“You might want to tell the kids not to do that – they are pulling the bread apart,” commented one adult in our congregation, trying to help. The foam bread loaf that had been placed on the mini communion table in the play church was getting torn to shreds by the kids. I thanked her for helping and responded, “Actually, I kind of love that they are doing that – they’re doing what we do every week!” In our church, we celebrate weekly communion, and when we come forward, the pastor says, “The body of Christ broken for you,” as he tears off a piece of bread and places it in each person’s hands.
What is a play church?
Our play church is set up in the gathering place of our church, just inside the front door. The small chairs mimic the shape and color of the chairs in our sanctuary, and the front backdrop mirrors the brick wall behind the pulpit. A small birdbath serves as a miniature baptismal font, which stands next to the miniature communion table and small podium. We’ve tried to incorporate the same things that we use weekly in our service: a green cloth for the growing season is draped over the communion table; coin purses with fake money for the offering are scattered on the chairs; a baby doll wrapped in a blanket waits to be rocked or brought to baptism; and weekly bulletins with kid-friendly language follow the same order of service that the regular bulletins use.
Why create a play church?
When designing our play church, we hoped to take the regular elements of our weekly worship and put them in the hands of our kids. How can we create a space for our kids to embody our worship at their level? What might they (and we) learn about worship by reenacting it? We wanted our kids to “play church,” just like they might have a play kitchen or play store at home or school, learning the rhythms and purpose behind cooking or shopping by acting it out. So each week after the service, while the adults are talking or drinking coffee, kids regularly come and stand at the pulpit to read the storybook Bible, bring the doll up to the baptismal font, drop the fake money in the offering plate, or even tear the foam bread apart.
What challenges and opportunities have come with this innovation?
There have been growing pains along the way, too. Adults have had to relinquish some space, both physically and aesthetically. It was important to us that we put the play church in the center of our communal space– not tucked away in a children’s room. Kids have had to learn to take care of the materials, and that this isn’t designed for the rough and tumble kind of play, they might do elsewhere. We tried to set up expectations and a few ground rules through an email introducing the play church, which included language like:
“Our prayer is that, through the Play Church, kids will grow in their imagination and understanding of how worship forms us and in their love of God and his bride, the church. The Play Church was designed to fit kids ages 3 through 7. Anyone is welcome to play here as long as they are respecting the space and those playing in it.”
A foretaste of the wedding feast
Soon after the play church was set up, we had a luncheon after church in the gathering space. The tables quickly filled with plates of food and conversation. I happened to look over at the play church and saw that several kids had pulled the small chairs over and placed their plates on the communion table where they were eating together. It struck me that they were living into what communion is – a foretaste of the wedding feast, where people of all nations – and ages – will gather together. These children sat down together for a feast at a table built just for them.
Guest Author
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Kelli Dunn
Kelli Dunn taught various grades from Kindergarten to High School for over a decade and now serves as the Director of Children’s Faith Formation at her church in Milwaukee, WI. Kelli thoughtfully designs experiences that will help create a culture where children are valued and embraced as a valuable part of the church.