Happily at play in our places of worship

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 03/02/2024 (606 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Last month, a mother in Chicago sparked a firestorm on X (formerly Twitter) when she asked city officials to create indoor playgrounds at public libraries. “My child needs somewhere to burn off energy without getting frostbite and all the private indoor trampoline parks and such are SO expensive,” she wrote.

Parents from all over echoed her plea. But most people said having noisy kids in a library was the worst idea they had ever heard. As one person put it, “I can’t believe how noisy libraries are these days. Drives me nuts! Can’t even imagine how much worse it would be with a playground in it!”

Reading the responses, I had to wonder: What about churches and other places of worship? Many have gyms or fellowship halls that sit mostly empty during the week. What if they offered them indoor play spaces, especially in winter?

A bit of research showed there are churches in Canada doing just that. One of them is Creekside Church, a non-denominational congregation that has three Ontario campuses in Waterloo, Kitchener and Chatham.

The church, which has an average weekend attendance of about 2,200 people, has playgrounds at two of its locations. They were set up by children’s pastor Carolyn Burge, who from the start saw them as something not just for church kids to use, but for use by the whole community.

For her, it’s “about creating a space where parents and kids can hang out and be comfortable,” she said, especially in winter when play options for children are limited.

To keep costs lower, the church bought a mix of new and used equipment from a playground structure manufacturer in B.C. Total cost was about $60,000 for the structure, although they saved money by having volunteers assemble it under the supervision of a certified installer from the manufacturer.

There was a “minimal increase” to the church’s insurance cost, she said, since the play structure is built to all safety codes. “There is a low risk of kids getting hurt,” she said, adding that all volunteers are trained in first aid in the event of an accident.

Use of the playground is free and about 100 parents and children can use it at once at the Waterloo location, which is open mornings from Monday to Friday. The Kitchener location, which has a much smaller structure, is open Monday and Tuesday mornings.

Parents can enjoy low-cost coffee and snacks in a nearby café while their children are playing. “We just want to cover costs,” Burge said.

Burge was adamant there is no ulterior motive to the playground. “It’s not about inviting people to come and hear a Christian message or be invited to participate in church programs,” she said, noting nobody needs to convert or come to church to use it.

“If people want more information about the church, they can ask. There is no preaching.”

The church also has an arrangement with local schools that brings children with special needs to the playground. “They can book the facility and have it all to themselves,” Burge said.

As for why there’s no cost, “we were thinking about low-income families,” Burge said. “We want everyone to be able to afford to use it.”

Overall, she’s thrilled that people in the community “feel it’s a comfortable place to come and we are glad to have them.”

In Edmonton, the Southside Church of the Nazarene also has an indoor playground. According to pastor Jen Blake, it features smaller plastic play structures, a playhouse, and other activities and toys for toddlers.

There is no cost for using the playground, which can accommodate about 45 children and is open Tuesday and Wednesday mornings. It also gets a lot of use in winter.

While there, parents can enjoy coffee and snacks donated by Safeway, Starbucks and Costco as they watch their children play.

Like at Creekside, nobody who uses the playground is required to convert or come to church, which has about 100 people in attendance in-person on Sundays. “We don’t sell coming to church, there’s no proselytizing,” Blake said, although some people have started attending because of it.

The goal, she shared, is just to “bless the community.”

In Winnipeg, the Transcona Christian Reformed Church makes space in its building free of charge to a local community play group.

“The church doesn’t sponsor it,” said pastor Brian Bolkema. “But we are happy to let them have the space.”

Bolkema found out about the group while attending the Transcona Food Security Network, of which the church is a member. The play group had just lost its space and was looking for a new location.

“We weren’t using the space during the week, so we offered it to them,” he said.

The play group has its own play structures and toys, which are stored in a room at the church when not in use. Sometimes they also set up a bouncy castle.

“All we ask is they clean up, turn off the lights and lock up when done,” he said.

As for why the church is doing it, it’s because that’s what churches are supposed to do, Bolkema said.

“It’s about practising hospitality. We want to share our resources with the community. We want them to see our church cares about the community and our neighbours. We want to be a welcome and inviting place.”

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