tips and tricks for family worship

This February marks one year since we began inviting our children back into the corporate worship experience at Shartel! I have been given lots of positive feedback from the staff and congregation about what a blessing having the children in worship has been. When I look around and see your children praising the Lord and truly engaging in worship, I find myself being led by them! They inspire me to put aside the distractions and center my heart on the greatness of God. I have also heard from some of you that have struggled a bit with having your kids in the sanctuary. The wiggles and giggles can be a source of frustration at times. With this in mind, I wanted to offer some ideas of how to help your kids settle in to the corporate worship experience.

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You are loved and accepted as you are.

It's very easy to feel like a failure as a parent when your kids are not acting as you wish they would. And yes, there are times when taking your child to the bathroom to have a talk is warranted, necessary, and good! But, we have a very loving and accepting congregation who understands that kids are kids, and that the benefits of having your children in worship far outweigh the "disruptions" that come with it! Also, many times those disruptions feel much larger to us as parents than they actually are. So take a deep breath, relax, and know that your children don't have to be perfect. Jesus simply wants all of us, in all of our mess, to come to Him. Thank you, Lord!

Talk to your kids about your expectations before Sunday.

Have a sit-down conversation to tell your children what you expect from them during service, and why it is important. Remind them on Saturday night or Sunday morning on the way to church of your expectations, and give rewards when they rise to them!

Model what you want your kids to do.

Sing, clap, and bow your heads together. Bring your Bible. Commit to not checking your phone and engage in the sermon. Respond as you feel led. Monkey see, monkey do!

Additional ideas for younger kids:

- If it makes you feel more at ease, sit towards the back so that you can easily take a walk if needed. The Comfort Room in the south hallway is always available to our families if your child needs a break.

- Designate specific toys only for church, such as an activity book, a specific set of crayons or pens, a fidget, or a stuffed animal. Bringing these out only for family worship Sundays will help them feel special longer.

- Get your kids a children's Bible of their very own that they can bring! Help them find the story or verses and follow along with the sermon. If you need help with a Bible, just ask me!

- Explain what certain terms mean in the moment, or write them down to discuss with your child later.

Additional ideas for older kids:

- Have older kids bring their Bible, look up the verses, and underline them.

- Have them fill out the sermon outline and offer a reward for doing so.

- Buy a special journal and pen for church for taking their own notes. Let them pick it out!

- Have them write down or underline any terms or ideas they don't understand to discuss later.

- Jot down a couple of application questions to discuss with your children after the service.

I hope at least one or two items on this list will be helpful to you! I'm here to partner with you as we seek to set a solid spiritual foundation for our kids. If you have any other questions or want to talk further, you can contact me here.

Joyfully,
Pastor Erin

this month in pre-k

Play and Worship

Story: Jesus Heals a Blind Man (Mk. 10:46-52)
Bible Point: Jesus Helps Us!

This month in elementary

February 2

Story: God Provides Food for Elijah (1 Kings 17:1-6)
Bible Point: God is our provider, so we depend on Him.

February 9

Story: A Widow Shares her Last Bread (1 Kings 17:8-16)
Bible Point: God is generous, so we are generous.

February 16

Story: God Comforts Elijah (1 Kings 19)
Bible Point: God is comforting, so we comfort others

February 23

Enrichment/Review Week

Shartel Kidz Club Memory verses

Recite 2 Corinthians 1:4 for a small prize, and 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 for a $5 Braum's gift card at Shartel Kidz Club on February 23! Click on the video for a word-for-word song rendition of the Challenge Verse.
Prizes also available to any 5th-6th graders who want to memorize these!

shartel church t-shirts

Pastor Steve's next series is titled "We are the Church". On March 2, the service theme is "We Are Family", and we are ordering Shartel t-shirts for everyone to wear on that day - free of charge! If your kids need a child sized T-shirt, please CLICK HERE to let us know their size by February 9.

Volunteer Spotlight

Name: Connie Douglas
Where do you serve? I assist in the K-3 Sunday School class and I teach the 1st and 2nd grade Wed. night class.
How long have you served in Children's Ministry at Shartel? I have served in Children's ministry on and off for over 20 years. I was raised at Shartel and started teaching Sunday School when I was 18! I also served as the Coordinator for 3 years, which was especially challenging and fun. :)
What is your favorite thing about teaching our Shartel kids? Teaching has always been a calling for me, in both vocation and at church. I love teaching children about God's love! It is especially rewarding seeing the kids I have taught grow into adults who are still serving the Lord.

Thank you, Connie, for your investment in the next generation! We love you!

Resource corner

If you haven't noticed, we have been using a lot of "Slugs and Bugs" music lately to teach the kids different scriptures. Randall Goodgame is the musician behind the funny name, and he has a gift for putting scripture to music that is kid AND parent-friendly! If you are looking for an easy way to hide more of God's word in your kids' hearts without going crazy in the process, I highly recommend his "Sing the Bible" albums; there are 4 volumes! You can listen anywhere music is streamed.

He also has a show on Rightnow media called "Slugs and Bugs" that is aimed towards younger children and is a lot of fun. Did you know you have free access to Rightnow media through Shartel? Click the link below to see how you can create your free account.

rightNow Media