Faithful Families Resources July 20 2014

Australian research reveals that over 70% of Anglican & Protestant believers became Christians before age 20  (39% before age 10 and 34% between 10-19)

NCLS Occasional Paper 5 - Social Influences on Faith Development

Family Closeness

Game:

Metal Detector

One person leaves the room. While they are away someone else chooses an object to hide and hides it somewhere in the room. When the person returns they must find the hidden thing without knowing what it is. The person who hid the object makes a "beep-beep" sound like a metal detector, slower when the person moves away from the object and faster as she moves closer. (Ideas Number 13-12. Group Specialities)

Sharing:

Self Description

Choose one word that starts with each letter of your name that describes you. For example if your name is Joe you might choose jolly, optimistic and exhausted. Parents might need to help younger ones with possible words.

Story

With your family read Mathew 13.31-33

Questions for Discussion:

• Why do you think Jesus told stories like these to explain what the kingdom of God is like?
• People can plant seeds, but can we make them grow? Why not? Can we encourage them to grow?
• What might it mean for the kingdom of God to be planted like a seed in us?
• What happens to dough when yeast is mixed through it? How might the Kingdom of God be like yeast in us?

Prayer and Celebration

Passing of the Cross

At the dinner table a holding cross is passed from member to member. Whoever holds the cross is the person who prays.  This prayer begins with one person who either says a prayer out loud or silently says or imagines a prayer. The cross is passed when the person who holds it is finished.  Each person takes their turn.  Prompts may be given by parents as the cross is passed.

Eg. See…a friend in need, a hurt that needs healing…etc.

Pray one sentence…prompt:  thank you God for

  

Service

Project Ideas

• Collect toys for young children who are either hospitalised in foster care or in a crisis nursery
• Ask families to make may baskets and fill the baskets with candy and small toys
• Invite families to sort through their childrn's outgrown shoes and clothes
• Have families with young children draw pictures and make greeting cards for people in your congregations who are sick

Bonus Family Activity

If your children’s grandparents or uncles or aunties live some way away (or even if they don’t) get them to record a story about their childhood on a tape recorder or to write it down, and post it to you. Your family can then listen to the story during family sharing time. Your children might like to record one of their own stories to post back to their grandparents. 

(This material is based on and draws from earlier Faithful Families emails by Stephen Harrison and Richard Browning: An Unless Ideas Production.) Unless otherwise noted all material on this blog is copyright Stephen Harrison and Richard Browning