"Unless you become like little children you will not enter the Kingdom of God."
We at Abbey Way seek to be inclusive in community with all generations, including children. We believe children are an integral part of a faith community and can help adults to remember the paths to silence, story, wonder and awe which keep our faith alive, fresh and vital. We believe all ages can walk those paths together, hand in hand. In response to the current trend of churches segregating children and adults, Abbey Way seeks to share all of the church rhythms as an entire community; making space for and building relationship between adults and children alike.
Sunday Evening
From the beginning of our Sunday evening gathering the children are integrated with the adults in our gathering prayer and common meal. They are valued as contributers to our life together, helping out as they are able with set up, clean up and caring for younger children. They regularly add significance to our dialogue by asking probing questions and giving insightful comments. When we pray, they readily extend their hands in blessing. Keeping us focused on what is real and present, the children add a connective realism to our Sunday gathering (and other times we meet) which is not found in most other church experiences. From the place of childhood innocence, the children in the community are well received as important and essential to who we are as church.
Kids on Formal Sundays
A specific example of how Abbey Way's approach includes children is in our worship service on Formal Sundays.
When it is time for worship, the 3-6 year olds spend the first part of the service in their own Atrium, a montessori based experience that focuses on encountering Jesus as the Good Shepherd. The Atrium children join the corporate worship at communion.
(During the summer months, the Atrium children meet with the older children for a special summer children's chapel time.)
The 7-11 year olds participate in Kids' Chapel during the message portion of the service. There they receive an age appropriate lesson from the same text that the adults are learning from. We believe this continues to form the adults and children as one community while at the same time providing each with the "food" that is nourishing for them. After the teaching,the children join the entire community for the sharing of the Bread and the Cup at the Lord's Table.
Our "middlers" who have matriculated from Kids' Chapel and are participating in the students' group, join the adults for the entire service as full participants in the worship life of our community.
These are the ways we share life together and yet provide the spiritual nourishment due each member, whether they are older or younger.
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