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What discussion lists exist where I can talk about worship?
Here are some discusion lists that we know of (each link should tell you how to subscribe,
unsubscribe, etc.):
Where can I order banners for use in worship?
The following organizations have been suggested as possible locations to acquire banners:
What are some good ideas to involve children in worship?
Here is a some ideas as recommended by members of the [Worship]
email discussion group:
- Create a children's bulletin. It can have the same order of worship
as the adult version but also include some activities related to the
items in it and also to help the children tune in to what the sermon
message is. Some example: a dot-to-dot picture related to the topic of a
hymn, the Scripture for the day, etc.; a fill in the blank questionnaire
(on their level) about what the sermon topic was; a place to draw a
picture of a person on the worship team or one of the ministers; a short
story to explain an item in the worship center and why it is important; a
place to fill in the name of the special music selection(just a few
suggestions, use your creativity). The activities are designed to help the
children understand what worship is all about, who the key people are that
lead in worship, and to help them to find out how they can connect with
God in a service. You can structure it similar to the adult version or
make it a booklet, depending on the size and amount of activities to
include. Mind you, this is not work just to keep them busy, but it tries
to engage them in the worship service at a level which they can understand.
- Include children's songs in the worship set. It might be easier to do this
during the earlier part of the service; this includes them in the worship
time but also allows the adults a time to focus without being distracted
by children's songs that adults often feel lack substance.
- Have a separate worship service for the children. This way, the whole service
can be geared to them, including the songs, the Bible readings, the prayers,
etc. It can also be split into half the time all the kids are together and
then they spend the other half in their own Sunday School classes. This idea
does detract from the ability of the parents to model worship for their
children, but then it is can sometimes be more meaningful to the children
because everything is at their own level of understanding.
- This idea came out of Edith Schaeffer's "The Hidden Art". Parents can
keep their children attentive during the sermon by "cartooning" the sermom
for them. Most sermons, particularly those that are textual rather than
topical, can be illustrated using stick figure cartoons.
- Pastors can encourage children by speaking to them during the sermon,
applying the text in ways that are applicable to them.
- Worship leaders have songs that include verses for just the children. For
example, in a certain song have the children sing one part while the adults
sing another part.
- The Lord's Supper is an excellent opportunity for the children. If you
look at its roots in Exodus (The Passover) you see that God expected the
children's curiosity to be provoked and that they would naturally ask
their fathers the meaning of the feast. In the Lord's Supper, the Gospel
is declared to all our senses; we see the bread broken, we hear the words
of institution, we smell and taste the elements. This is where a parent
can really bring the Gospel to the child.
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