After 35 years of sitting through sermons (from age 10-45) I finally realized what an utter waste of time they are. The rest of the program isn't much better.

I don't go any more - and I don't miss it. I do miss some of the friendships - but I replaced those with involvement in a genuine community service organization.

/Bevin

Kim,

Our church, a SDA church, does have Children's Church every Sabbath. My kids enjoy it, and I enjoy it on the rare occasion that I actually get to go to "Adult Church".

The problem with having Children's Church every Sabbath is that those of us who are involved in ministering to the children rarely get a chance to be ministered unto. Yes, rotation does solve this--to a degree. In a small church, it doesn't work so well.

You mentioned something about having the Sabbath School meet at this time. In theory, it sounds good. If our church were to do this, however, we'd have to have some sort of baby-sitting service for the children when the adults are having their Sabbath School time.

It is a difficult situation, indeed.

Sabbath School is one thing. Worship is something entirely different. Worship--to me, anyway--is a time of experiencing togetherness with the Lord. Singing praises, giving testimonies, sharing our burdens with one another, praying and relating with one another are the very things that make up the crux of worship.

Of course, children can do similar things at more of a "seeker" level, but they, too, would be missing out on some of the good stuff that happens at the adult level.

Perhaps this is why we have changed the name of our worship service to "Family Worship". It is a time when we choose to have our families together in worshiping the Lord.

A thought that you might want to consider: when dining out with your children at a finer restaurant, do you expect a certain behavior from them that differs from the behavior you'd expect from them at McDonald's? If so, and if you find that your expectations of them are reasonable given the atmosphere, isn't it then also acceptable to expect better behavior from a child at the time of worship than at the time of Sabbath School?

bevin,

I understand..really unfortunate..but maybe not...since you are still mingling..

I mean..some might have "with it" services ..yet...I know out there most likely it is some shallow lame NFDMTTS...with 33 RPM hymns, boring/coercive offering appeals, noisy ambiance, trite prayers that don't reach the ceiling..program after program lacking enthusiasm..and fund raisers for everything under the sun.

Wow I can't wait til sabbath so I can go back and endure it again

We have a great Kids' Church at our church too. That has a number of effects. One is that, even if we feel tired and would like a Sabbath off for a rest at home, our kids get us up and drag us to church. I suspect if they had to sit in the sanctuary that situation might be reversed. After all, we don't expect kids to sit in university classes, we give them some teaching that's appropriate to their needs, and if the church sermon is to feed the adults, it will tend to go over the heads of the kids. Having them not there also frees up the speaker to talk honestly and openly about adult issues in a way that would be difficult with kids listening.

Dude, just make the switch already! Honestly, in your position I'd do it in a heartbeat. Baptists are gonna be saved too, ya know, so go where you're being fed!

Bravus,

We usually go to SDA because I teach sabbath school...but check in at my friends church 1 or 2 times a month.

It is educational to see both scenarios..

Also..I am not in this for just me..
I pity the starved SDA's...and I want my son to know that the sabbath is significant.

But what is your son learning from your going to the Baptist church twice a month?

Yes, I agree that I expect different behavior from my kids at McDonald's vs. a nicer restaurant.
I just find it hard when I have to "shush" them during the sermon knowing they are much happier in the Children's church.

Kim

Kimberly--you have a very good question. I was raised in SDA churches in which the kids always went to church with the adults so I never thought anything of it. However, when I had kids of my own, I often wished for a children's church of some kind. (however, like Christine, I think I'd probably get "stuck" in leadership of children's church, which has made me extremely reluctant to suggest it anywhere--I just don't have the energy for that!)

I have a very good Southern Baptist friend who moved from SC to MI. She said that when she was growing up, it was just as I said--kids sat with parents. It was also this way in the church they attended before they moved. So when they moved and she was looking for a church to attend, she was not sure what to think about the kids going to a program that was separate from the adult church. On the one hand, she enjoyed not having to worry about keeping them quiet, etc. On the other hand, she was not happy that the family was split up for worship time, and was concerned that the kids wouldn't want to come to church after being entertained (pretty much what happened in the churches she was checking out) in the children's sections.

Having never attended a church which had a separate children's program for church, I can't say I prefer one over the other. I do know that my kids have gone from having a bag of soft quiet toys to having a small Magna Doodle to my 7 year old not taking anything anymore because he wants to listen (though it's difficult, since we have to listen to every sermon in translation, which makes it twice as long and sometimes very difficult to follow--I try to point out Chinese words he already knows and show him the verses in my Bible and help him read them) and my 5 year old doing a little drawing and doodling on notepads. They do not "love" church, and I'm sorry for that--this is a very difficult situation. However, they don't "hate" it, either. They have a very good Sabbath School class which they both love, and that probably helps with their attitude.

I know I used to be bored in church (still am, sometimes), but it never occurred to me to want to be elsewhere (I'm kind of dense, perhaps) until I was a teenager. If it's an exceptionally long service, I will let the boys leave the sanctuary and go outside after the sermon (before the final hymn and announcements)--there's a limit to how long they can/will/should be expected to sit quietly (and I thorougly second the suggestion to sit near the edge so you can leave easily if need be!).

I don't know how old your kids are, but small Magna Doodles worked wonders for us for several years. They can write, draw, doodle, etc, very quietly. Easy to carry along, no mess, etc.

M