Helping Children Celebrate - Ministry Mag.

[Woody]

The November Ministry Magazine has an article on "Creative Celebrations - involving children in your special services. At first I was really excited about it. But upon reflection ... I am not so sure. Let me run by a few of the suggestions and see what you think ;

For Baby Dedications

"Give the children pots of bubbles to blow over the baby being dedicated or handfuls of flower petals to throw over the baby and the baby's family"

Involving children in baptismal services

1. "Give each child a few red paper heart shapes to scatter onto the water"

2."Give each child a piece of plastic cut into the shape of a person." "Then let the children "baptize" their plastic people in the water"

Okay ... there is obviously much more. I have cut this to a minimum because I don't want to type anymore.

But what do you think so far?

[Woody]

Yes, I guess they could start having too much fun dunking those pretend people.

[Woody]

Children have trouble with abstract thought. What if they started thinking it was okay to baptize people on their own. I can envision some REAL problems.

[Dottie]

The above suggestions would cause the children to see the ordinances as party time, rather than a joyful,but solemn event. IMO.

[Woody]

Well ... you should send your thoughts to Karen Holford, MA Associate Director of Childrens Ministries for the south of England. Maybe they do things differently in England.

[Woody]

Actually Dottie ... I had the same concerns.

[rudywoofs (Pam)]

Dottie, I agree with you..

[phkrause]

Interesting stuff Redwood.

pk

[Woody]

Also Dottie ... how are the rest of us going to feel seeing the caous and confusion and noise of these children doing their thing?

[GreatLakesGramma]

I agree with you guys. Children need to learn that they are not going to be the center of attention all the time. It doesn't hurt them one bit to learn to sit still and be quiet. I would not want a bunch of children blowing bubbles or throwing petals over my baby during his dedication.

Children do not need to do things like that in order to grow up wanting to stay in the church. What they really need is to be made to feel that they are loved and wanted, and that the older people are genuinely interested in them.

[Tom Wetmore]

Quote:

But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple area, "Hosanna to the Son of David," they were indignant.

"Do you hear what these children are saying?" they asked him. "Yes," replied Jesus, "have you never read, " 'From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise'?"

Mat 21:15-16

[there buster]

We involve the children in our services every week. There are several segments directly for them. In our church, worship is for everyone, of all ages.

Most churches spend the children's first 12-13 years telling them, "Worship service is not for you." Young adult attrition is nearing 70%. In other words, when they become independent, they tell us, "Church is not for me."

And we wonder where they got that idea.

[Woody]

If any of you can get ahold of this Ministry magazine ... you should. I just don't want to have to retype all of it for you. I wonder if it is online. I will have to go and check.

[Woody]

Presto. I found it. Here it is:

http://www.ministrymagazine.org/archive/2009/November/involving-children-in-your-special-services

[rudywoofs (Pam)]

from the Ministry Magazine

Quote:

Give the children pots of bubbles to blow over the baby being dedicated or handfuls of flower petals to throw over the baby and the baby’s family. Explain that, as they blow the bubbles or scatter the petals, they are to pray a silent prayer for the baby or think of a special blessing (give them an example of a blessing to spark their creativity) for the baby.

Children aren't going to look at a baby dedication conducted in that manner as anything having to do with God. They're going to look at it as "play time"...

I'm not impressed with the baptismal suggestions either.

[Woody]

Quote:

but a feeling of belonging over the long period of time may be enhanced because of the continuing involvement in church activities.

Excellent Point there CoA

[nuff sed]

Is there nothing Sacred that remains Sacred and not to be trivialized in order for children to be "involved" (and still not understand the significance)? Preparing cookies for children to eat during communion service totally misdirects the whole idea to the act of eating instead of the significance of the act, Do you then give the kids unblessed grape juice so that they will not feel "left out"?

Instead of blowing bubbles and getting detergent all over the platform why not let the kids "sprinkle" the babies, then they won't have to be baptized later.----(TIC)

As far as dunking plastic people in baptism.............If there is anything that just "Must" be done why not do it in the children's divisions at the Sabbath School time specifically for them?

I,personally, think that the time just before the sermon dedicated to the children is one of the most under-utilized "services" we have. Some churches don't even bother. I found that. sometimes. the children's story had more effect on the adults than the children.

Time for the kids???...Yes? Mini/watered-down ceremonies, NO!

[Dottie]

Glad - -

I went to a church one time during communion with my preschool boys. After the service, all the children were taken downstairs to where the communion had been prepared to have a drink of the unblessed juice. The adults simply could not understand why I would not let my boys have any of the juice. They didn't seem to realize that a 3- or 4-year-old didn't know the difference.

The children in our church do a lot of things. There are "junior" deacons taking the offering under the close supervision of adults. We have a children's group that sings up front, the usual children's story (I agree that most of the time, they have no idea what it's about), the little children collect dollars before the children's story. We have a teenager on the architectual committee for the new church. Etc.

You are very welcome to visit any time. :)

[GreatLakesGramma]

I agree totally with you, Gladussee.

As I said before, in other words, children do not need church turned into play time in order to keep them in church as they grow up. They need to be made to feel loved and wanted.

In the church where we go now, the young people do not want to leave when they grow up. They go far away to college, but they do not want to stay away when they finish, even though Michigan has few job opportunities for anyone. They are hoping to find work in the same area so they can still come to our church. Why? Because our church is FAMILY to them. The same reason we drive the 50 mile round trip to attend there when we have 4 other Adventist churches less than 15 miles from our home.

[GreatLakesGramma]

Dottie, I like the things your church is doing. It's better for children to be involved in those ways, doing "grown up" things, and making a real contribution.

[Amelia]

*GP

I guess I don't understand why children need to be involved in things that are not about them. A baptism is all about the person being baptised. If it were me, I wouldn't want kids tossing stuff at me while I was trying to focus on Jesus and my soul conversion. I have been to churches where the children are free to wander about during service. They play all over the pews and crawl over people willy nilly. I found it very annoying and distracting. The sanctuary is not a play ground. Honestly, what is a child getting out of the service if they are playing? Take them to the cradle room or where ever.

And bubbles? You know they wont want to give those up and keep blowing them throughout the service.

[LifeHiscost]

The November Ministry Magazine has an article on "Creative Celebrations - involving children in your special services. At first I was really excited about it. But upon reflection ... I am not so sure. Let me run by a few of the suggestions and see what you think ;

For Baby Dedications

"Give the children pots of bubbles to blow over the baby being dedicated or handfuls of flower petals to throw over the baby and the baby's family"

Involving children in baptismal services

1. "Give each child a few red paper heart shapes to scatter onto the water"

2."Give each child a piece of plastic cut into the shape of a person." "Then let the children "baptize" their plastic people in the water"

Okay ... there is obviously much more. I have cut this to a minimum because I don't want to type anymore.

But what do you think so far?

Not sure about the baby dedication since the service is a manmade tradition instituted for parents that wish a legup for their children into the kingdom of heaven. Can't blame them for that.

OTOH, baptism is a service instituted by Jesus with a specific reason of objectivity intended. What do the childrens' intrusive activity do to make the object lesson speak with more clarity.

"Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection"Romans 6:3-5 NKJV

Blessings!

[nuff sed]

This contribution is in keeping with the thoughts of this thread..believe it or not!....I will, probably, be 'stoned before the altar' for my next remarks but I am going to say them anyway. The 'Adventurers Club" was begun somewhere while I was a Conference Youth/Pathfinder leader because the 'little kids were missing out and wanted to do what the Pathfinders were doing'. I was not and still am not in favor of the program as a whole. I have always felt that running an early parallel program to the Pathfinder program defeats its purpose. There is only a small window of opportunity when kids are interested in what Pathfinders have to offer. When you start out early with a watered-down program for several years by the time the kids are old enough for Pathfinders they are too often no longer interested.Instead of looking forward and eager for the day when they can be Pathfinders it is no longer 'new and exciting'... Then they retreat to their computers, X-boxes and Ipods.

Let the stone-throwing and righteous indignation begin.

[phkrause]

You make some very good points Gladussee.

pk

[GreatLakesGramma]

Then there's Eager Beavers, for the preschoolers.

In our church, there are very few, if any, dropouts. Maybe it's that family feeling again.