Slideshow image

Dearly Beloved,

Sponges. Children are like sponges. I’m sure you’ve heard that before or said it yourself. Or perhaps you’ve noticed it in your own children because they never miss a thing (even when you might want them to). Children often learn by seeing. I am in awe of my almost-two-year-old daily because she is so observant and is always watching my every move. 

Children are a wonder in this way. And I believe this should inform our strategy when it comes to raising children up in the church and raising them to be fully formed disciples of Jesus. 

I have a question for you…

What does it look like to be the primary spiritual influence in the life of a child? 

As family pastors, it’s our hope and desire to see parents become the primary spiritual influence in the lives of their children. And it’s our hope to support parents on this journey. 

One way we’re hoping to do this is by introducing something called “Family Sunday.” I truly believe it is foundational in supporting parents to take the lead in deepening their children’s spiritual lives. It is an opportunity for children ages 4 and up to attend the adult service with their parents. Together, as a family, you’ll hear the word of God, worship alongside each other, and participate in ordinances of the church (baptism, communion, and child dedication), and really, the hope is that your children are watching you: watching you lift your hands in worship, watching you open your Bible, watching you take notes during a sermon, and watching you partake in communion. Watching, learning, taking it all in. 

Now, of course, we believe in teaching kids about Jesus alongside their same-age peers! That is why we introduced having the kids downstairs for the entire service back in September: it is an excellent and effective way for them to learn about Jesus, learn to love worshipping, and learn to pray. However, imagine what happens when a child gets to grade 6, and they’ve never had the opportunity to participate in church with their parents, witnessing them worship, give, respond to the Holy Spirit, pray at the altar, take communion, or live out their faith by serving. Will they enter as members of the church community when they ‘graduate’ from kids’ church? 

We want your kids to ask you questions. Why do you lift your hands? Why do you eat a small piece of bread and drink juice? Why did they put oil on that person’s forehead? Why did that person speak out in a language I don’t understand? And they won’t ask you these questions if we don’t give them the opportunity to participate alongside you. 

It’s also our hope that moving forward, we’ll have children participate in the service. Maybe that looks like kids joining the worship team, or helping greet at the front, or being an usher. And as they serve, they will meet amazing people who can potentially mentor them in the hopes that they grow up knowing that serving is a part of being in a church community and with the hope that they come to LOVE serving in their church. 

We hope that as your children have these opportunities to participate in church in meaningful ways, they will grow up not just becoming members of our church, but becoming fully formed disciples of Jesus. 

Our main hope is that your children will watch you as you engage in Church and watch as you encounter the Holy Spirit. And believe that they too will encounter the presence of God, downstairs & upstairs. There is no junior Holy Spirit! Children are not just the church of tomorrow; they are the church of today!!! 

When I was 11 years old, I sang on a Family Sunday, leading my congregation in worship for the first time. 11 years old!! That same year, I was baptized in the Holy Spirit. That same year, I did a spoken word on Easter Sunday for the entire church congregation. If we empower these kids now, who knows where they’ll go and what they’ll do! Your children can participate in ALL the church has to offer, but it’s our job as the congregation to walk alongside them and see them as active and valued members of our church. 

Family Sundays will only happen every once in a while (because obviously there is the issue of limited space, as well as we still believe strongly that it’s important for kids to go to kids' church!). Our first-ever Family Sunday will happen on Sunday, December 14th, where the kids will be leading the congregation, not just in a Christmas choir, but leading our entire church in worship for both services. How incredible is that!?

Just a practical note to parents of preschoolers (nursery & ages 2 & 3): there will still be classrooms available for your little ones that Sunday, following the Kids Christmas performance. The children who will be included in the entire adult service will be ages 4+. 

Can I ask a favour of you, our congregation? In order to make space for our kids to join us, we need some people to attend the 11 am service instead of the 9 am service. If you don’t have children, would you consider attending the 11 am service that day? We will have a special Christmas treat following the 11 am service that day to hopefully persuade you! 

We believe that as we include the kids in our service, we will see God open doors for parents to engage in meaningful moments with their children. This Family Sunday initiative is going to take all of us, no matter our age, working together to bring our children into the life of our church. They are the church of today. This is a great responsibility but also a great opportunity that I believe will reap a harvest out of our collective investment into their lives. 

Consider what part you can play?

Pastor Abi

PS.  Please read Leviticus chapters 23-27 before Sunday.