Coming to church if you have little kids is, we know, a struggle. We do everything we can to make it comfortable for both the children and their parents. Instead of providing a separate nursery, we’ve been having success with a “Godly play” area set aside in one corner at the back of our Worship Space. There children play quietly on a rug with soft toys, puzzles and picture books oriented to religious themes. Their parents sit right there.
When a child needs to be more active or “loud,” parents can take them out into the Gathering Space or even downstairs to play in the big Parish Hall. We broadcast the service both places–and will add a speaker at the outdoor playground we will inaugurate in the spring of 2009. But Holy Cross is not a place where we think children should be “seen but not heard.” We understand that a certain amount of moving around and talking is how children behave. Learning to be quiet and part of a community takes time–and we give it to our young families.
We do welcome even young children, after they are baptized, to join in receiving Holy Communion. Parents bring them to the Altar from wherever they have been earlier in the service.
If you think you might like to be part of our ministry with young families, please contact Fr. John or Bobbi-Jo Plamondon.