Finding Joy Together: The Importance of Intergenerational Play

A of couple weeks ago, I watched a group of our kids run across the fellowship hall after worship. Their laughter echoed off the walls as they darted up and down the ramp in Krueger Hall, weaving in and out like little sparks of energy. What made me smile most, though, wasn’t just the kids. It was the sight of an older member jumping in on the game of tag. For a moment, there were no age gaps, no “too old for this” hesitations. There was just joy.
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Kierstie Renninger

That image has stayed with me as we turn the corner into the back-to-school season. This time of year, our calendars fill quickly. School schedules, sports practices, music lessons, and all the other “shoulds” and “musts” seem to take over. Families scramble to find a new rhythm, and sometimes church can feel like just one more thing to fit in. But I believe it’s exactly in these seasons of busyness that the church can offer something beautiful: a rhythm of play, connection, and love that crosses generations.

Our mission is simple — Love 1st. And one of the most powerful, yet often overlooked, ways we live out that mission is through play.

When we play together, barriers come down. Children don’t worry about grades or who is fastest in line. Adults set aside the seriousness of to-do lists and work demands. Seniors aren’t just spectators; they’re participants in the fun. In these moments, love feels tangible, lived out through laughter, teamwork, and the sheer delight of being together.

I think of the times I’ve watched a teenager patiently teach a younger child the rules of a game. Or the way kids light up when an adult joins in a silly relay or sits down to build a block tower with them. These moments remind our youngest that they belong — not just to their parents, not just to their age group, but to an entire community of people who care about them. They remind our adults that joy is not reserved for childhood; it’s a gift God invites us to carry throughout our lives.

And for all of us, these moments of play help us breathe again. They interrupt the grind of routines and remind us that love doesn’t always look like serious acts of service — it sometimes looks like a shared laugh, a high five, or a goofy round of musical chairs.
​​As we step into the back-to-school season, maybe one of the most important rhythms we can establish as a church family is a rhythm of play. It doesn’t have to be complicated. It could be a simple game after worship, a potluck, or even just taking a few minutes to sit down and color with a child during coffee hour.


In these small but meaningful acts, we practice Love 1st. We teach each other that God’s love is not only patient and kind — it’s also playful, joy-filled, and deeply uniting. And perhaps that’s exactly the kind of steady rhythm we all need in this season: one that keeps us grounded in joy, connected to each other, and reminded that we are never too old — or too busy — to play.


So here’s your invitation: Join us this Sunday, September 7, for our single service and all-church potluck. We’ll celebrate the back-to-school season with our backpack blessing, the gifting of 3rd-grade Bibles, and more! It’s a beautiful chance to gather across generations, to share food, laughter, and encouragement, and to begin this new season rooted in love.


In His Name, Kierstie