As I’m consistently reminded by the discussions on Other Feminisms, practicing hospitable to the most vulnerable among us, to those with the most particular needs, helps us be more hospitable toward everyone. With this in mind, we’ve previously looked a little at hospitality in the church toward new moms. However, the reality of the mother-baby dyad means that welcoming babies welcomes moms and vice versa.
Dec 22, 2022·edited Dec 22, 2022Liked by Elizabeth Burtman
The church we've found a home in here in Wisconsin follows an "intergenerational model" - no separate children's programming, so all children are in the service. There is a nursery for kids up to age 3. It seems about half of the parents utilize it, and half have the littles with them. (That 1-2 age range can be tough!) It's always stated that it is there if parents desire to use the nursery, but there's no pressure either way. It seems sensory or busy items are welcomed in the service. The question about eating is interesting - I haven't noticed this either way! For us, there are decent acoustics and enough carpeting/cloth chairs to absorb excess noise. Which is good, because with all kids 3 and over in the service, there's bound to be some noise! Every Sunday in the welcome, they mention the intergenerational model... that children are welcome... and parents are encouraged to train their children to worship with the whole body during this time. And that training comes with some noise, but be mindful of when you may need to step out with them - continuing to train them and worship/listen together in the foyer. There is full visual of the service behind a glass wall, and full audio. The expectation is that kids aren't just taken back there to run wild, but to have a more flexible space for helping them focus, and training them to worship with everyone else. I suppose I'm still learning how active is too active back there, but I've gathered there's an attitude of grace as parents are helped in discipling their children. Oh, and there's a lot of babies. :) Some women nurse in service, while others nurse in the mother's/changing room (also directly behind the sanctuary glass with full audio). It's an interesting setup for a church, but so far we can see the benefits and have felt supported and welcomed... along with all our little people. This is rambly, just some thoughts!
I'm here for the rambly thoughts! Love what you're describing. I've been pondering a "Dilemma of Babies in Church" angle on Stephanie H. Murray's "Dilemma of Babies on Airplanes" article that was going around recently--the underlying theme is, how do we foster a culture where it's expected that kids will be *learning by trial and error* (and parents will be teaching, and other grownups will be modeling) how to behave in public?
The church we've found a home in here in Wisconsin follows an "intergenerational model" - no separate children's programming, so all children are in the service. There is a nursery for kids up to age 3. It seems about half of the parents utilize it, and half have the littles with them. (That 1-2 age range can be tough!) It's always stated that it is there if parents desire to use the nursery, but there's no pressure either way. It seems sensory or busy items are welcomed in the service. The question about eating is interesting - I haven't noticed this either way! For us, there are decent acoustics and enough carpeting/cloth chairs to absorb excess noise. Which is good, because with all kids 3 and over in the service, there's bound to be some noise! Every Sunday in the welcome, they mention the intergenerational model... that children are welcome... and parents are encouraged to train their children to worship with the whole body during this time. And that training comes with some noise, but be mindful of when you may need to step out with them - continuing to train them and worship/listen together in the foyer. There is full visual of the service behind a glass wall, and full audio. The expectation is that kids aren't just taken back there to run wild, but to have a more flexible space for helping them focus, and training them to worship with everyone else. I suppose I'm still learning how active is too active back there, but I've gathered there's an attitude of grace as parents are helped in discipling their children. Oh, and there's a lot of babies. :) Some women nurse in service, while others nurse in the mother's/changing room (also directly behind the sanctuary glass with full audio). It's an interesting setup for a church, but so far we can see the benefits and have felt supported and welcomed... along with all our little people. This is rambly, just some thoughts!
I'm here for the rambly thoughts! Love what you're describing. I've been pondering a "Dilemma of Babies in Church" angle on Stephanie H. Murray's "Dilemma of Babies on Airplanes" article that was going around recently--the underlying theme is, how do we foster a culture where it's expected that kids will be *learning by trial and error* (and parents will be teaching, and other grownups will be modeling) how to behave in public?