Teach Your Children Well

As children, keeping still during sacrament meeting was always a challenge for my siblings and me. And being the oldest, I had the responsibility to take out my younger siblings when they became restless. I anticipated my younger sister's antics as she would create a new disturbance each week, so she could be released to the freedom of the church's hallways. Staying reverent during church was a constant struggle. One time during a Sunday meeting, my youngest brother felt excluded when my mom distributed an Altoid mint to everyone in the family but him. She thought the peppermint flavor of these "curiously strong mints" would be too potent for a four-year-old. Nevertheless, my brother would not be evaded. Sitting on the floor between our pew and the next, he put his hand up to his mouth and blew out some air to smell his breath. Then with a look of disgust, he waved his hand in front of his nose to demonstrate that he desperately needed a mint. My whole family could not contain their laughter. Stifled laughs emanated from our bench, and tears streamed down our faces because we were laughing so hard. My brother received the coveted mint, and as my mom predicted, it was soon discarded into a Kleenex, the strong flavor too much for his young taste buds.

Sometimes it's difficult to maintain a pious countenance during an entire Sunday service; however, children with their creative minds and lively spirits have a harder time concentrating on a sermon that billows into their ears in monotonous drones. They want to be stimulated with hands-on activities and by speakers with colorful antics. McGregor Baptist Church in Fort Meyers, FL, has realized this need by creating a wonderful and creative children's ministry that caters to a child's elaborate imagination.

Rick Carpenter is the Minister to Preschoolers at this church. His philosophy is to get the children acclimated to the gospel at an early age. Carpenter, known to the children as "Mr. Rick," is convinced that a lot of time needs to be focused on teaching children basic gospel principles. "We need, at a young age, to be teaching them to praise and worship God through music," Carpenter says. "They need to know how to sit through story time, and it actually becomes a part of their lives. Maybe they're singing songs that an adult wouldn't sing, but they're still learning to praise and worship Christ, and they're learning it early." One part of the children's theater, Wisdom Wood, has animatronics of different animals created by God. "I didn't want to surround kids with fake things that God made," Carpenter explains, "The whole idea is to show them that He is responsible for everything. At a preschool level, this is one of the first things they learn. Teaching children basic principles like this one prepares them to learn deeper ones." RaeAnn Slaybaugh's article covers the great extent of this ministry and details its many facets. Read the church profile in this issue to see how Carpenter orchestrates this marvelous children's ministry.

Children are an integral part of a church. Christ made this clear during his mortal ministry, and even as adults we are advised to become meek like little children. Ultimately, the spiritual needs of children must be met at an early age. With a strong foundation, the faith felt in childhood will carry on into adulthood. Each church's needs are different, but the spiritual needs of a child are the same, no matter where he or she worships.

Lisa Higa
Associate Editor