Let the Children Come
“Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” (Mark 10:14)
“Children learn to worship by worshipping—through participation, practice and patience… A great deal of our parenting in the pew is just letting our children see us celebrate before the Lord.” (Robbie Castleman, Parenting in the Pew)
“In many of our modern, sophisticated congregations, children are viewed as distractions. We tolerate children only to the extent they promise to become ‘adults’ like us. Adults complain that they cannot pay attention to the sermon, listen to the beautiful music with figety kids in the pews. ‘Send them away,’ many adults say… Interestingly, Jesus put a little child in the center of His disciples, “in the midst of them,” in order to help them pay attention… the child was a last ditch effort by God to help them pay attention to the odd nature of God’s kingdom. Few acts of Jesus are more radical, countercultural than His blessing of children.” (Castleman)
At Lakeside, children are welcome!!! While a caring nursery/class is available for our youngest members (up to age 4), parents are welcome to keep their children with them during all services. Robbie Castleman’s Parenting in the Pew (InterVarsity Press,1993) is a excellent resource in equipping parents to train their children in the joy of worship.
Read excerpts from Parenting in the Pew