At these words each Sunday morning, you hear a gentle stampede of feet, voices barely subdued, as the young children practically trip over themselves to head down to their program: children’s church. Do you ever secretly wish you could follow them, peek into what goes on downstairs, and just be a fly on the wall? What are we doing down there?
Prayer, worship, BIble study, and relationship-building. But it looks a little different each week.
Preschoolers sing a welcome song, greeting each other by name, then close with a greeting to God, praising him for being in their midst. The elementary students pray, then sing a worship song – often with wiggly hand or body motions. While the songs may be geared to children, our teachers intentionally choose them for the sound doctrine that will reinforce what we believe about God and the Bible.
This semester, the students have been learning about the early church, especially the ministries of the apostles Peter and Paul. I am often amazed at how I can see parallels to what we’re hearing in the sermon upstairs. An example of this was used at the Family Service when the children demonstrated their elegant “Rube Goldberg machine” to illustrate our unity in the Spirit of God. This project spanned a number of weeks, and involved a lot of teamwork and problem-solving!
The teachers and helpers aim to keep the time active and engaging—anchoring the stories to activities that we pray will hold fast in their hearts and minds. So while learning about Priscilla and Aquila, tent-makers who supported Paul on a journey, the children also constructed tents—but with toothpicks and marshmallows.
This spring, we’re looking forward to spending more time outdoors. Our praise may get rowdy, and our prayers might be written on pebbles or with watercolor paint. I am grateful for the teachers and helpers that partner with us, guiding with gentleness and modeling curiosity. As these children delight in our Father’s world, and learn of his great love for them, we offer this time as a sacrifice of worship.