Monday, July 21, 2008

Church Update

So, unless I miscounted, we had 37 people in our home on Friday evening (14 adults and 23 children ages 8 and under). Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves eating food and playing games. This was primarily a "get to know each other" gathering and despite the diverse group in attendance everyone seemed to hit it off pretty well.

We are hoping to hold our first church meeting on Sunday, August 3rd. I'm still a bit puzzled as to how we will include 20+ young children without complete chaos. It wasn't too bad on Friday night as we have plenty of space for them to run and play, but getting them to hold still is a whole 'nother issue. Crystal has been coming up with some good ideas to keep them involved.

I don't think the answer is to become militaristic. The entire point of including children in church with the adults is so they can learn, grow, and at times even contribute...and I don't this this is achieved by squashing their child-like spirits. At the same time there has to be a certain level of order maintained so we can hear each other speak. I'm honestly not sure what the right balance is as we've never done this before (well, apart from with our own kids), but I trust that God will provide the answer(s).

Posted by Bobus at 10:19 AM
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2 comments:

  1. I know your struggle. We don't have nearly as many kids as you (who does?), but we still have to make sure that there's someone to take care of them and stuff for them to do. I quote Jack Handy when I say, The face of a child can say a lot; especially the mouth part of the face.

    Read I Corinthians 11-14 again, and imagine it taking place in a setting more like your own. Paul's teachings, though intimately tied to the culture of the day and the problems of the Corinthian church, make a lot more sense in a setting where people are sitting around the same table, and everyone feels permission to chime in and take part. If you fit the kids into the body metaphor, then your job is absolutely to help them make their vital contribution, but also to help them wait their turn and contribute without taking over.
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  2. Thanks Nick! I read over that passage in Corinthians a few times this week...thanks for the recommended read. Looking forward to hear more about what is going on with Tapestry.
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