WELCOME to our Worship Room!
You belong, you are beloved, and God delights in exactly who you are.
Are you new here?
Let me show you around
Hello There! I’m Rev. Whitney, the Minister of Community Faith Formation here at UCC Longmont. Our church is a space where children are welcome with their noises, wiggles, and out-of-context comments.
The first Sunday of each month we all stay in the sanctuary for an intergenerational service with communion. We welcome kids in our sanctuary with coloring tables, activity bags, prayer stations, and a nursery attached to the sanctuary. All other Sundays during the school year elementary age kids go down the hall for Children’s Chruch after the welcome and Bringing in the Light. You can find out more below.
Feel free to reach out if you have any questions or if you’d like to connect before you visit!
In love and light,
Rev. Whitney
What happens during Children's Church?
Our Worship Room is sacred place for our kids, like the sanctuary is for us! Our Worship Room Host's aim to give our kids the tools to cultivate a relationship with a God they can trust. This happens by creating consistency in ritual, rhythms, and intentionally set places. Together we lean into wonder and curiosity while celebrating what makes each kid light up.
Just like our Worship Services in the Sanctuary, our kids have their own Worship Room Flow.
Altar Setting (3 min)
Holy Listening Stones (5 min)
Story (3 min)
"I wonder" Round (2 min)
Prayer Stations (15 min)
Reflection Circle (2 min)
Sending Blessings (2 min)
Altar Setting
Your Worship Room Hosts and I hope that the Worship Room will be a place set apart as sacred in your child's life, similar to how the Sanctuary is not merely a room for us. Rather it is a place we come to worship, rest, grow and connect.
One of the ways we intentionally set this space apart for the kids is to start by setting an altar. During this time the host sets a basket with the altar items in the center of the circle. The kids are invited to volunteer to take each item to the altar. When they place the item on the altar the Host reminds the kids what each item symbolizes.
Holy Listening Stones
This is a time for kids to connect with and hear one another similar to Passing the Peace in the Sanctuary. During this time our Hosts practice deep listening.
The Hosts place the stones in the center of the circle and invite the kids to take a stone or two that connects to how they feel that morning. Each kid shares why the stone was meaningful to them. The Host Thanks each kid for sharing after they share.
Story & "I Wonder..." Round
We share Bible Stories and themes that align with what is happening in Worship in the Sanctuary. After the kids hear a bible story we do a "I Wonder..." Round together. This is a chance for kids to be curious about what they heard. During this time we don't answer each other's questions. We simply delight, or squirm, in the unknowing together. We generally start by asking "I wonder where you see God in this story?"
Prayer Stations
We believe that kids intuitively know how to connect with God, and they do that most naturally through the language of play. Favorite prayer stations include things like "God in my Body" with a balance board, yoga mats, and a sensory swing, and "God in Communion" where kids plate and serve one another gluten free shacks and juice.
Reflection Circle
After Prayer stations we come back together in the circle to share where we met God during the Prayer Stations time.
Sending Blessing
Before being checked out of the Worship Room by their adult each kid draws a blessing that was written by a congregant out of a basket. The Worship Room Host blesses each kid individually with anointing oil on thier hand or forehead as they depart.
When we are in the Sanctuary
Children and youth are welcome and valued at UCC Longmont. We believe that children aren’t just the future of the church, they’re an important part of our community right now. We work hard to include them in all things.
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In community worship, young people "Bring in the Light" every Sunday and are involved in leading as liturgists, communion servers and ushers. We believe that community worship is important, which is why children are always welcome to stay in the sanctuary and worship with their families.
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We also have a staffed nursery at the back of the sanctuary for the convenience and comfort of kids and their parents. This room has toys, a crib and comfortable adult furniture. Feel free to use it anytime but know that it’s just as common to see kids working their wiggles off in back of the sanctuary or standing in the aisle to get a better view of what’s happening in front.
