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My dream for this blog is that a few, or even many, voices each week or day will weigh in on the questions being discussed.
Mine comments tonight have to do with the question of family that Melody raised last week (or the week before). I spent a number of years doing family ministry. I learned a lot from it, some of which I still affirm. What can the Church do to support families? Here are some ideas. I would relish hearing debate and comments on these matters.
1. Don’t split families up when they come to church by having mom run off to do altar guild, dad go off and do ushering, and the kids cordoned off in Godly Play. Let’s look for ways that families might actually be together (without forcing them to be if they need something of a break).
2. Bring families together with other families at parish potlucks, events, etc.
3. Give kids a sense of extended family by letting them participate alongside their parents and other adults doing meaningful things: greet, sing, read, take up offerings, carry candles and incense, tidy up after church, be in processions, and lead prayers. Let older kids have a chance at administering communion. Thereby we might share the childrearing function in Christian community, strengthening (and to some extent relieving) parents in the parenting role.
4. Create family enrichment possibilities for those who are motivated and interested. I have designed and had great fun with clusters of families on one-day (and longer) retreats. Can be great fun for everyone.
5. Enlarge the notion of family from nuclear to extended to communal to global.
6. Continue to recruit and train and support people other than parents to be Godly Play leaders.
Frank+