Family

Children are not the Church of tomorrow,they are the Church of today.

They are equal members of the worshipping community, which we call the family of the Church.

The Christian family here at Braunton accepts children as very much members of the family. A couple with a new baby are faced with many difficult decisions, but one of them ought not to be "Shall we take the baby to church or not?" Children who are brought to church at a young age are not likely to find the building strange or frightening later in life".

But what if the children make a noise? Well, children have always made a noise, and they are not going to stop now !

Yet it is worth remembering that they often make more noise if they are being held tightly in someone's arms and told to be quiet (Children are like that).

There are three points that are worth thinking about.

Firstly,

I as the Vicar in this parish want parents to bring their children to church with them. The noise they make will not upset me in any way.

Secondly,

there is a carpeted area set aside in church for toddlers.

If your child gets fed up sitting in the pew please feel free to use this area so they can move around freely.

You will find a variety of quieter toys there for the children to play with.

Please ask someone on duty at the church door to show you where the area is.

You may also like to bring a drink and a biscuit or piece of fruit for them.

It is fine for the children to eat and drink during the service.

Thirdly

Don't worry if your toddler wanders off during the service - on the whole they tend not to wander very far - but chasing after them makes a great game and they will run further away.

As the mother of two children I know how difficult it is to bring young children to church. It takes great determination and very often a thick skin. However if fewer and fewer parents bring their children to church, they become more and more conspicuous, and newcomers might feel embarrassed and not come again.

Should you ever feel that you are not welcome in church with your child then please do speak to me about it. As I said at the beginning I want children to come to church and be a real part of the church family.

Rev'd Anne Thorne