Family Ministries Blog by Kathy Hulin

I was blessed by the opportunity to attend a ministry conference at the end of January where gifted speakers from around the country gathered to impart the knowledge they have been cultivating through their research and life journeys. I have so much I could share, but a presentation entitled “Helping Parents Translate Faith at Home” seems most appropriate at this time. Below is a summary of what Kenda Creasy-Dean, United Methodist Pastor and scholar shared and I hope that it both resonates with and challenges you and your family. 

6 Practices for Parents and Congregations to Grow a Child’s Faith

1.      Invest in your own faith.

Do your children and teens see your Bible study and prayer life? Do they see the fruit of your practices?

2.      Share what you love not just what you know.

How do your children and teens see you demonstrate your love for Jesus and church?

3.      Share your faith story with your kids.

They need to hear how you came to faith in Christ.

4.      Emphasize Good News over good behavior.

Being a Christian is who you are, not just what you do, and kids need to hear and see that lived out. How do we embody the faith for our kids?

5.       Speak Christian language as a way of life.

(The National Study on Youth and Religion found that teenagers, and particularly Mainline Protestants were extremely inarticulate about their faith.) Do you speak to God, or just about God?

6.      Do radical things for God.

Let your children and teens see you do acts of hospitality, acts of mercy and justice, acts of prayer, acts of grace, and let them know that you have done it because of your faith in Christ and not simply because you are a nice person.

January 2015 Blog

I was so pleased to be a part of the baptism service this past Sunday. I especially enjoyed being able to help start a new tradition for our child, teens, and adults who become baptized into our fellowship by honoring them with a scripture verse unique to each.

When I began in this position and knowing that I would be trying to help shape the learning of all our children and youth in matters spiritual, I started thinking about the power of a scripture verse to help define who we are and what we want to become in Christ. I meditated on a few different verses for myself to think about which verses I would want to use to help define my role as Director of Family Ministries, at least in this first year. I settled on two verses that I see each time I enter my office: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” from Matthew 22, as well as “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it” from Proverbs 22, and then one more scripture phrase which is on my wall to remind me that “you will be My witnesses…to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

I’m curious if you might take the time over the next couple of weeks to meditate over scripture sentences that could help shape and define you at this point in your Christian journey. I would love to hear what they are and even beyond that, I would love to hear how they help you during times of struggle when they are put to the test to help be your “sword of the Spirit” (Ephesians 6:17).

Blessings,

Kathy

"May we never lose sight of the possibility of transformation..." (from Iona Community Prayer Book)