Stepping Stones By Kelly NooNoo
ith the COVID-19 Pandemic, everything looks and feels different. As churches across the country are wor- shiping largely from home, there is a shock to our spiritual systems that can be difficult for families to work through. What if this time spent worshiping at home can be a stepping stone to help families equip their chil- dren to worship more fully, at home and when they return to the local sanctuary?
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Fulfilling our Creator’s Purpose New City Catechism Question 10:
What does God require in the fourth and fifth commandments?
Fourth, that on the Sabbath day we spend time in public and private worship of God, rest from routine employment, serve the Lord and others, and so anticipate the eternal Sabbath. Fifth, that we love and honor our father and our mother, submitting to their godly discipline and direction.
All people are created to worship. It is good that the Bible gives direction on what the Lord wants for us and from us.
The catechism teaches that people are created to bring God glory, and to do that in all forms of worship; times of corpo- rate worship, informal times of singing songs to the Lord in the car or cleaning the kitchen. For many children, the most effective teaching is hearing and seeing their parents simply living their lives; what they hear and see parents do shapes their expectations and thoughts.
Working through Worship When we worship as a family, we are modeling and shaping discipline for our children. It is work for us to teach them
what is expected and it is work for them to meet our expectations. Before sitting down to worship with our families, we need to decide what each child in our house is capable of doing
during worship. We know our children are fearfully and wonderfully made, just as we know that they are all unique! At Back Creek Church we have expectations for each child: Love, Listen & Look, Learn, and Live. Usually we make
these expectations based on age, but being in a home environment, you may want to make choices based on your child’s development. Just as important as your expectations, is for parents to have the same expectations and to explain them to your child(ren) clearly so everyone is ready to worship. Try to set obtainable goals. A good start may be “quiet hands, quiet feet, quiet mouth” for however many minutes you
think reasonable. These goals will all differ from house to house and child to child. After deciding expectations, decide on appropriate reactions and reinforcements from you. When things go well, reinforce by giving your child something he/she values. It may be more effective if these are things that your child doesn’t have regular access to play with or use. On Sunday morning, while you are still in “training
mode” set your family up for success! Have a plan for your family to be ready for worship, have the activities and re- inforcements ready beforehand. Also, be encouraged that any skills learned worshipping at home will transfer to your local sanctuary when churches meet together again.?
Kelly NooNoo is the Children’s Ministry Director from
Back Creek Church in Charlotte, NC. She is a member of the Christian Education Ministries board. Kelly is married to Wayne and they have two children.
Helping Christians Grow 10 The Associate Reformed Presbyterian
Christian Education Ministries
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