Family Sundays Resources
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Family Sundays
Family Sunday is an opportunity for families to worship together. At Oakwood, we believe these opportunities are equally important as the events and programs we have on a regular basis for your children.
We do understand worship as a family can be challenging at times and requires you, as parents and caregivers, to be “faith-trainers” to your children during the service. You know your children and will have individual ideas, strategies and styles to engage in worship as a family. However, we wanted to give some as a resource that we have pulled from other churches, articles and websites because it is our heart’s desire to encourage and support you. Know we’re praying for you and look forward to worshiping with you and your family.
Before you come to church:
• Include acts of worship in your daily life (opportunities to pray, talking about worship, reading the Bible, etc.)
• Discuss worship at home and/or on your way to church with your kids. Clearly talk through what they can expect, how they can be involved and what your expectations are. Explain worship is prayer, singing and hearing stories about God and is important to you.
• Pray for yourself and your children to be in the right frame of mind and heart before coming.
• Younger children have “emotional tanks” that need to be filled to feel secure. Taking time to cuddle, holding them or any kind of physical contact prior to the service may surprise you with the difference it makes.
At church:
• We will have coloring pencils and activity pages for your children to grab as they walk into church. There will also be the order of the service so your children can specifically follow along. There are also “Kids’ Scribble Pages” in the chair pockets.
• Children learn “worship etiquette” by participation. Feel free to whisper instructions to help them learn.
• Children also learn from example. Does your child see your need and desire to worship by listening and watching you?
• Encourage children to look around and draw or write what they see if it is difficult for them to pay attention. Art can be profound and doesn’t necessarily mean they are not listening.
• Feel free to give your child a break by taking him/her out if you think it is necessary. Our lobby has a live feed of the service so you won’t miss anything.
Ideas of things to draw/write:
• Draw the things you see in the
• Draw a picture of what you heard in the Bible passage
• Write the words you hear and like or you think are important
• Write out verses or passages from the Bible
• Draw, write what the message is about
• Illustrate or write anything you think of while worshiping
After the service:
• The way home is a great opportunity to talk with your children about their experience and what they learned. Look for opportunities to relate worship and the message to daily life.
Suggestions were pulled from the following sources: Beal Heights Presbyterian Church; Kathy Sneller, Reformed Worship magazine;