I wonder …

By Carrie Philpott

I wonder what our children will remember about growing up in the Church.

Will it be the catchy songs, the nativity plays, and the colourful storybooks filled with lions, rainbows, and lost sheep?

Maybe they’ll recall the smell of morning tea, the echo of laughter in the hall, or the feel of felt-board figures on their fingers.

But more than anything, I wonder if it will be the way they were made to feel that will stay with them: the elder who always remembered their name, the youth leader who knelt to their level and listened, and the sense of belonging when they lit a candle, read a prayer, or helped serve morning tea.

“People may not remember what you did or said, but they will always remember how you made them feel,” says Maya Angelou.

I hope what lingers in their hearts is not just the words of the stories, but the feeling of being seen, safe and known.

That they were valued and loved – not only by God but by a whole community of people trying to follow the way of Jesus; the way of compassion, peace and justice.

In the end, I think what they’ll carry into adulthood is not just memory verses or songs, but a deep, quiet knowing: “I mattered here. I was accepted and loved. I am part of something bigger than myself.”

I wonder what the children in your church will remember …

Carrie Philpott is Children and Families Pastor at Tecoma Uniting Church