We are creating a Wee Worship space in the front, right of the sanctuary for children of all ages and their families. It will include carefully curated activities for quiet engagement with a small table, pillows, and a large rug to define the space. We plan for it to be available beginning on Sunday, August 17th.
Part One
The Reverend Dr. Angus MacLean, First U’s beloved minister of religious education from 1961 to 1967, is quite famous for an essay that asserted, “The method is the message.” He also shared, if we keep the generations separated at all times, our children and youth will learn from experience that they are not welcome in all spaces, no matter how much we might assert in words that they are.
Three years ago UUCC chose to always include children and youth with their families in our worship service by changing the schedule for religious education to happen after service instead of concurrently. We were moving from what we knew to what we didn’t know. And, there may have been some resistance. And, we did it because children belong with their families and the congregation in one of the most important things that we do together as a religious community.
A family’s busy life needs spiritual practice that binds the family and community in shared experience. We also know that some families have shared that it is difficult for them to have their children in worship with them. They have concerns that the wiggles and sounds that their children make will be a disturbance to others and believe that those things are not welcome. I observe that many families sit in the back or in the balcony. I know for some of them, it is a choice because of the noise concern. And, the back and the balcony are the least optimal space for a young child to be able to engage their spirit and mind with the ritual, music, story, poetry, and the shared wisdom. They will be disinterested and not have much of an outlet for the same behaviors that all humans have when they are disinterested. This can make it difficult for caregivers to fully participate and may seem that it is not beneficial for their kids either in this format.
It can be one of our greatest joys and greatest challenges to make worship relevant to children. Each of us, as an individual, and the church as a whole, are transformed in the process of finding belonging and making space for every person to belong. When we all engage together we are open to spiritual growth by being mindful of and open to the possibility of transformative experiences. That is the point of religion. Transformation – The joy. And, for most of us, this is not how we were introduced to church as children. The challenge.
When we sing with joy, we are experiencing and modeling a way to bring the spirit of life into our bodies.
When we close our eyes as the bell tolls, others notice our reverence.
When we laugh out loud or shout out an answer to a question, it brings the experience of a creative, shared worship into the space.
When we sway or clap to the music others know that the similar way that their body wants to respond is welcome and celebrated.
When we knit or doodle, others can acknowledge that the diversity of each mind’s experience allows for the many ways that one is able to be present to what our worship has to offer.
This is an opportunity for “experilearning.” Let’s embrace this approach with a willingness to adjust, to change materials, to change expectations, and to go slowly as essential to the success of our dedicated space for children in the sanctuary.
More details on the actual “how” this will happen in Part Two.
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