FAMILY CHURCH#9

Family church #8 was cancelled due to illness which was sad as it was Christmas time! boo!

Anyway this is what we got up to in January! Happy New Year!

Our focus was on thanking God for the year past and setting our intentions for the year ahead together as family.

We found that the end of Family Tree was pretty hectic …kids running around, adults trying to tidy and people who needed to get their children to bed, finding it hard to leave. We also were keen on demonstrating the benefits of having rhythms and traditions in our families that point to Jesus.

We decided to create a prayer with candles that would begin and end every session. I had read a beautiful prayer online (which I then could not find again) which used the candle to help children engage with 2 Corinthians 2:15-17

“But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere. 15 For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.”

It encouraged the children to smell the candles ‘aroma’ and watch the smoke disperse into the air, like the children were about to disperse spreading the love of Christ. Here is my attempt at writing it again!

 

Here are the activities we took part in. They are loosely based on TSP (Thank you, Sorry, Please) and then the last couple are my interpretation of the very popular  ‘having a word for the year’ or a ‘family mission statement’!

Thanksgiving 

Let’s begin 2018 by saying Thank you to God for 2017
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning” James 1:17

1. Use the spaghetti spell or create the things you are Thankful for as a family.

I just used a recipe online, similar to this one http://pagingfunmums.com/2014/04/30/rainbow-spaghetti/ and everyone loved it! Children and adults were able to engage at their levels e.g adults writing words and children drawing pictures!

Forgiveness

Read Psalm 24
“Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD?
Or who may stand in His holy place?
4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol,
Nor sworn deceitfully.”

2. Begin by washing your hands. Ask Jesus to bring to mind things that you need to ask him for forgiveness. Ask him to make your heart clean.
As we move into a New Year, are there things that you need to let go and leave in 2017? Hurts? Disappointments? Bitterness? Anger? Use this time to bring them to Jesus. In the sand, you may like to draw something that represents these things and after some time wipe them away; letting Jesus take those things.

This idea was adapted from Godventure sand prayers.

 

Listening to God

3. Get into the Den as a family.
Read the question out loud.
Spend 10 -30 seconds in silence (use the timer)
Then each say out loud anything that came into your head linked to the question.
This activity is called ‘Catching’ and is talked about in Parenting for Faith book by Rachel Turner. It can help families listen to God together

Bible

4. Please choose a bible verse for your family to learn and meditate on in 2018.
You may like to pray and ask God to show us which one could strengthen or encourage your family this year. You could try reading them all out loud and seeing which ones your children like the best.
Decorate one verse as a family, put it in the frame to take home and put in a prominent place.

Frames were from The Range for about a pound each. I typed some key bible verses in a Word document and outlined them so they could be coloured in. Then just added a variety of craft materials and off we all went!

I found this one really interesting… there was a bible verse that I wanted our family to do but my three old wanted another one…we went with his, despite me thinking I knew better! This frame is up in our dining room and I often look at the bible verse and am  challenged by it. The verse I wanted to do made me feel nice; God had other plans and used my three year old to challenge/spur me on!
“For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes–the Jew first and also the Gentile.”

Romans 1:16

 

How will your family grow in your faith this year?

5. Choose one activity from the cards on the wall which you will commit as a family to make time for this year (We will give you regular prompts too!)
Once you have decided, write your commitment onto a piece of foam. Stick the magnet on and place it on your fridge as a reminder of your commitment or ‘New Years Resolution’ as a family.

“The Allen family commits to….”

 

Hope this has given you ideas for New Year Activities! 🙂