This article was originally published in Annual Report: Stories of Impact 2024
We’d run through the logistical questions, along with some legitimate (and not-so-legitimate) excuses, more than once over the past few years: What about naps? Would our kids melt down? Other people’s kids don’t necessarily feel like our “sweet spot.” Could the twins sit through a sermon without driving us (and everyone around us) bananas? Do we have enough bandwidth and capacity to worship in one service and serve in a second?
While some of those logistics were resolved as we moved beyond the toddler stage of life, becoming a “two-service family” still wasn’t on our bingo card for 2024.
Then with the new school year on the horizon, we got an email asking us to consider serving in Children’s Ministries. The need was clear, but we still weren’t sure it was a commitment we could make. Attending first service with all three of our kids in tow so that my husband and I could serve during second service while our kids went to Sunday School was a big ask.
Our “yes” to living on mission at College Park in a new way didn’t come until a few days before the new semester began.
Initially, opting to serve during second service was just about helping fill a need: More table leaders were needed so that more kids could attend Sunday School so that more families could attend second service. And while serving has helped fill that need, it’s also been so much more than that! It’s given us a front-row seat to seeing a passion for Jesus be ignited in the hearts of K-2nd graders and in our own family.
It’s had its own set of challenges, for sure. Even though my husband and I both have an education background, neither of us had worked with elementary students before. Let’s just say that figuring out how to engage K-2nd graders in meaningful conversation week by week has been a steep learning curve that we have by no means conquered.
The adjustment to being in “big church” was particularly challenging for our four-year-old twins and forced me to become a pro at packing a bag each week to help all three kids stay engaged—think coloring books, doodle pads, water bottles, crayons, the kids sermon notes pages, and (of course) snacks.
But God has faithfully met us in each challenge. So much so that after a few months of this new family rhythm, I can honestly say that the challenges have been eclipsed by joy.
- Learning kids’ names, having “regulars” at my table, seeing kids light up when they walk into the room and recognize an adult they know will welcome them, being able to love on kids whose parents I know but don’t regularly see, and working with a great team of teachers and table leaders has been wonderful!
- The twins really have gotten better at sitting still and (relatively) quiet. (As a side note, thank you to every person who sat in front of, beside, or behind us who has offered words of encouragement. You’ve been such a gift!)
- Being in the K-2nd grade class has let me observe my own 1st grader listen to and engage with each week’s lesson and with other children. It’s been amazing to see him think about and process the promises of God in a new way through Sunday School, especially as an emerging reader. We are witnessing the first sparks of what will prayerfully become a passion to follow Jesus. What a privilege!
- Worshiping together in one service and serving in the next has been incredible for our family. Hearing each week’s sermon together has provided some great opportunities for conversation (even when it seems like our kids are more focused on the picture they’re drawing or a book they’re flipping through). It’s been a joy to hear about the things they notice in the service, the Scripture or stories they latch on to, and the connections they make.
Has our decision to become a two-service family and serve in Children’s Ministries during second service cost us? In time and energy, yes. But is it worth it to help ignite a passion to follow Jesus in my own heart, the hearts of my kids, and the hearts of the K-2nd graders? Without a doubt. Jesus is worthy!
