tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33598850.post7664193760325756793..comments2023-04-24T02:57:34.415-07:00Comments on A Friend in Need: Children in MeetingHeather Madronehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14822864657970530172noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33598850.post-12929790216243954122007-06-22T14:24:00.000-07:002007-06-22T14:24:00.000-07:00We have a children's meeting every month. Children...We have a children's meeting every month. Children from as young as two up to sixteen attend. No one would ever stop the children from joning the adults meeting, but you are right they are never specifically invited. Except at the end, when we take the children into the circle and sit on the floor, each young child rushes to the knees of their parent and we become part of a very centered meeting. We hold an unprogrammed meeting, silence for one hour is broken by ministry. The children feel on rare occassions get to witness such ministry and it is very powerful. I believe they all yearn to be part of the bigger meeting but I feel it is something only they with perhaps guidance from their parents can decide when the time is right. Your boys sound marvellous. How did they do, and what did they say afterwards?Honeyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15662439151558495496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33598850.post-13326306974655226802007-06-04T06:41:00.000-07:002007-06-04T06:41:00.000-07:00Heather,this is a good post, on a subject I too am...Heather,<BR/>this is a good post, on a subject I too am concerned with. As a child growing up in a Quaker Meeting I never liked First Day school and was the first of my siblings to make the decision the sit in worship. <BR/>My feelings on the subject are this; I think First Day school can be important since too many Friends, born into Meetings, grow to adulthood without a good understanding of Quakerism's history, practice, or theology. I also understand how important it is for young Friends in small Meetings, who feel isolated from the larger community, to meet and bond with members of their own age group. <BR/>On the other hand Quakerism has a tendency to segregate by age much more then we should. In my meeting children go to First Day school until they leave for college. Some Quarterly and Yearly Meetings have "Youth Meeting for Business" that meets at the same time as the "Adult Meeting Business" effectively excluding the youth from attending business meeting.<BR/><BR/>I think we need to be careful. We walk a fine line here and hope we don't loose because of it.<BR/><BR/>Peace and Joy,<BR/>Anna.Annahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14437405043536660851noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33598850.post-88898903001247271232007-06-03T17:50:00.000-07:002007-06-03T17:50:00.000-07:00Heather,Our meeting has recently wrestled with thi...Heather,<BR/><BR/>Our meeting has recently wrestled with this. We've moved the childrens' attendance in meeting for worship from the beginning to the end of meeting for worship, in the hopes that they can join in the worship of a more centered meeting, and therefore better understand what Quaker worship is about. We also used a first day school curriculum for the first few weeks which was about meeting for worship. It's worked OK, though I'm not sure if my kids (ages 4 and 7) view meeting for worship has an enlightening time yet.<BR/><BR/>Another possibility is to have young people on committees. We have one of our teens on the religious education committee, and another on the peace and social concerns committee.<BR/><BR/>Peace,<BR/><BR/>DavidDavid Korfhagehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08483910268144751116noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33598850.post-16475706989670930502007-06-02T08:55:00.000-07:002007-06-02T08:55:00.000-07:00Very cogent & true. I hope more parents will do th...Very cogent & true. I hope more parents will do this.<BR/><BR/>What I don't like to see is children forced to sit in meeting without realizing why they would want to--Even a ten minute token period was too much for one family I know, because the kids felt it only as pointless oppression. (This family also took in a homeless woman, a wonderful act except they had precise expectations of how she was going to "get better" by their standards. Oy, were they sorry! I've been thinking about that sort of human influence lately, put a few thoughts about it at <A HREF="http://acitycanbemoved.blogspot.com/" REL="nofollow">A Quaker Watering Hole</A> where you, too, may want to jump in?)forresthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03214745625847174676noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33598850.post-45953434991556657622007-06-01T20:35:00.000-07:002007-06-01T20:35:00.000-07:00Heather,I have come across similar concerns and se...Heather,<BR/><BR/>I have come across similar concerns and sentiments especially among Conservative Friends. The topic is becoming more relevant to the worship group I'm in as well, as the children among us grow older--meaning, older than 2 years old!<BR/><BR/>I also wish to say that as a childless adult, having the kids be a part of greeting, worship, and fellowship has been highly significant <B><I>for me</I></B> too. I experience an inward certainty that the foundation of our relationship is being formed right here, right now, and that I am growing alongside the youngest of Friends among us.<BR/><BR/>When they are in their pre-teens and teens, and I am in my mid-to-late 50s, we will not fear one another; we will simply know one another in that which is eternal. <BR/><BR/>Thankfully, there are still opportunities for the adults to interact directly with the children in the worship group, and it has been those opportunities that have helped me grow out of my "infant phobia" that I used to have!<BR/><BR/>I still am not ready to change dirty, stinky diapers, but I've become willing to engage in pre-verbal babbling and making eye contact with the youngest of the bunch... something I didn't used to do.<BR/><BR/>Blessings,<BR/>Liz Opp, <A HREF="http://thegoodraisedup.blogspot.com" REL="nofollow">The Good Raised Up</A>Liz Opphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09802348848085930901noreply@blogger.com