Reflections: Making a Joyful Noise
If you grew up attending church – what are your favorite memories?
I was thinking about mine as I was sitting at the February meeting of the Session at Sixth Church. Yes, I was paying attention–but I also I was listening to the sounds we could hear drifting down from the upstairs Sunday school rooms. I was sitting next to a newly elected session member and this was her first meeting as an elder.
We exchanged smiles and glances because the sounds we could hear coming from upstairs partly belonged to her son, age 7.
This year we began offering more child care during regular monthly meetings and church events in order to encourage leadership and participation of parents and family members of our youngest members.
While the adults were downstairs discussing church policy and reading financial reports, upstairs there was laughing, giggling, running, jumping and skipping. To me, the faint noise was joyous and not at all distracting. My heart was swelling with the happy sounds of a child playing.
After the meeting, I found out from our child care provider that there was a serious game of hide-and-seek happening upstairs. Some of my favorite memories are of playing, hiding, and exploring the church attended as a child. It was a place where I always felt loved, safe, and comfortable. I dearly loved the adults, older kids, and teens that would teach and play with us. They made us feel we were the center of their attention and love. I can only hope that our youngest church members feel the same way about Sixth Church.
What a special time that was for our young friend. He might not remember all the Bible stories, lessons, or crafts that we did during Sunday school and other programs. He just might remember the time he got to play and had a trusted adults ear and focus. He got to laugh, run, and be silly in a place that is special to his family. These are times that you really can't plan for or fabricate. They just happen and they are joyous.
Anne Lamont says the “laughter is carbonated holiness” – and I certainly agree the sounds of what was happening upstairs was pure holiness. Those are the sounds you hear and think to yourself, “now, that’s church.”
I was thinking about mine as I was sitting at the February meeting of the Session at Sixth Church. Yes, I was paying attention–but I also I was listening to the sounds we could hear drifting down from the upstairs Sunday school rooms. I was sitting next to a newly elected session member and this was her first meeting as an elder.
We exchanged smiles and glances because the sounds we could hear coming from upstairs partly belonged to her son, age 7.
This year we began offering more child care during regular monthly meetings and church events in order to encourage leadership and participation of parents and family members of our youngest members.
While the adults were downstairs discussing church policy and reading financial reports, upstairs there was laughing, giggling, running, jumping and skipping. To me, the faint noise was joyous and not at all distracting. My heart was swelling with the happy sounds of a child playing.
After the meeting, I found out from our child care provider that there was a serious game of hide-and-seek happening upstairs. Some of my favorite memories are of playing, hiding, and exploring the church attended as a child. It was a place where I always felt loved, safe, and comfortable. I dearly loved the adults, older kids, and teens that would teach and play with us. They made us feel we were the center of their attention and love. I can only hope that our youngest church members feel the same way about Sixth Church.
What a special time that was for our young friend. He might not remember all the Bible stories, lessons, or crafts that we did during Sunday school and other programs. He just might remember the time he got to play and had a trusted adults ear and focus. He got to laugh, run, and be silly in a place that is special to his family. These are times that you really can't plan for or fabricate. They just happen and they are joyous.
Anne Lamont says the “laughter is carbonated holiness” – and I certainly agree the sounds of what was happening upstairs was pure holiness. Those are the sounds you hear and think to yourself, “now, that’s church.”
Click the links below to read some related articles on kids in church:
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