Holy Week: Four Services, One Story
March 22, 2024
We thought we waited too long. We meant to have the girls meet with a pastor when they were in 2nd and 3rd grade, but then Covid happened and the years got away from us. After watching the communion trays pass them by one last time over the summer, we dusted off our communion packet from Central's Family Ministry, and set out to finally make it happen 3 years later.
What I assumed would be a lengthy process filled with cumbersome steps was actually very straightforward. We let Karen Brown know we were ready to get the ball rolling (again) and she pointed us in the right direction. We chose to have our girls meet with Pastor Ben Tzeng since they already knew and were therefore comfortable with him. The meeting took place on a Sunday morning between services and was short (about 15 minutes) but very sweet. Mark and I sat in on the meeting and it was wonderful to hear our girls interact with Pastor Ben, to answer his questions about their faith journey, and to hear what questions they had about the Lord’s Table. What began as an “oops,” thinking we had waited too long, turned out to be the perfect timing for our family.
A few weeks later, when it came time for communion, I watched my girls excitedly partake. Could we have done this sooner? Sure. Do I regret accidentally waiting a little longer? No. There is no perfect timing for a child to take their first communion and as I’ve watched my girls grow I’ve determined it likely varies widely and depends a lot on your child’s ability and willingness to discuss their faith.
Things like this can be intimidating in a big church like ours (and this is coming from someone who has grown up in this church AND is married to an Elder). Don’t be deterred. If you think your child is ready, reach out to Karen Brown who will gently help you guide your child to the Lord’s Table. And if you’re reading this and thinking you too waited too long, I promise you didn’t. Your child’s first communion will be just as meaningful whether they are 8 or 18.
Blessings,
Kiley Talbott
