A Sense of Belonging
“It’s so nice to see so many families with children here!” is something I’ve heard a lot this winter and spring and I agree—it’s been wonderful to see our families with kids here, connecting with each other and ways to do things at church, and bringing their friends.
Families with kids are coming for our classes for kids: Story Workshop and Play Workshop every week; Spirit Workshops on Moving Meditation, Yoga, Kids’ Choir, African Art, Ushering, and Drumming; Crossing Paths; Youth Group and Coming of Age. They are coming for our multisensory, dynamic, and interactive multigen worship services. Families with kids are coming to hang out together at coffee hour playing with the Jenga blocks and chatting. They are coming for our new Small Group Ministry for parents (cleverly named—and I love this—the Stuart Littles because the parent leading the group’s last name is Stuart and all of their kids are little). Families with kids are coming to eat waffles, play nerf adventure, watch a movie, do the Holiday Workshop, gather around the fireside, and skate and bike and roller blade on the back parking lot. The delivery guy from the local pizza place knows me by name because I’ve ordered so much pizza for family ministry events this year.
But what families with kids are really coming for, I think, is feeling like they belong and their kids belong. It’s having elders greet kids by name and with a smile. It’s community. Thank you to those of you who are not part of families with children right now for opening community up to those who are. It’s sanctuary. It’s what the world needs, right now. Keep going.
Families with kids are coming for our classes for kids: Story Workshop and Play Workshop every week; Spirit Workshops on Moving Meditation, Yoga, Kids’ Choir, African Art, Ushering, and Drumming; Crossing Paths; Youth Group and Coming of Age. They are coming for our multisensory, dynamic, and interactive multigen worship services. Families with kids are coming to hang out together at coffee hour playing with the Jenga blocks and chatting. They are coming for our new Small Group Ministry for parents (cleverly named—and I love this—the Stuart Littles because the parent leading the group’s last name is Stuart and all of their kids are little). Families with kids are coming to eat waffles, play nerf adventure, watch a movie, do the Holiday Workshop, gather around the fireside, and skate and bike and roller blade on the back parking lot. The delivery guy from the local pizza place knows me by name because I’ve ordered so much pizza for family ministry events this year.
But what families with kids are really coming for, I think, is feeling like they belong and their kids belong. It’s having elders greet kids by name and with a smile. It’s community. Thank you to those of you who are not part of families with children right now for opening community up to those who are. It’s sanctuary. It’s what the world needs, right now. Keep going.
Posted in Dawning Thoughts