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THE NORTHERN KENTUCKY SEARCHER VOLUME 2, NUMBER 51, JANUARY 19, 2003 CHILDREN,
CHILDREN, EVERYWHERE!!!
Last Lord’s Day evening we had the congregational meeting to discuss
the year gone by and the plans for 2003 and beyond.
In the course of the presentation, Woody said that we now have 49
children in this congregation. That
did not include those still residing within their mothers who have yet to make
their appearance. Woody has often
said that there are more children now than there were adults in the congregation
when he and Joyce first got here.
What a wonderful opportunity! What
an awesome responsibility! Forty
nine, and counting, young people whose futures lie before them.
Forty nine, and counting, young people who will grow to adulthood almost
before we can blink. Forty nine, and
counting, young people who can grow to be stalwarts in the Lord’s church.
Forty nine, and counting, young people that God has blessed us with the
chance to teach and influence for good. I
would like to make a few recommendations for the parents of these precious kids,
and for all of the rest of us who are members at
1. Show the children what a privilege, honor, and joy it is to come
together with Christians to worship God and to study His Word.
In Psalm 122:1, David wrote, “I was glad when they said to me, Let
us go to the house of the Lord.” I
am convinced that children whose parents always view assembling with the saints,
either for worship or bible study, as a highlight of the week will actually come
to look forward to it themselves. It
doesn’t just have to be the parents either.
Children can pick up the attitude of the adults around them, they can
sense an atmosphere of joy and love as well as an atmosphere of discontent or
disinterest. If parents grumble
about “going to church” and make it appear to be a chore rather than a joy
– I can guarantee that that is exactly how the kids will feel about it too.
Do you realize that there are actually some children who ask their
parents to bring them to bible study and their parents don’t? How long do you
think kids like that will keep asking? Let
us show the young people here that God comes first in our lives and that
worshipping Him and studying His Word with fellow Christians is where we most
want to be.
2. Let’s teach the young people respect for God, for His Word, and
for others. Little things mean a
lot. In Nehemiah 8:1 – 3, we read,
“And all the people gathered as one man at the square which was in front of
the Water Gate, and they asked Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of
Moses which the Lord had given to
It is thrilling to read of a time when all the people stood with rapt
attention to the Word for a period of several hours.
In the reading it sure doesn’t seem like there was much disturbance
going on. Everyone was focused on
what was being said and what was being done.
Let us teach the young people to do the same – to focus on what is
being said and what is being done – and by so doing, allowing everyone else to
focus and concentrate. It is not too
much to ask our young people, unless there is a problem, to sit for 60 minutes
without getting up to go to the bathroom or to go get a drink of water.
Children who can sit for two hours through a movie without moving can do
it at services as well. Every time
someone stands up and leaves the assembly, all eyes that are behind that person
just seem to naturally follow that person out.
It is disruptive. Sometimes
it can’t be helped, most times it can. Let’s
teach our young people to get the drink before or between the services and to go
to the bathroom before, between, or after the services.
We who are adults know how difficult it is to maintain focus and even
more so to refocus once we have broken concentration.
3. Let’s pay attention to the kids.
Obviously the parents are going to do this.
So are the grandparents. But
how about those of us who have no children or whose children are grownup?
I am convinced that most children, especially those young ones, like to
be noticed and talked to. When I was
young, it always made me feel good when an adult acted like they were truly glad
to see me. These children are the
future of the church. We need to
really be glad to see them, and it sure couldn’t hurt to let them know
that. A pat on the back, a
compliment, a sincere question about school or their other activities – these
things mean something.
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