The Sunday Service for Children
The Sunday Service for children is a short, age-appropriate ritual that takes place in the sanctuary before the altar for children between the ages of seven and 14. It is the heart of our work with the children.
In this service, the children see in images, hear in words and encounter in the mood of prayer the Spirit they have been led to in the lessons of Sunday school. They not only learn to know Christ as the Spirit who lives and works in all of creation and who teaches us the path of love; they also learn to lift up their thoughts and feelings in prayer to the highest. In the Children’s Service we truly live out our religious life together, for it is there that we pray together.
The other essential aspect of our religious life with the children is the celebration of religious festivals, where the larger community comes together to celebrate in story, song, activities and prayer, the workings of Christ among us. Here, as in the service, the ‘instruction’ should be an experience. It may be said that regular, rhythmic attendance – as it fits in the life of the family – supports the religious life of the children.