Have you ever woken up late on a Sunday morning, with the toddler needing a bath (no details needed right?), the baby crying for food, the third grader unable to find his other church shoe, and your husband’s shirt needing some ironing? We have all felt flustered on a Sunday as we have tried to get our families to church. Some of us just choose to be late, while others forfeit going altogether. For Biblically-minded families a successful Sunday begins on Saturday in their preparation of their hearts, minds, bodies, and possessions.
I have totally had my fair share of hard Sunday mornings. When our children were really little, my husband was a pastor which required him to be at church really early for preparations and prayer time. That left me home alone with the five little children to get out the door in time for church. And boy was that tricky, especially with a nursing baby or after a winter storm! I was often tempted to stay at home, but I knew that one of our core values was to be at church for the fellowship, worship, and teaching. AND THIS MOMMA NEEDED SOME ADULT TIME, TOO! Yes, I was excited to drop them off at their classroom so I could have a real conversation without an interrupting toddler or a diaper change. 🙂
How did I manage to successfully get our family to church? What we do on Saturday nights affects what happens on Sunday mornings. If you want to make sure that your Biblically-minded family is at church on Sunday morning, you must plan for that on Saturday night. It will not just magically happen. Follow along to find out our family’s plan for successful Sunday mornings:
1. Lay out the clothes and other needs for each person on Saturday night.
There are few things more frustrating than trying to find that black skirt 10 minutes before you get in the car on a Sunday morning or realizing that the trousers you had for your five-year-old have a new large hole in the knees or the church shoes for your nine-year-old daughter just don’t fit, even though they did last Sunday! When I take the time to set out our church clothes, Bibles, and the stocked diaper bag (or ask the children to set out their clothes and shoes), I am helping to limit the distractions and obstacles that come in the way to make us frustrated or late on a Sunday morning. Both of these can interfere with a successful time at church.
2. As much as you can, make sure your family gets to bed at a decent time on Saturday night.
We all love to have friends and family over on the weekend. Often our guests will stay longer than our kids’ bedtimes. We love this and don’t want to change our plans, but in order for our Sundays to be successful, we have a few rules. If we know our bedtimes will be later than normal, we have a rest time on Saturday afternoon for our little kids (those who don’t take naps anymore). Our kids are much happier when they are well-rested. We also make sure the bigger kids know beforehand that we expect them to get up on time and have happy attitudes in the morning. They love having their friends over, so they are often motivated to comply with our requests.
3. Plan what you are going to serve for breakfast.
While this may not sound like a huge help in your family, I prefer to limit the options of what we eat on church mornings. This helps to cut down on the number of dishes, ingredients, and appliances that are out in the kitchen. More things out mean more things to put away before we get in the van. We don’t have the teens making eggs while the middle kids eat cereal, and the little ones have waffles with peanut butter.
Instead, you could implement Bagel Mornings. Set out the toaster, bagels, butter, cream cheese, peanut butter, knives, serviettes, milk and fruit. Each of the children can make breakfast for himself/herself, if they are of age. When everyone has finished it is simple to put away these limited ingredients (especially since my scavengers make sure there isn’t much left). You could also make a quiche or casserole for breakfast. You can make some of these ahead of time and warm them for breakfast as family members wake up, and they are easy to put away when it is time to leave.
4. Settle arguments and hard feelings with your family on Saturday.
I hate to admit it, but there have been times I have had hard feelings toward my husband or one of my children during the church service. The songs were beautiful, and the message was insightful. But my heart was far from hearing what each were trying to communicate to me through the Holy Spirit. I did not prepare my heart and my mind before Sunday morning came. This makes for an unsuccessful morning because even though my body was in the building, my heart and mind were far from it. When we prepare our hearts, minds, and bodies for Sunday mornings, it will be more successful.
Overall, in order for our Sunday mornings at church to be successful, Biblically-minded families must prepare. Truly, a successful Sunday begins on Saturday. Make a plan for getting your children physically ready (washed, clothed, fed) and spiritually ready (confessed sin and hard feelings). This will ensure that your time at church will happen and you will be encouraged spiritually while attending the services and fellowshipping with other believers.
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