Welcoming the Little Children

September 14, 2022 | Lindsei Lansky Luciano

When the disciples were fighting to see who was the greatest, Jesus said: “Whoever receives a little child in My name receives me.” (Mark 9.33-37). On September 11, during the worship services, we welcomed our first graders into “Big Church”, prayed over them and gave them their very own ESV Bible! Now that they are learning to read, they will be joining the rest of their church community, but this can sometimes be overwhelming. Please join us in enthusiastically welcoming them into the services.

 

What can you do to welcome them?

  • Do you know a child going into first grade? Ask their parents if you can join them for worship. Don’t know any? Introduce yourself to a child and their family and ask their names. Kids feel more comfortable in a new place when they know the people around them.
  • Ask if they got a Sermon Notes Sheet (they are available at the Welcome Center). In the beginning, the amount of people around them and the length of the service can feel like a lot! Being able to sit for a while and color or take notes helps them concentrate.
  • Find a way to remember their names and touch base the following week. To become part of the church community, kids need to feel like they belong.

Are you a parent?

  • Use our Spotify playlist to help them learn during the week the songs we sing in church.
  • Before walking into the sanctuary, pick up Sermon Notes and crayons/pencils for them so they can remain engaged through the sermon. They are available at the Welcome Center.
  • Try to sit near people they already know. Kids feel more comfortable in a new place when they know the people around them.
  • Explain to them how the service works ahead of time. You can download the week’s bulletin on our church website. Be ready to answer questions and point out how the worship service works and the people involved – Who are the worship leaders? Who is the pastor? What are you supposed to do at each part? What is on the screen?Encourage them to sing and save the Sermon Notes for the sermon time.
  • When the service is over, use the Sermon Questions to understand how much they were able to gather from the service. 

We pray this will be a great season for your (not-so) little one!