Riverside is committed to not simply being a church made up of multiple generations, but to being a community where multiple generations grow closer to Jesus together. We want to create opportunities in our life together for the generations to learn and worship in community with one another. We believe this was God’s plan for the church and it is the most effective way to make disciples of Jesus whose faith “sticks.”
In the past we have separated our children and youth from our adult congregation on Sundays, but we would now like to give our kids the opportunity to occasionally (a few times a year) worship with their family and other adults instead of being in Promiseland. We remain very committed to age-appropriate Christian formation through Promiseland, but these occasional multigenerational worship opportunities will also give the kids of our congregation the opportunity to participate with us as we worship in song, prayer, scripture reading, and listening to the message. We believe it is not only important for our kids to see adults model these parts of Sunday morning worship but also for our children to learn to participate along side of adults. The hope is that our kids will gradually grow to want to celebrate and glorify God through worship, thus staying involved as they leave their homes to be on their own as adults. We also hope that adults will learn from the process of worshiping alongside kids and exploring what it means to “receive the kingdom of God like a child.”
We will attempt to make a more kid friendly service on those Sundays when kids will be in the service and welcome your input as we move into this new area of biblical community. It will be a growing experience for all of us.
Our first Sunday to experience worship together will be this Sunday, July 6th. Our nurseries will still be available for 2yrs and under, but you can certainly keep these younger children in the service with you too if you would prefer.
If you are interested in more information about “Sticky Faith” and Riverside’s efforts to create a multigenerational biblical community that effectively disciples kids, check out “The Church Sticking Together.”
Deuteronomy 11:18-19 (MSG), “Place these words on your hearts. Get them deep inside you. Tie them on your hands and foreheads as a reminder. Teach them to your children. Talk about them wherever you are, sitting at home or walking in the street; talk about them from the time you get up in the morning until you fall into bed at night.”