Children's Church

Church and kids mix together in very different ways here in Cambodia than they do in the U.S.

 

In the U.S., churches often have “nurseries” where kids are taken care of by well-trained staff, where there are lots of cool toys to play with, and where there are high-tech ways of calling the parents when the kids get too fussy.

 

Here in Cambodia, we have a solid wooden bed frame just outside the church building where parents sit with their kids (and hopefully the parents can coincidentally hear something of the service).  I usually just sit on a chair as part of the service while Sopheaktra stays on that bed frame with Davey Will.  But last week I sat with both of them, since the chairs were already pretty full by the time we arrived.  And, yes, the activity on that bed frame is pretty hectic, with it being very difficult to hear what’s going on in the service.  But it was cool to watch the kids play together.  Most kids bring some of their toys from home, and they generally wind up getting shared with any other kids who are at church that day.  Sometimes the kids get into minor conflicts, and the parents have to help them straighten it out, learn to share, and respond in appropriate ways.  Snacks are usually brought by parents to keep the kids happy, and those usually get shared, too.

 

Then it hit me.  What’s happening in the church service? Songs sung in praise to God, listening to the teaching of God’s word, etc.  Good stuff. But most “participants” don’t really participate; they’re pretty passive for most of the service.  Now, what’s happening with the kids outside?  Enjoying being together, learning how to resolve conflict with one another, sharing special possessions, and eating together.  I just had to wonder if the experience of the kids out on that wooden bed frame was as much a reflection of the New Testament picture of “church” as what was happening in the main service.  I suspect that it was.  Maybe even more so.