Question first
appeared on October 10, 2004
Several
weeks ago, we had guests who visited our church.
They had several children, pre-school age and younger.
The children were extremely disruptive, making a lot of noise and
throwing toys. The parents never
removed them from the sanctuary. As
a parishioner, I wanted to inform them that there was a nursery available to
them, but I was afraid of offending them and turning them away from our
church. What do you do in this
case?
In
this situation, if they are truly first-time visitors and unfamiliar with our
parish, the only
thing
you can safely do is “grit your teeth” during the service.
If I was a first-time visitor and unfamiliar with the parish, I would
prefer my children to remain with me and not trust them to a strange location
and people. Likewise, your
premonition of possibly “offending” them is always a potential outcome,
even if you are friendly and smile while informing them of an available
nursery.
Two
possibilities currently exist. We
now have official “Greeters,” whose primary job is to welcome the
strangers into our midst. It is
the Greeters responsibility to inform families with children about the nursery
and other facilities available to them. If
they choose to keep their children with them and the situation you describe
happens again, then the second possibility exists: Talk to them after
services during the coffee hour. If
they are from the area or have recently moved into our area, get their names
and address, and we can mail a package informing them about our parish and our
organizations and programs.
Disruptive
and restless small children are a part of life.
You can always expect it. Most
parents deal with the situation appropriately by removing the offending
child/children until they can be calmed down.
Sadly, however, there will always exist some indulgent parents, who
either have no clue that their children are disruptive, or have no clue about
how to discipline them. May God
have mercy upon them, and may their children not grow up to be social
outcasts.
©Very
Rev. Fr. Olof Scott, Sunday Bulletin, October 10, 2004
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