Loving our ‘Leavers’

One of the core ideas of Sticky Faith is that young people need to feel a part of their church community at each age and stage of their development in order for them to grow a faith that sticks with them through life.

The big faith challenge for a young person comes when they leave their home (and their home church), and step out into a world which doesn’t provide the foundation and routines that they’ve come to lean on.  So where does our responsibility lie when a young person in our church comes of age and leaves home?  Do we wave them off with our best wishes and hope to see them again at Christmas… or are they still a part of our community, even after they’ve left?

There are many ways which we could communicate to our young people that we still consider them part of our church family.  One easy way is to celebrate with them as they finish school and acknowledge their achievement.  Get them up at the front on a Sunday morning when they’ve finished their exams.  Tell them we’re proud of them.  Tell them we’re praying for them no matter what.  Tell them we’d love to hear from them and they’re welcome any time.  Give them a slot in the newsletter to share about their new experiences, or invite them to come back and speak to the youth about what college or Uni is like.

Another way is to reach out and remind them that we’re thinking of them.  What young person doesn’t glow a little- even the lads!- when you offer them some unexpected encouragement.  I’ve come across a website that I adore called Giver’s Log which is all about, well, giving.  The category ‘Happy Mail’ is dedicated to ideas for care parcels that you could send to a uni student to let them know you’re thinking about them.  And get this- all of the parcel ideas weigh 13 oz or less!  (As it’s an American site, this weight is what separates a letter from a parcel.  It’s probably not the same here, but it will still be pretty cheap to send!)  Check it out:

As our young people are finishing exams and taking next steps, let’s get encouraging!

Confession Time…

I came across the following blog post the other day and immediately, thought, ‘Yep.  Been there.’  I think, no matter what age our children are, if we admit it we’ve all had Sunday mornings which ended up more of a frustration than a blessing.

What I love about this article is how the mum has decided to turn difficult Sunday mornings right back round and make them a special, spiritual time once again.  Have a look!

What do you think?

(And if you feel the need, ask one of our ministers how you can make your own ‘dog collar’ from a washing up liquid bottle.  They’ve all done it!)

Being Your Children’s Biggest Fan

I came across these tween-encouragement-cards on the Sticky Faith website recently and was inspired.

You know all those moments we have as parents when our child does something really special and we just want to take a moment and say ‘Wow.’?  How often do we actually get to commemorate those moments?

These encouragement cards are such a fun way to communicate to our children that we’re proud of them, and on the busy days when it may not look like we notice the special things that they’ve done, we really do.  In our house, I hope to use these in a scrapbook for my little one to read when she’s old enough.

How do you encourage your child(ren)?  Share your ideas below!

Ready For Spring Yet? Me Too.

This year the Lancashire Methodist District is exploring evangelism.  As I’ve already written, evangelism really starts with sharing- a friendship, a story, a favour, a gift, or even just a simple cup of tea.  It is through our relationships that we truly demonstrate God’s message of love.

If this crazy season of not-yet-spring is getting you down, why not try and cheer someone up?  Here’s a brilliant article to help inspire:

20 Simple Ways to Brighten Someone’s Day

One of the great things about this list is that they are all things that you could do together as a family- which is not only sharing a good thing with someone else, but it’s also sharing a legacy with our children.  What a special thing!

If you and your family feel you’d like to do more to share your gifts and time, we’re looking to start a circuit Family Ministry Team which can help you do just that.  Just what the team does is entirely up to those who join.  It might be bringing meals to a family going through a hard time, or baking cakes just to cheer someone up, organizing family events or a babysitting scheme- or maybe you have other ideas of how we can be available and share what we have.  If you’re interested in being part of the conversation, please get in touch!

Thinking sunny thoughts,

Rachel

Praying Together at Home: Prayer Pots

Many of us like the prayer cube which is used at TOFs before our meal for family prayer.  If you don’t have one at home, why not make your own Prayer Pot?

 

Here are two fun examples-  click on the photos to find out more about them.

 

 

 

 

Have fun creating your own meaningful family prayer pail- and come back and tell us about it!