June 2017
By Ramona Tausz
Living Christ Lutheran Church in Arlington Heights, Illinois, just wrapped up its second successful year running Pause 2 Play, an outreach program that offers moms, dads, and other caregivers in the community an opportunity to gather at the church each week for conversation and fellowship while their young children play in a safe environment.
“It’s just a time for moms or dads to get together so they can get to know one another,” Pastor Peter Berauer said. “It’s been fun for us to get families from the community to come, and we’ve been able to build a lot of great relationships.”
Three or four members of Living Christ lead the program weekly during the school year, with roughly 10-12 families from the community attending each session. The kids—who are usually three or four years of age—have time for playing games, doing a craft and reading a story with Pastor Berauer. Each week features a theme, such as fish or plants. The sessions also often feature faith-based, Christian songs.
According to Berauer, Pause 2 Play started two years ago when Living Christ members were seeking a way to meet and befriend their neighbors.
“One of our struggles was that people didn’t know we were in the community and didn’t know we had something to offer,” he said. He added that Pause 2 Play has proven to be a great way to form relationships with members of the community: “It’s low-key and it provides something people are looking for.”
He says several parents who attend have recently moved to Arlington Heights and are eager for a chance to meet new people. Others, who spend all day with their kids, appreciate the opportunity for fellowship with other adults.
Even though Pause 2 Play has wrapped up for the summer and won’t resume until school starts again in the fall, Living Christ is taking steps to continue developing the Pause 2 Play connections during the next few months. On the third Saturday of June, July, and August, church members are hosting block parties for their immediate neighbors.
“Each one has a different theme or draw to it,” Berauer said. “At the first one, that we just completed, we had a food truck and a live band come and join us. The next one will feature carnival games and have a fire truck and bouncy house.”
According to Berauer, these block parties—like Pause 2 Play—simply offer an excellent opportunity to “hang around and get to know our neighbors.” Both outreach efforts, Berauer says, aim first and foremost at simply forming friendships between church and community members. Once those relationships are in place, however, church members have more occasion to either informally or intentionally let people know more about the worship and other opportunities Living Christ has available for them.
“If we don’t know our neighbors we’re not going to be able to present them with what Christ has to offer,” Berauer said. “First we have to offer these relationships and then as time goes on, we are more intentional about letting people know the reason we’re here: to gather around Jesus and receive his gifts.”
Volunteers lead activities for 3- and 4-year-olds and their parents at Pause 2 Play, a community outreach of Living Christ Lutheran Church in Arlington Heights, Illinois.