guest post: One miracle at a time

Written by Finnglish Mum on 6 August

A few weeks ago I decided to take my 5 year old “Monkey” to our regular Sunday Service. She used to come along with me but since the creation of a regular Junior Church she has only rarely joined me at a “grown-up” service. With Junior Church taking a break over the summer months, this was an ideal opportunity to celebrate our faith together. After the service, I wrote the following as a comment for Storyteller on her blog entry about creating the Circle of the Holy Eucharist cards in June.

I just used these cards with "Monkey" for the first time at today’s service. THANK YOU!

I think this is the first time she has sat through a whole "grown-up" service without insisting on drawing or running around and without getting bored! She sat on my lap for the sermon and listened quietly to that and everything else!

We followed the cards together - sometimes peeping ahead and sometimes waiting for a "surprise". She grinned with glee when she recognised someone in a picture, especially Mummy!

It also helped that she knew both the readers and the interceder so I think paid them more attention than otherwise and, of course, the last time she came to a "grown up" service was before the new format Junior Church... She has obviously learned SO much from regular attendance at a Junior Service (not just an escape from the main service!).

She was the only child there and so was not distracted by anyone else, this probably helped, too ;D

Since writing this, we have been together to two more Sunday Services, both with Grandma, visiting from London. Grandma was reading on one occasion, so Monkey watched out for when Grandma should go up to  the front.

She was completely unfazed by Grandma’s involvement in the service; it seemed to her to be completely  natural to see a family member standing up to speak.

So, a huge THANK YOU to Storyteller, Vandriver & stf for teaching my Monkey how to behave at church!

drawing by Sannaksenaho Architects,
made available for media use by the art chapel

I wish this newly found responsible behaviour translated to other churches... we visited the Faith, Hope & Love exhibition at St Henry’s Art Chapel last week and I was so upset and embarrassed that Monkey & her little brother, Mouse, ran around the whole time screaming. The chapel should be so serene and beautiful and we were unable to really enjoy that beauty on this occasion. I even tried invoking the influence of Junior Church – “would you behave like this for Storyteller & stf? You know you should walk slowly and quietly in Junior Church and in the Cathedral, so why are you running and shouting in this church?” Unfortunately it had little effect!

Oh well, I can’t really expect miracles.

Finnglish Mum