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6. Supporting Women with Children

Intergenerational Worship Services

by Reverend Laurie Bushbaum,
First Universalist Church, Minneapolis

First Universalist Church has experimented with many ways of including children in our worship services. A recent intergenerational Easter service worked so well that it has become our model. The model works well because children and adults enjoy being together for part of the service, and time apart for part of the service. Both children and adults have some time to focus at their own developmental level. At the end of the service, all are reunited for celebration.

About once every four to six weeks, we have an all church service, which means intergenerational—or, for all ages. During these services, children younger than five still attend their usual preschool classes or have nursery care. When children under age four do attend the service, their parents are asked to come with them, to the front of the church with the children for the storytime so that they can help to focus on the story.

All children attending intergenerational services sit with their parents. During intergenerational services, we use words and songs that the children know whenever possible, such as for the chalice lighting. Songs that are new to the children are chosen only if they have an easy melody or repetition so that the children can join in.

The story chosen for the children is related to the theme of worship on that particular day. A resource we use is the book A to Zoo, which lists all children’s books in order by theme. When reading the story, I use a lapel microphone and ask the children to come up and sit at the front of the church with me. I hold one copy of the book and ask another adult to hold another copy so that all children can see the pictures. The adults attending these services always seem to enjoy the story as much as the children.

After our story, we take the children downstairs for an activity, art project, and we have more theme-related stories or songs. This allows the adults time to focus on a sermon while the children go deeper into the topic in ways that are meaningful for them.

One of our worship associates comes downstairs to give us a sign when the sermon is over so that we can return upstairs before the end of the service. We stand in the chancel, facing the adults for the Benediction. The adults sing a favorite blessing, “Go Now in Peace.” The children sing it to the adults, and then everyone sings the blessing a third time together.

Here is an example of a Flower Communion Service: