Children Worship & Wonder

Children Worship & Wonder is faith formation worship centered approach with storytelling, ritual, and fellowship that is used with children in churches to help them deepen their relationship with God.

Because Children Worship & Wonder is a worship experience, we use the familiar four-fold order of worship, which mirrors the congregational worship service. At the beginning of Children Worship & Wonder, children come into our dedicated children’s sanctuary. Debbie Walker, a storyteller, is waiting to greet them. Children sit in a circle, surrounded by bible stories created just for them. All of the materials are at their height. Everything in this special place is accessible to the children. Ms. Debbie leads the children in a time of singing and praise. This coming together of the children follows the first order of worship which is the gathering of God’s people.

Each Sunday the children will hear one of God’s stories in a storytelling format told with multi-sensory materials that children of different ages, and with different learning styles, can enter into and enjoy. When the story concludes, the children share in a time of wonder about the story. Ms. Debbie asks ‘wondering questions’ to help them dive deeper into the meaning of the story and to listen for God’s still voice that is found there. These questions sound like, ‘I wonder if the Good Shepherd’s sheep have names?’ Or, ‘I wonder what it was like to be in the ark for forty days…I wonder if Noah knew that God was with him?’ These wondering questions ask the children how they are part of the story and how they are a part of the bigger Christian story. Children see that the stories in the Bible are their stories too.

Third, children will respond to God’s story. In the congregational worship service, we respond through prayer, song, offering, celebrating the Lord’s Supper, commissioning, and celebrating baptisms. The children have the chance to respond to the Word in a myriad of ways as well, including using the story materials to tell the story they just heard, a story they heard on a previous Sunday, and their own story. They may also choose to work with art and craft materials, pray at the prayer table, dance in the dance corner, or build with materials such as clay or blocks. These response materials are there to help them express their relationship with God. After they respond in a way they choose, the children come back to the circle. Here, the storyteller lights the Christ candle and shows the children where the story they heard is found in the Bible. Then as a community they pray together and share in a feast.

As children leave the worship center, the children participate in the final part of worship, which is the sending out of God’s people into the world. Ms. Debbie gives each child a special blessing as they leave to be God’s disciples in their homes, schools, and activities.

We follow this worship order every Sunday. Because there is a ritual to our time together, the children are free to relax into the space and go deeper into the stories. They can truly enter into a time of listening and talking with God. As children move from Children Worship & Wonder into congregational worship, they are already familiar with the rhythm and joy of worshiping. They bring this  knowledge with them as they continue participating in worship with the whole congregation.

Children’s Corner: Lessons from the Heart

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