A Church Experiment

This is the third installment of a  4-part series written by Carrie Vittitoe to accompany her article in the December/January issue of Today’s Family magazine (page 18). Read about her new experiences in attending church in Part 1 and Part 2.

The kids and I have attended church twice now. The first time I didn’t know the logistics of the children’s liturgy, so Norah, Graeme and Miles stayed with me the entire service, happily noodling around with items in the church-provided kiddie bags. On our second visit...
...the two older ones went to the children’s service, while my youngest stayed in childcare.

Graeme and Miles didn’t have anything to say about their experiences, but being males and ages 5 and 3, respectively, I didn’t expect much. Norah, though, asked when we could go back to church. She liked hearing the story of Jesus being lost in the temple and being able to have bread and grape juice, just like the adults do. I was pleased that she learned a Bible story and enjoyed herself enough to want to do it again.
Most of the reason we’re doing this “church experiment” is for the kids to learn Bible stories that are so pervasive in western culture and for them to become familiar with a church setting and how the process of organized religion works.

But it is also for me to learn.

I have always contended that a person has to feel religion, feel faith. Being a thinker (and guilty of frequent over-thinking), I have always suspected that I question too much when it comes to religion (and everything, if I’m completely honest). During these church visits I have enjoyed hearing the sermons and mulling over their themes, and I have begun to wonder if thinking can get a person to spirituality. Jesus liked a skeptic enough to make him an apostle, so maybe there is hope for me.

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