The clothes on their back...

I read this article today and thought it was worth reprinting...

A church building is a special place calling for special behavior. While the church is our home and we should feel comfortable there – indeed, the church (small “c”) is a gathering place for the Church, the people of God (capital “C”) – that doesn’t mean that anything goes. Your actions in church show respect for God and for the community that gathers there. If you are stopping by the church to pray, even just for a moment, your actions should respect the place and its purpose. check Busted Halo for the rest of it.

What you wear to worship doesn't really bother me...as long as it is appropriate...by that I mean not too short, you can't see through it, undergarments are covered, no inappropriate slogans. It doesn't have to be inordinately expensive, or too conservative (as in covered from neck to ankles).

Working with young people, our main focus is to get them to come to worship. Their clothing speaks volumes about each individual. After all, as teenagers, they have very few ways of making a statement about themselves. Showing their own personal style allows them to do this.

When I was a child, you wore what you were told...or at least I did. I grew up at the end of the tradition when you always wore a dress or skirt, usually wore a hat and sometimes those little white gloves. While I thought it was pretty cool to be able to put it all on...and actually felt it was part of my preparation for worship...I can see why young people today wouldn't feel the same. After all, the hat and gloves did nothing to make me a better person or Christian...they just meant that I dressed the way my grandmother wanted. Not like I wanted. It's important to help our youth feel a part, to take ownership of their faith and membership in their church. To do so, they need to feel they have a voice. Even if it starts with the clothes on their back.