After you’ve trimmed the tree, decorated the house and fed your family and friends, what next? It’s time to ring in the New Years! There are people how celebrate the New Years by purchasing champagne and making a toast at midnight or perhaps going out for a night of dancing and dinning or maybe having a party at a neighbors home or at a dance club venue.
As a woman of faith I bring in every New Year at church worshiping God and thanking Him for being everything I needed in the passing year and letting Him know that I expect great things from Him in the coming year, because He is a Great God! There is one New Years in particular that blessed me when I took my son and nephew to my church in Richmond, Virginia, St. Paul’s to enjoy the worship and fellowship. St. Paul’s had a little bit of something for everyone; they had choirs, praise teams, drama, steppers and of course the word of God. It was a great combination for people of every age to enjoy!
Unfortunately, many churches today do not have a program that suites everyone’s needs and typically cater to the adult population of the congregation. While the adults are praising and worshipping God, the children and sleeping and missing the entire celebration. This year I have come up with my top 5 suggestions on what churches can do to minister to their children on New Years Eve:
1. Include the children in the Program: Not every ministry is large enough to accommodate a separate service for children, so why not have a program where the children are included by means of drama, stepping or singing.
2.Have Youth minister on Program: Watchnight services typically have a diverse program and began somewhere around 9 p.m., so why not have a youth minister preach a short or mini sermon in order to appeal to the children and make them feel like part of the celebration.
3. Give away gifts to children: Just because you’re celebrating the New Years at church doesn’t mean you can’t have fun. Why not pass out confetti or bottle poopers and at midnight have all the children celebrate the New Year by popping them open.
4. Have a separate service for Children: The churches that have the manpower and the space to have a separate service should have one just for the children. You can plan games and have music that appeals to them and that way they can enjoy the worship and fellowship just as their parents do in the main sanctuary.
5. Have snacks: Often times you have servants and minister’s children at church just as long as their parents are and I’ve discovered that when there are snacks around, it just makes being at church a lot less undesirable. Our first goal is always to minister, but we must allow our children to have fun and enjoy themselves in the process.
There you have it parents; this year let your children enjoy their New Years and worship God in the process.
God Bless You this Holiday Season!
