Children's Church vs. 'Big Church'--A Novel Solution
For years parents and Christian educators have debated what's best for kids during the morning worship service. Should they have a separate program geared to their level of interest and learning style? Or should they experience the depth of worshiping with the whole family of God, even if they don't understand it all? First Church of the Nazarene in Frederick, Maryland, has a fresh answer for this long-time puzzle: Why not both? Its full-fledged children's church program for ages 4 through 10 runs only three (or four) Sundays a month. On the last Sunday of each month, children join the adults for the regular service, in which Pastor Robert A. Walter includes a standard children's message. "This way we have the best of both worlds," says Walter. "Our children's church staff really appreciates getting a 'breather' once a month, when they can worship with their own families. The children also find it a nice change of pace. I call them forward to sit around me on the floor for the children's message, and when they return to their seats afterward, they are usually well behaved and attentive throughout the rest of the service. "So they have a regular exposure to what goes on in 'big church.' But they are also getting a tailor-made program 75 percent of the time."
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