08/26/2026
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: Our Children’s Policy at St. Mary’s!
We wanted to make sure everyone is aware of our policy regarding children in worship:
If your kids are loud, please still come to worship.
If you’re running late because getting everyone out the door was a battle, please still come to worship.
If your toddler won’t sit still, please still come to worship.
If your baby needs to eat, please still come to worship.
If your child asks questions at the least convenient time, please still come to worship.
If someone cries, drops a toy, needs a snack, or has to make their third trip to the bathroom, please still come to worship.
If your child doesn’t know all the words, all the prayers, or exactly when to sit and stand, please still come to worship.
If you feel like you spent the entire service managing your children and heard approximately 12% of the sermon, please still come to worship.
If Sunday morning feels messy instead of peaceful, please still come to worship.
If you’re worried your children are distracting the people around you, please still come to worship.
Because children do not learn how to be part of the Church by staying home until they can sit quietly.
They learn by being here.
They learn the hymns by hearing us sing them.
They learn the prayers by hearing us pray them.
They learn to worship by watching us worship.
They learn that church is home because we make room for them here.
The wiggles, whispers, dropped crayons, crying babies, and little voices are not interruptions to the life of the Church.
They are evidence that the Church is alive.
So bring the babies. Bring the toddlers. Bring the big kids. Come late. Sit in the back. Sit in the front. Step out when you need to and come right back in.
Just come.
Children are not simply the future of the Church. They are part of the Church right now.
And at St Mary’s, there is a place for them. There is no sweeter sound to God than the voices of little ones!
(text and idea taken from St. John Lutheran in Indianapolis)
