Times have changed. Institutions we once trusted are now considered with suspicion. As a frequently relocated mother of young children, I enter each new church with fear and trembling: do these people love my kids?
We who make up the church are often guilty of negligence when it comes to caring for children.
Babies and preschoolers who arrive in our buildings need more from us than just smiles. Their parents come in, look at our facilities and flee. And so they should. Yet many church members wonder why no young families stay in the congregation. Some church members even belittle what they consider overprotective parents. Instead of wondering why some families don’t stay, perhaps we should wonder why anybody in his right mind would trust our church with his child’s life.
Does your congregation have clean, up-to-date facilities for young children? More importantly, do you have policies regarding volunteers, cleanliness and safety? Do the volunteers know what they are? Or, like many members of warm, loving churches, do you just assume that everyone is as kind, caring and safe as you are?
Each congregation, no matter how small or financially strained, is responsible for doing the right thing when it comes to children.
Adria Davis
Wetumpka, Ala.
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