If you have ever come to know a man that you really respect, one who really does his homework and one whose career path in education seems limitless based on his no-nonsense and humble way for caring for what he does, then you would know my friend Phil. He is the director of our children's ministry at our church and he is also an Elder at our church. Phil is a godly man and you know that by his fruit and by his humility.
Both he and I have a common belief structure and that is the family. We believe that it is extremely important for the family to raise the child in the way that God calls us to and in a Christ-centered way. I asked Phil if he would be kind enough to send me a "bio" on the program that he is initiating with our leadership at our church and here was the conversation between us:
Dante: "Phil, Can you send me the bio of the program you are working on for Faith Parents. I want to blog on this on our March theme?"
Phil: "I don’t know exactly what you are looking for. But here is why we are developing Faith Builder Events. The bottom line is we can’t compete with the home http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuKfBzydJYU&feature=related, but we can partner with the home. Also, only 23.5% of homes have both a mom and dad inside them. We know that many parents feel like that perfect picture of a family has been shattered for them and feel like church is no longer a place for them because of divorce or whatever. We take this opportunity to pour out some of that Grace that God has given us to give them a fresh start.
So, we have four goals with each event that we have. First, we want to motivate parents to be the spiritual leader(s) that God calls us to be. We use testimonies, scriptures, and stories to motivate parents. Then we model a specific faith skill like prayer or devotions so they can see exactly what to do and how simple it can be. Then, we let them practice the faith skill until they feel successful. Finally we provide the tool that we modeled and they practiced. We plan on having a Faith Builder Event during the baptism class, one for preschool, one for k-2 grade parents and one for 3rd-5th grade parents. Eventually, we would like to have some for middle school and high school parents as well. Thanks for asking, Dante. It’s a work in progress, but at least we are progressing! Phil"
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When you watch the video and read Phil's note, you can realize how important the home is. I realize how important each day is and how we act as stewards with our time both in and outside the home.
Regards,
Dante