Check out this blog: "Parents with Young Children in Church"
Pat Infante
I shared this on Facebook – and wanted to make sure more see it.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jamie-bruesehoff/parents-kids-church_b_3909085.html
I think babies and young children get lots of bad press – and it’s so important for them and their parents to feel at ease and welcome. One minister I know made a public statement in worship that said “crying babies are welcome.” That’s a step in the right direction. I emailed to remind him that babies also make other noises, and suggested a change to add laughing to the mix.
When we were building a new sanctuary in Orlando, they built on a room with window to the sanctuary for brides and parents – and were going to label it the “cry room.” I interceded and said, “How about wiggle room?” A couple of years later, we moved to San Antonio, where the parents of an Orlando member had been inspired to build a new sanctuary as well. When I saw “wiggle room” on their door, my heart leapt.
People who wish to exclude children are missing the point of religious community, in my opinion, which is to pass on the legacy of communal worship, education and fellowship.
We change the culture one step at a time. How will you move it forward this week?
In service,
Andrea
|
Andrea Lerner, District Executive Unitarian Universalist District of Metropolitan New York
|