Worshiping Together
Worshipping Together is a Milestone Celebration for the Faith Sunday School group (4-year-olds) and their parents.
I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the LORD!” ~ Psalm 122:1
By learning about and experiencing worship on their level, young children grow to become full, active participants in weekly worship with the gathered community. As faithful disciples, children learn that worship is a continuous response to God’s grace in their lives and can happen anytime, anywhere.
Gifts for Remembrance
Each child receives a clay faith stone to add to their Treasure Box with the symbol for this Milestone: a church steeple beneath the cross reminding us that Christ is the head of the church.
As families gather, they work on creating a Church Clock, a simple, concrete way to introduce the seasons of the church year to our young children. Each child receives a copy of Come Worship With Me: A Journey through the Church Year by Ruth Boling, which is a colorful and beautifully illustrated book for children and their families.
Books for the Home
- Why Do We Have to Be So Quiet in Church? by Clare Simpson
- God’s Quiet Things by Nancy Sweetland
- The Apostle’s Creed: Follow and Do by Joni Walker
- The Apostle’s Creed by Jim Gimbel (available through Amazon Used Books)
- Why Is There a Cross? by Kathleen Long Bostrom
- (For Parents) Parenting in the Pew: Guiding Your Children into the Joy of Worship by Robbie Castleman
Faith Practices for the Home
Caring Conversations
- Talk with your child about the times and places that you can worship God. Say words of praise all during the day to recognize God’s presence in your daily routines. Offer sentence prayers as you get into your car, meet new people, and witness God’s amazing work in the world.
- Wake up your child each morning with the words from Psalm 118:24, “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it!”
Daily Devotions
- Pray for the spiritual leaders who serve in worship leadership each week—pastors, lay leaders, elders, deacons, choir members, etc. Ask for God to be present with them as they lead.
- Take turns leading the prayer before your family meal. Develop a rhythm and ritual to your daily routines that include recognizing and praising God for every little blessing AND challenge!
- Read and work together on your child’s Passport to Worship. Although there are only 8 pages in the passport, your family can work with the learnings and insights year-round as you develop and strengthen your family’s spiritual practice of worship.
Family Traditions
- Make Sunday worship attendance a priority. Prepare the night before by laying our clothes, setting our your child’s Bible and talking about the offering your child will bring as his or her “thank-you” to God.
- Attend worship as a family. Children learn by doing and your family has a wonderful opportunity to model Christian discipleship each and every week.
Servant Acts
- Become an “community greeter” in worship! Make a point to greet those people who are sitting around you each week. Learn their names and welcome them to worship!
- Learn about the role of an usher for Sunday worship. As you enter worship, thank those who serve as ushers for their time and service. Ask a pastor how your family could help with ushering or other duties related to our community worship.
Professing our Faith: Catechism Connections
Presbyterians have historically professed their faith through their creeds, confessions and catechisms. Belonging to God: A First Catechism provides simple language for parents and children as they profess their faith.
Question 35. What is the church?
Answer: We are the church: the people who believe the good news about Jesus, who are baptized, and who share in the Lord’s Supper. Through these means of grace, the Spirit renews us so that we may serve God in love.
Scripture background: Acts 2:38-47; I Corinthians 12:4-7, 12-13; Ephesians 3:14-19
Question 39. Why do Christians gather for worship on the first day of the week?
Answer: Because it is the day when God raised our Lord Jesus from the dead. When we gather weekly on that day, the Spirit makes our hearts glad with the memory of our Lord’s resurrection.
Scripture background: Matthew 28:1-10; Luke 24:1-2; Acts 20:7
Question 40. What do we do in Christian worship?
Answer: We adore and praise God. We pray, sing hymns, and listen to readings from the Bible. We also give offerings to God for the work of the church, and commit ourselves to serve God and our neighbors. Above all, we hear the preaching of the gospel and celebrate the sacraments.
Scripture background: Acts 2:43-47; Ephesians 5:19-20; I Corinthians 16:2; Psalm 92:1-4
Faith Development for 3-5 Years Old
The world of a 3 to 5 year olds is expanding quickly. This is an important time for language development. Have children tell you about their experiences and feelings. Let their play, imagination, and exploration be filled with positive images of God’s loving presence in their lives through attentive, loving adults. Children are becoming more aware of and interested in outside sources of interactions: friends, television, and the like. They see, hear, and understand more than we realize. These important years can give children a positive self-image that says, “I belong here,” and “I can do it!” Have children participate in service to others – both inside and beyond the home. From Vibrant Faith Milestones Ministry
