to do with it?
? Spray the money with air freshener then put it in the offering.
? Give LOTS of money in the offering.
? Keep it all and spend it on things that make you happy – for a little while.
If you have a lot less cash stashed in your pocket, purse, or sock, what would be the BEST thing to do with it?
Sermon
Topic: Lost in God-Ezekiel 47:1-6. The Scripture in Ezekiel is about (water, wine, holy oil)
Have you ever walked in a little stream? Water around your ankles isn’t very frightening is it? Have you ever taken a stroll in a raging river? How would you feel about that water?
? I’d rather be cleaning the garage.
? I’d rather be in math class.
? Ai-e-e-e-e-e! Get me out of here!
God has created the river of life. Our life in God starts small.
Ankle deep: the water moves faster. You are still in control.
Knee deep: The current is strong, but you can go where you choose.
Waist deep: The water moves rapidly. Can you go where you like?
? Yes ? No
(If you said yes, you are all wet.)
The Mighty River
Who’s in charge here?
What direction do you go?
Can you chicken out and turn back?
? Yes ? No
(If you said yes, you’re in for a big surprise.)
The River of Life
God has created the river of life and he calls us to:
? Get our pink toes wet
? Get our skinny ankles splashed
? Get our knobby knees irrigated
? Get our waists watered
? Get our lives saturated, soaked, and sopping
God wants us to jump into life in the Spirit. That means out of your own control, and into God’s control! Are you ready?
FAMILY PRAYER GUIDE
The Christian Church of Clarendon Hills (Illinois) produces a daily devotional guide with material written/collected by members of the congregation.
The first issue was “potluck,” filled with a cross-section of favorite verses and homespun inspiration. Now, the editors, with the help of family-life minister Lauren Girdwood, choose themes and Scripture three months ahead to avoid duplication and redundancy. Sixty-nine people have contributed to the contents.
Authors from the congregation are given two to four weeks to prepare devotional material, and volunteers have a month to edit, type, and print the booklet that now has both regular and large-print editions.
For this congregation averaging 250 in worship, they print 90 copies and distribute them on the Sunday before the first of each month.
Informal surveys show that both users and preparers have a sense of ownership and pride in the guide. No other devotional effort has produced such a lasting impact in the lives of this congregation.
COLOR YOUR WORLD
To acquaint children and their parents with church life and to help newcomers feel at home, Federated Church of Ashland (Massachusetts) periodically distributes a 20-page coloring book for children. Developed by the Christian education staff and talented volunteer artists, each page contains a sketch of a church activity and a simple explanation. On the front cover is a sketch of the church building, and the inside back cover gives the child a pattern to follow in praying. In between are pages of pictures to be colored, including the dedication of an infant, a child’s celebration of the church year, preparation for formal membership, and participation in the senior high fellowship.
The text that accompanies the pictures provides space for children to write in details unique to themselves. It contains the names and sketches of real people within the church.
The church keeps cost down by copying pages in black and white and using an inexpensive spiral binder.
Initially the church presented coloring books to all children through grade four, but now they are given to each new child who begins attending the church. Both children and parents have received the coloring books with enthusiasm.
BEGIN AT THE BEGINNING
The two women who came to the pastor’s study were not aware that statistics show an increase in spiritual receptivity often accompanies the birth of a child. The two only knew that as new mothers they had found support in weekly get-togethers and felt they wanted to encourage other new mothers.
Their plan was to congratulate new parents in the community by sending a gift from the church and then inviting the mothers to be part of a Moms & Tots group. Pastor Gary Keisling of The Alliance Church in Bryan, Ohio, shared their enthusiasm for the idea.
Since most new parents are bombarded by salesmen as soon as the birth announcement appears, these women wanted a way to stand apart from the crowd. They chose the poem “Children Learn What They Live,” which describes the formative influence of parents while stressing the value of the child. Copies of the poem were printed on high quality paper and matted. They would slip easily into a frame, reminding parents of the trust committed to them by the Lord.
The women gathered a list of new parents from newspaper announcements and from members of the church. The gift went into the mail along with a personalized congratulatory letter from the church. Within a few days thank you notes began arriving at the church.
A week later, the women began brief telephone calls to gift recipients. They described the support group ministry the church was offering to new mothers. About 20 percent of the time, the family attended another church. Nearly 25 percent of the mothers expressed appreciation but said they were too busy to get involved. More than 50 percent expressed a desire to receive a brochure describing the support group.
The brochure posed the question, “Wouldn’t it be nice to have a meaningful conversation with other adults who understand the challenges you face?” Information about the church, a description of the informal program for mothers, and information about childcare for toddlers gave a complete picture of the monthly meetings.
A few days after the brochure was mailed, each mom received a phone call from one of the church women to answer questions and extend a personal invitation to participate in Moms & Tots. Fifty percent of those called indicated they would like to come to such a group.
Month after month the level of participation remained strong. Coffee, tea, juice, fruit, and rolls got the meetings off to an informal start. A display of books and magazines dealing with parenting and family concerns was available.
The focus each month was to identify needs and respond. Sessions were conversational with staff members answering questions from attenders.
Many of the participants were nonchurched, and about 25 percent of them became involved in other church ministries. Several families enrolled their older children in summer activities. A Sunday morning class designed to address the challenges of parenting had a good response from Moms & Tots participants.
Over the years, families have moved in and out of the ministry as they came and went in the community. Among those departing was one of the women who had begun the Moms & Tots program. She took with her the seeds of ministry and planted them again in her new location. The remaining families continued the ministry for those passing through and for those whose children eventually have grown up to be part of the church.
What’s Worked for You?
Can you tell us about a program or activity that worked well in your church?
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