First Presbyterian Church of Hamilton
Square, NJ
▪
3550 Nottingham Way, Hamilton Square, NJ 08690 ▪ 609.587.3683 ▪ fax 609.587.9459
Pastor, Head of Staff
Andrew Taylor Barton
Andrew, a native of the
greater Pittsburgh, PA area, has been serving the Presbyterian
Church at Woodbury, NJ for the past eighteen years. He and his wife
of thirty years, Joyce, have three children and one son-in-law. The
Barton’s used to be campers, but now enjoy their retreat place in
Pennsylvania. Andrew and Joyce still travel on occasion. When not
in church you might find Andrew reading while listening to jazz or
classical music, watching
Lost
and or a new movie, taking pictures, driving his John Deere tractor
at their PA ‘farm’, walking in the woods with Joyce or laughing with
his family during a weekend get-together.
Let the Children Come
Pastor Andrew
I have written and spoken on this topic a few times, but it bears repeating, in part because so far, some parents are not buying it. But I am persistent, so here we go…
Children can worship God and children need to worship God. For example, we witnessed this on February 21 when both the Cherub and Chapel choirs sang as part of the service. It was more than simply cute or nice, it was worship—children leading the congregation to praise God. What’s more, that Sunday (and many others) the little ones participated in a children’s message, one child helped with an announcement and with the offering. These children are participating in one of the most fundamental Christian acts: worship.
Sadly, many of our children are not getting the opportunity to participate in worship. I visited the middle school Sunday school class when they were discussing the sacraments. Several of the students indicated they had never taken Communion. I find it perplexing that parents are typically anxious to have their children baptized, but then do not take steps to be sure they participate in Communion. It would be like celebrating a child’s birthday and then excluding them from Christmas. They are part of the church family so let’s allow them to worship with us.
I urge all parents to include their children in worship on a regular basis. Will it take some adjustment? Yes. Will there be occasional disruptions? Probably. Are there some legitimate reasons for not having children in worship? A few, but very few. Please include your children in worship. And remember that children can also worship at special services during Lent, Holy Week and Easter.
More from Pastor Andrew
Welcome the Children
Our denomination’s Book of Order is clear on the importance of engaging in both Worship and Christian Education. This includes children. Here’s an excerpt regarding worship: “Children bring special gifts to worship and grow in the faith through their regular inclusion and participation in the worship of the congregation… The Session should ensure that regular programs of the church do not prevent children’s full participation with the whole congregation in worship, in Word and Sacrament, on the Lord’s Day.”
We encourage parents to bring their children to services of worship as well as Sunday School. Our Sunday morning schedule allows for this. Families (children and adults) can worship at any of our three services and then attend Sunday School classes at either 9:30 or 11:00 depending upon which worship service they attend. While this requires a “two hour” commitment, it is certainly worthwhile. It is important to remember that a service of worship and a Sunday School class serve different purposes. A child who attends worship experiences the dynamic of a public service where the church offers its praise to God, where the Word is proclaimed and enacted in the Sacraments. Sunday School lessons are geared toward nurturing faith which is a life-long endeavor. Hence, both children and adults are to be involved in both worship and Christian Education.
2007 Flock Articles
2008 Flock Articles
January, February, March, April, May, June
July, August, September, October, November,
2009 Flock Articles
January, February, March, May, June, July,
August, September, October, November,
2010 Flock Articles
Getting the Word Out
How do we communicate the Gospel to our community and how do we let people know about our church? As we continue to wrestle with how to “market” the gospel and “advertise” the church the following quotes from Christian Century Magazine are quite telling:
"If churches were doing what they're supposed to be doing, they wouldn't need advertising," says Brad Abare. He contends that if churches were more active in the community and addressing its needs, they would grow naturally from the original form of marketing—word of mouth.
Marketing Jesus: "What's frightening about the contemporary understanding of marketing," says Edward Stone Gleason, "is that whatever the product is that is being marketed, its creator will gladly alter and package the product to serve the desires and needs of the consumer. This is not the case when the product is Jesus Christ. Alteration is not necessary, but announcement is mandatory" (The Prayer-Given Life, Church Publishing).
So when it comes to getting the Word out, ministries that address actual needs in the community plus the witness of members in their neighborhoods and among their circle of friends is the best advertising we can have for our church.