Children
Come Together. Right Now. Over Me.
by Peggy Drinkard
There is only one man qualified, and worthy, of giving the above imperative; the Lord Jesus. Last night we observed Reformation Celebration. I think it’s fair to say “a good time was had by all” and it went well. Nonetheless, I found it frustrating that the adults in attendance were primarily those who were helping to put it on. Each year as I prepare for this event, I learn more about the Reformers and the Reformation, and realize what an incredible event it was in the history of God s people. Psalm 78 commands us to recount His wonders to our children, and consequently, to their children. A favorite part says, “We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the generation to come the praises of the Lord and His strenghth and His wondrous works that He has done.” It also details some sad and dire consequences for failure to pass our inheritance in God along to our children. The Protestant Reformation certainly qualifies as one of His wonders. As time goes on I increasingly regard our own Reformation Celebration as less of a “Halloween alternative” and more of a genuine holiday in it’s own right that we really should celebrate as the people of God. (The advent of “Christian themed” horror houses and such in recent years disinclines me even further to try and “compete”with the world on the world’s terms anyway.) So, to my main point. ..On occasion I dismiss Covenant Kids’ Club on Sunday nights because of some event I REALLY WANT the children to participate in with the adults…something I want them to SEE and OBSERVE. The result is usually that the children AND their parents don’t attend because there is “nothing for the kids” that night. And conversely, when some event is held that is perceived as “for the kids”, the majority of adults don’t come. (Ive intentionally included some more sophisticated games in the Reformation Celebration that could be enjoyed by adults if only we had the childlike abiliity to enjoy playing.) We have become so acclimated to our culture’s system of “age-segregation” that even as Christians we have small regard for “coming together.” Recommendations on ways to help our church do this are most welcomed.
Posted by Peggy Drinkard at October 30, 2006 08:28 AM
I was about to post a ‘thank you’ to all involved last night when I saw your post. It was a great time. I learned a lot myself- particularly in “Reformation Lingo”!.
I too want to see less age/interest segregation at RPC. In truth, it is probably less than at other churches. Still, the church and families are to work hand in hand in order to grow all the members toward Christ. Unfortunately, a lot of people (in the general population, not necessarily speaking of RPC here) look to the church, the schools & other institutions to serve as much as baby sitters or custodians of their children as much as possible (see Tim’s previous post).
I guess the thing is this: What you provide for the children is a cohesive and necessary part of the larger vision of RPC as well as a wider view of Christian lifestyle. Sadly, it is so woven into our culture to compartmentalize & subdivide our lives- even into this arena. We have to be reminded that just as Christ pervades every nook & cranny of our lives, so the church should generally function (w)holistically.
Thanks again to everyone involved last night- it was a great time.
Peggy,
I agree that last night was a tremendous success.
And, I’ll confess, that when I first read your post, I was taken aback a bit. Then, I stopped and asked myself how many of the games I actually played. I took Nathan to all of them (that he’d go to anyway), and tried to get him to play, but I didn’t do any of it. And I should have.
Good food for thought. Thanks again for everything you did to organize and prepare for last night, and all you do for RPC in general.