By Mayra Bremer
FORT WORTH, Texas--The church has gone through an incredible amount of change the past few years. We all have had different reactions that affected our family life, our employment, church attendance and commitment level.
What was it the church offered years ago that made us attend every week no matter the weather or how tired we were?
We are free from the old covenant, and some think that means we can go to church whenever we want, not necessarily on a regular basis.
After seeing friends and family leave the church over the changes, I felt discouraged to say the least.
What's the point? I asked myself. Why should I go to church every week? The thought of not regularly attending crossed my mind. We are so busy that taking care of errands on Saturday was an attractive idea.
After giving a lot of thought to my situation, my discouragement and my lack of direction, I thought of our children, Garrett John, Charles Anthony and Jessica.
I'm an adult, and through regular church attendance I learned about our merciful God and his Son Jesus Christ, how to have a good marriage, child-rearing principles and how to love others.
I have met wonderful Christians who gave me sound advice when the going got tough, who were there with me when I succeeded, who cried with me when problems came my way. They were my second family.
I want my children to experience the same. I want them to learn to fear God, to know people who serve God and want to please him.
I want them to have good examples to follow, people who will give them sound advice when they need it and who will rejoice with them when they achieve goals.
Church is there for us, and it is there for our children. We can more easily reject the evils of the world, with God's help. We would never consider Satanism, drugs, illicit sex or things of that sort because we have learned the right way and we are in contact with people who don't do those things. But, will our children be able to stay away from evil?
Peer pressure is stronger today than it ever was, and it is difficult for a child to stand alone. Having the stability of church every week might give them the little push they need to stay away from harmful things.
Halley's Bible Handbook says this about Sunday School: "The Sunday School is by far the most valuable branch of church work. It is a fearful mistake for a church to neglect the children of its community.
"What a glorious thing it is to be a good Sunday School teacher, and help shepherd the children.... Unless children form the habit of going to church while they are in Sunday School the chances are they never will.
"Also, in Proverbs 22:6 we read: `Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.' "
After my husband, Garrett, and I made up our minds to continue attending regularly, the Fort Worth congregation started a children's church.
This gave us an opportunity to serve in the church, which fills our spiritual tank. And it is helping our kids learn about God and become friends with children at church.
They love to go to church, and sometimes during the week they ask me if we could go to church.
We teach the children during services. We open the service with Christian children's songs and a prayer, and then split in two groups for the Bible lessons.
When we started, the average attendance of the two groups combined was 12. Now we sometimes have 30 children! Some parents have told me that their children love to come to church now, instead of having to be forced to come.
Kids love to be with other kids, and children's church and activities geared toward the whole family provide the opportunity for them to make friends. Try to learn children's names and say hello when you see them.
The influence of a friend can be a strong pull for a child, and if the influence is a positive one, the job is a lot easier for the parents.
So, if you don't feel like going to church regularly, think of your children. If your church area doesn't have a children's ministry, be a driving force to make it happen.
To work with church kids is a wonderful experience, and it is a privilege to teach them biblical principles that will eventually help them accept Christ and become pillars in your congregations.
All kids are precious. Let's make their church experience a happy one, so they will want to come back again and again.
Garrett and Mayra Bremer are children's church coordinators in Fort Worth, Texas. Mayra is editor of El Noticiero, the Spanish language Worldwide News.
Feb. 24, 1998, WN, page 27
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