Children welcome at table too
By SARAH ROHRER and JENNIFER RUPP
Goshen College

Sunday, July 6, 2003

Each morning they leave parents behind, ready to pursue the convention theme - "God’s Table, Y’all Come" - in their own ways.

Carol Grieser of Goshen, Ind., director of the children’s convention, makes one thing clear: “This is not a babysitting service. This is a convention.”

A total of 183 children are registered in grades 1-6, along with 33 preschoolers, 10 toddlers and half a dozen infants.

The children in grades 1-6 do a wide variety of activities throughout the day. First they meet in their “family” groups, arranged by grade and named after Bible characters, such as Mary, Zacchaeus and Matthew.

Then they move into worship time, with singing, Bible stories and drama. The children return to their family groups for snacks before dispersing for two hour-long workshops each day. They play cooperative games, learn about disabilities, do crafts with fabric art, enjoy music and learn about other cultures and backgrounds. The children know the next activity is about to begin when they hear a tambourine.

Parents pick up their children around noon for lunch, and the children then return for special activities in the afternoon hours.

One of the highlights was watching “Miracle in Lane Two,” and then being able to interview Justin Yoder of Middlebury, Ind., a member of the youth convention and the inspiration for the film. By week’s end, the children will also have visited Fernbank Museum, a place for science, as well as the King Center, and joined voices in Ebenezer Baptist Church, where the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once served as pastor.

In the preschool program, Susan Graber of Newton, Kan., the director, said she wants “kids to feel safe and secure” as they participate in various activities and listen to Bible stories.

Toddlers also experience the children’s convention. “We have stories and singing with them,” said Judy Friesen, of Hesston, Kan. “More importantly, we teach them [that] actions have results. They need to use a soft touch.”

The main objective for the volunteers as they work with the toddlers and infants is to transmit love and care.

No activities are planned for the children on Sunday or Tuesday, so that they will be able to attend the intergenerational worship services with their parents. The children will be given worship bags with paper and pencils, modeling clay, Bible story activities and snacks.

As they learn about coming to God’s table, the children’s convention helps to create friendships and add fun for the youngest Mennonites at Atlanta 2003.

“Relationships are formed [among] the children,” said Rose Widmer of Goshen, Ind., who created the curriculum for the children. “Even after the first day, [they] didn’t want to leave.”