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Our mission is to challenge families to focus on their faith and strengthen relationships with God and with each other. |
Families come in all shapes, sizes, and configurations. Family
means different things to different people. Keeping this in mind,
the synod’s Youth, Young Adult and Family Ministry Team has
developed monthly Family Faith Challenges.
Invite members of your family—children, parents, grandparents,
partner, close friends—to walk with you on your faith journey.
Family faith challenges for each month
Family faith challenge guidelines for the year
Worship God together once a weekWe challenge you to notice how God has created people with different gifts and abilities.
Week one: Gather around the table and name five things that
make each family member special.
Week two: Make a list of all the important women in your life. Share their stories with one another.
Week three: Look up the meaning of your first name. Share what your name means. How do you feel about your name? Does the meaning of your name highlight who you are? How does your name fit you?
Week four: Look at the list of our companion synods on the synod website. What do you know about these areas of the world? Look into what is special about one of these places.
We challenge you to notice how God’s creation is a big part of
your life.
Week one: Visit a local park. Notice God’s creation and look for three-leaf clovers. How is the clover like the Trinity (Father, Son, Holy Spirit)?
Week two: Gather together recyclable materials. Create something new.
Week three: Make a list of all the important men in your life.
Share their stories with one another.
Week four: Read Psalm 104. What does it remind you of? Be inspired! Using chalk on the sidewalk, illustrate your favorite verse from Psalm 104.
We challenge you to notice how God’s love is shared with us through our baptism.
Week
one: Go to a pool as a family. Yell, “God loves you!” as you splash!
Week two: Look at photos from your baptism and tell your baptism story.
Week three: Trace a cross on each family member’s forehead. Say, “God loves you and so do I!"
Week four: Paint with water. Gather old paintbrushes and dip
them into buckets of water. Paint your sidewalk with shapes that remind
you of God’s love (cross, heart, circle, triangle, rainbow).
Week five: Place a bowl filled with water on your table. Invite family members to think of their own baptism. Ask each family member what it means to be a member of God’s family. Listen to each other’s story.
We challenge you to notice how God walks with us wherever we are.
Week
one: Visit a place near water. Enjoy a picnic lunch. Enjoy God’s
presence with you. Notice how we feel God’s presence near living waters.
Week two: At your place of worship, find the baptismal font. Dip your fingers into the baptismal font and give thanks to God for calling you “a child of God."
Week
three: Notice when you are thirsty. Take time to realize how much we
need water. Drink a glass of water and think about the many ways God
refreshes us.
Week four: Think about a time when you were very sad and moved to tears. In your Bible, read Luke 11:35, “Jesus wept.” Remember Jesus is with us even when we are sad.
We challenge you to notice how God calls you to use your gifts and talents.
Week
one: Discuss with family members the gifts and talents each member
has been given by God. Write each family member’s name on a paper leaf.
On each person’s leaf, write down his or her gifts and talents. Display
the leaves in your home.
Week two: Think about something you do well. Discuss with family members how you could use your gift(s) to volunteer in your congregation. Welcoming, reading, visiting, singing, taking pictures, and making cards are among the many ways you can serve your congregation.
Week three: Think about your daily life (school, work,
sports). Discuss with family members how you are sharing God’s love with
the people you see each day.
Week four: Read Galatians 5:22-23. Which of these gifts is the strongest in you? Which gift would you ask God to work with you on strengthening?
We challenge you to notice how God’s presence is with you while creation is changing.
Week one: Look at a picture of yourself from last year. Notice the changes God has made in you. Give thanks to God for all the changes you notice!
Week
two: Observe a tree that is changing. Discuss with your family how
it looked in the summer, how it looks now, and how it will look in a
month or so. Fold a paper in fours. Draw how the tree looks in each
season.
Week
three: Find someone who is much older than you. Talk with that
person about what the world was like when they were your age or when
they were a child.
Week four: This week we remember that Martin Luther (who lived in the 1500s) helped to change the Church. Discuss with your family how you would change the Church. Talk about the ways that God is changing the Church.
We challenge you to notice how God talks to us through prayer.
Week
one: Together, as a family, learn a new mealtime prayer. Say it each
night this week.
Week two: Decide as a family to set aside some time each day (like noon) to think about one another and whisper quiet prayers of thanks for each other.
Week three: Create a container (basket, jar, envelope) of blessings for each member of your family. Fill the container with slips of paper identifying why you are thankful for each family member.
Week
four: Notice the empty chair at your table. (Remember it is placed
there to represent God’s presence in your home.) Discuss with your
family how God affects your actions and conversations.
We challenge you to notice how God is with us while we are waiting.
Week
one: Purchase or unpack your nativity scene. Decide as a family
where you will display the nativity scene. Unpack and display only the
stable. Each week we will challenge you to display and discuss new
additions to the scene. This week talk about the places where Jesus
could be born today.
Week two: Add animals and shepherds to the nativity scene. Set a timer for five minutes. Sit with the shepherds and animals and wait for the messiah to come. Discuss with your family how if felt to wait!
Week three: Add the manger to the nativity scene. Discuss with
your family what a manger is (
a
feeding trough for animals). Why did Mary and Joseph put baby Jesus in a
manger? Place your baby Jesus in the manger on December 25.
Week four: Add the Wiseman to the nativity scene. Discuss with your family what you would like to give to baby Jesus.
We challenge you to notice God’s presence/movement in the world around you.
Week one: Go outside at night and look at the stars. Talk
about how stars guided the wise men to see Jesus. How many stars can you
see? Think about how big God’s creation is.
Week two: Gather around a table and turn out all the lights in your house. Light one candle and talk about where you saw God this week.
Week three: Go outside and walk around your neighborhood. Look for signs of God’s creation in the air and on the land. Do you see any animals or plants?
Week four: Gather around a mirror. Look in the mirror! You are one of God’s amazing creations! Talk about how God is working in your family’s life. What unique gifts and talents has God given you?
Week
five: Watch a movie or television show together as a family. Discuss
how you saw God working in the characters and the events of the show.
Did you learn something new about God's presence?
We challenge you to notice how God’s love is being shared it the world around you.
Week one: Make and distribute Valentine cards to a neighbor in
need, the shut-ins at your congregation, college students or someone who
needs to hear a loving word.
Week two: Donate a food that you love to your local food bank.
Week three: Gather around the table, light a candle, tell each
member of your family what you love about them.
Week four: Read 1 Corinthians 13 and talk about love. What words in the Bible passage are meaningful to you?
We challenge you to notice how God’s story and your story connect.
Week one: Gather around the table and allow each family member
to tell a five-minute uninterrupted story.
Week two: Read Genesis 1-2:4a. Draw a picture to illustrate the creation story. Hang the pictures on your refrigerator.
Week three: Search for “Saint Patrick” on your computer or visit your local library and borrow a book about Saint Patrick. Talk about one new thing that you learned about St. Patrick.
Week four: Share your favorite story about Jesus. Post it on your Facebook status. Find your favorite story about Jesus in the Bible.
We challenge you to notice how God brings new life and growth to the world around you.
Week one: Grow in faith by attending a Holy Week, Maundy
Thursday, Good Friday or Holy Saturday service.
Week two: Try on last year’s spring clothing. How have you grown? Donate your outgrown clothing to a local charity.
Week three: As a family take a walk around your neighborhood
and discuss what new spring growth you see.
Week four: Plant a few seeds – watch them grow.
Week five: Make and hang paper butterflies around your home in order to celebrate new life. Butterflies began as caterpillars, then seem to be dead in their cocoons. Finally they emerge from their cocoons changed into butterflies. Discuss with your family things that seem to be dead but come alive!
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© 2012 Northeastern Pennsylvania Synod. All rights reserved. |
Ministry Teams