The children and teens joined us later for snack at 8:30. The options? Ice cream, cookies, bread pudding, lemonade and decaf coffee. (Is this a great small group or what?)
The ideal situation in my opinion, which we happen to have now, is to have a small group where some of the people have kids and others do not. If you have all families with children, it’s easy to have more children than adults and then things can easily get overwhelming. Blending marrieds and singles and people in different seasons of life has some real advantages. In that kind of group it’s a lot like a big extended family.
It was wonderful to be in a kid-friendly small group when our own children were small. They loved it and it gave them other positive adult role models. Even now with our children grown, I prefer to be in a kid-friendly group. Before group, during the icebreaker and over snack, I am getting to know the children and what they are interested in and involved in. They enrich my life and, hopefully, I can also enrich theirs.
In Mark 10:13-16 we read the story of parents bringing children to Jesus. The disciples saw the children as bothersome and tried to chase them off. But Jesus welcomed and blessed them. I want a small group where children are welcomed and blessed. It takes some extra thought and coordination, but it’s well worth the effort.
This article on having a kid-friendly small grouup originally appeared here.
