We Love Kids Pt. 2

Picture this with me. You’re sitting in a restaurant enjoying your meal when all of a sudden, this cute little pixie-like face peeks over the booth next to you and smiles a big smile. I mean, it’s one of those kids that’s just too cute for her own good. What are you going to do? You can’t resist, can you? You smile back. You wink. You make a funny face to make her laugh. And you totally forget about your meal.

Picture this with me. You’re sitting in a movie and you’re locked into one of the most riveting moments of the movie when all of a sudden a 2 year-old, who shouldn’t be in the PG-13 rated movie to begin with, starts to absolutely scream his little head off. The parent can’t seem to get the situation under control, and to make matters worse, they just sit there with the screaming kid. And you totally lose track of that riveting moment of the movie.

Either way, you’re distracted. And so are other people around you. You paid good money to enjoy that meal. You were looking forward to that movie for weeks and now the experience has been less than you expected.

Yesterday I posted about NHC’s Pro Kids policy that breaks out into 2 parts: Part 1 -  Provide a rockin’ kid’s ministry. We go all out on this one and it’s working. We actually hear stories about kids who want to come to church DURING THE WEEK! They get upset when they hear that they have to wait until Sunday! We must be doing something right. Part 2 of our Pro Kids policy is to ask parents to drop off their kids in Uhambo.

The benefits of this policy are huge. First, it gives both the children and their parents the best possible chance at spiritual development. But it also has another effect: it cuts down on the amount of distraction in the service. Let’s be deadly honest – a cute kid or a crying kid causes distractions; not because they’re evil little monsters but usually because they’re bored. And those distractions can come at the most crucial times in a service.

None of us enjoys it when there’s a disruptive child in the movie or the restaurant, and what we’re talking about here is so much more important. Every week someone comes to NHC and their eternity is literally on the line. We need to do everything we can to provide a distraction-free worship environment where those decisions can be made.

Once again, I know this will be tough for some parents to understand. But let me ask you this: if you needed some time with your spouse for a heart-to-heart conversation, what would you do? I know what I do – I hire a babysitter. I take my wife to a nice restaurant where we can talk and listen to each other. If I want intimacy with my wife I don’t involve the kids. First, it’s not fair to the kids. They don’t want to be involved in our “intimate conversation.” They’re going to get bored quickly. Second, it’s not fair to me or my wife. We need that distraction-free time together.

So it goes with our worship environment. It’s not fair to expect our kids to sit for an hour and fifteen minutes and not do anything distracting. And it’s not fair to the folks who might be sitting around us to let our bored kids distract them from what God may be wanting to do in their lives.

So, let me bottom line this – WE LOVE KIDS AT NHC!! We love them so much that we have provided an awesome experience just for them. I love it when I hear stories of parents whose kids literally drag them to church because they can’t wait to get here. (For a really cool story like this, check out Leah’s blog.) Every week at NHC we want to do our best to partner with parents as we continue to help more and more people (kids included!) to encounter God and engage in community!

Comments

[Marie]

I have to agree with the first comment, Kira, I also have a 3 year old and a 6 month old and the thought of me keeping them quiet for an hour is petrifying!

I'm so excited to come to NHC this Sunday and find out if its really as great as it sounds. Its been a while for me to be in a church and to WANT to be there. This is just another reason that makes me WANT to come back.

I'll see you this Sunday!

[Kira]

I think this is awesome. I haven't been to church in quite some time, but plan on visiting NHC this sunday. One of the things that attracts me to the church is the kid's ministries.

It absolutely petrifies me to think of my 3 year old son during church service and me trying to keep him quite and entertained. This has been one of the reasons why I haven't wanted to attend church.

I have only viewed the website and watched some of the messages. NHC seems like a awesome place. I am excited to check it out!