Just a little something on how communities, especially ones going through change or repair, can learn a little something from the amazing creative genius of spiders and webs.   May we lean into the interconnected web of loving community that we have spun and not forget it's ability to be flexible and it's strength to hold together even in the midst of repair. 

(this is a re-recording of an Intergenerational Ministry Moment from our RBCC UCC streaming worship service that experienced a technical difficulty.)

​In mid-September, I shared in a Progressive Youth Ministry video meeting with the Pittsburgh Presbytery hosted by Rev. Brian Wallace.  Rev. Wallace brought to light several reasons that mainstream churches are not seeing a return of kids, youth and families to church or services.
Each of these reasons is on point with the families I engage with.  I thought it would be helpful to share these obstacles with our congregation. 
 
Habit or Inertia (a compelling motive): Getting out of the regular routine of attending church for almost 2 years is a hard habit to begin again.
Caution and Covid hesitancy:  Parents seek to protect their unvaccinated children and larger family, while also protecting the communities of people in our congregations.  Distance is safety.
Time and Fatigue:  Returning to all the other in-person gatherings such as school, work, sports, and a wide variety of extra-curricular activities has left children, youth, and parents exhausted and needing to choose their limited gatherings mindfully. 
Digital offerings are quality and in their own time:  Churches that continue to offer high quality digital worship services and take-home resources, help keep families connected and growing in their faith formation at the times and distance they require.
Weak relationships / attachments:  Perhaps the interpersonal relationships with families and members of the larger congregation are not as strong as they could be. 
 
It is important to acknowledge that our children, youth, and families are exhausted, cautious, and spread thin.  However, this does not mean they are not wanting to be connected to a community that provides them the spiritual formation and support that is the balm to their weariness. Engaging and reengaging with our families, needs to be a whole church effort. 
How can we engage this special part of our community?

• Continued high quality digital ministry offerings including worship.
• Tangible resources to help families engage in spiritual formation.
• Opportunities for community engagement outside of Sunday mornings.
• Caretaking and checking in by members of the congregation.

Don’t allow our children, youth, and families to be out of sight, out of mind.  Find ways to reach out and creatively engage with them individually and as a community of faith.  

​In early October I participated in a Webinar offered by The Youth Mission Co. (Co. does not mean corporation, but instead collaboration, coordination, and connection).  The webinar addressed the question of why aren’t ______people coming to our church?  The guest speaker was Laura Mariko Cheifetz the Assistant Dean of Admissions, Vocation, and Stewardship at Vanderbilt Divinity School.   
 
The focus of the webinar was on diversity and inclusion of a variety of marginalized groups of people that we, with our best intentions, seek to serve, invite, and include.   However, we don’t always understand our intentions and therefore often don’t always see the results we expect. 
 
The webinar included thoughts, ideas, and personal stories about faith communities and how our church buildings are being used.   Some questions that came up include: 

• Why do we even want ________ people coming to our church?  This includes youth!
• What are we willing to let go of in order to welcome new people?
• Are we only concerned about our institutional survival or truly serving and meeting the needs of our local community?
• Is our building being seen by the world as wasted space outside of Sunday mornings?
• How can we use our building for good every day of the week all hours of the day? 

  You can watch and consider the questions of the webinar here: 
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