Trinity - Conklin
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Title: Family of Faith Memory work
Family Ministry Area: Whole family
Goals: To increase the knowledge of God’s word. Encourage Scripture memorization.
Reinforce the importance of “in the home” training.
Brief description: Bible verses are selected and one per week is placed into the church bulletin
coupon style so that families can cut it out and place it in an obvious place to work on
memorizing it over the week. The same verses are put in our monthly news letter with a little
further explanation of the verse to complement the memorization with understanding of the
principle the verse is teaching.
The point is that even memorizing one verse a week really adds up. 52 in a year, 520 in a
decade…. Imagine what could be learned in a lifetime if this practice is started at preschool age!
Title: Baptismal Birthday recognition Sundays
Family Ministry area: Children’s Ministry
Goals: To heighten the awareness of the blessings of baptism, and give an additional opportunity
to encourage families to commemorate, and celebrate baptismal vows.
Brief Description: One Sunday a month, the children (birth through confirmation age) who have
a baptismal birthday during that month have their names listed in the bulletin, and are invited to
come forward for recognition. Pastor speaks a few words of Baptismal Birthday greetings, as
well as reminding all of us the blessings of our baptism. A card is given to each of the children
celebrating that month.
For more information contact: Terri Kober, kobert@trinitylutheranconklin.org, 616-899-2167
We have not instituted other “programs”, rather, we have been working really hard to change our
thought process to be more family friendly.
• We “de-programmed” VBS a bit by shortening it to Monday through Thursday. This
made it more family friendly for both the participants as well as the staff that often had week end
plans that made keeping the VBS commitment difficult, or made keeping their plans difficult.
• We are considering changing the times of meetings and evening worship to be more
“family friendly”. Actually, to be more accurate, to change them to times that are “currently”
family friendly. The current times reflect the needs of families that were primarily farmers, and
needed to be in the barn earlier in the evening. This is no longer a significant issue for most of
our families.
• We concentrate our church programs as much as possible to Sunday and Wednesday in
order to avoid calling people away from home as much as possible.
• Youth ministry began having one of the meetings a month directly after SS in order to
accommodate families for which the evening time slot was difficult. There is also a greater
focus on parental partnership.
• Our monthly Messenger is including the “Family Time” devotional idea for the month.
• At every opportunity we communicate the importance of teaching the faith in the home.
This message comes in print via the bulletin, and Messenger, from the pulpit as it is woven into
sermons, repeated at Baptisms, and Baptismal birthday recognition Sunday.
• While Confirmation remains a program that is primarily church centered/home supported,
some changes are beginning to happen especially with regard to absent students requiring
families to take responsibility for the missed class time.
• We have tried to take advantage of our Messenger. We include family friendly
information, encouragement etc. This is our ultimate Family friendly tool. It goes to their home
to be used in the home. It isn’t a program, and it isn’t new, but it has definitely been impacted
by the family friendly focus at Trinity.
• We do not have youth group meetings on days such as Father’s Day, Mother’s day,
Easter, and other holidays to honor family time.
• We are looking at our survey to determine what programs are needed. When we
determine a direction, it will not likely mean an additional program, (although it may), but rather
an additional opportunity in a program slot already designated. (ie. Sunday school option, Bible
study option, in time slots already established)
Family Ministry Area: Whole family
Goals: To increase the knowledge of God’s word. Encourage Scripture memorization.
Reinforce the importance of “in the home” training.
Brief description: Bible verses are selected and one per week is placed into the church bulletin
coupon style so that families can cut it out and place it in an obvious place to work on
memorizing it over the week. The same verses are put in our monthly news letter with a little
further explanation of the verse to complement the memorization with understanding of the
principle the verse is teaching.
The point is that even memorizing one verse a week really adds up. 52 in a year, 520 in a
decade…. Imagine what could be learned in a lifetime if this practice is started at preschool age!
Title: Baptismal Birthday recognition Sundays
Family Ministry area: Children’s Ministry
Goals: To heighten the awareness of the blessings of baptism, and give an additional opportunity
to encourage families to commemorate, and celebrate baptismal vows.
Brief Description: One Sunday a month, the children (birth through confirmation age) who have
a baptismal birthday during that month have their names listed in the bulletin, and are invited to
come forward for recognition. Pastor speaks a few words of Baptismal Birthday greetings, as
well as reminding all of us the blessings of our baptism. A card is given to each of the children
celebrating that month.
For more information contact: Terri Kober, kobert@trinitylutheranconklin.org, 616-899-2167
We have not instituted other “programs”, rather, we have been working really hard to change our
thought process to be more family friendly.
• We “de-programmed” VBS a bit by shortening it to Monday through Thursday. This
made it more family friendly for both the participants as well as the staff that often had week end
plans that made keeping the VBS commitment difficult, or made keeping their plans difficult.
• We are considering changing the times of meetings and evening worship to be more
“family friendly”. Actually, to be more accurate, to change them to times that are “currently”
family friendly. The current times reflect the needs of families that were primarily farmers, and
needed to be in the barn earlier in the evening. This is no longer a significant issue for most of
our families.
• We concentrate our church programs as much as possible to Sunday and Wednesday in
order to avoid calling people away from home as much as possible.
• Youth ministry began having one of the meetings a month directly after SS in order to
accommodate families for which the evening time slot was difficult. There is also a greater
focus on parental partnership.
• Our monthly Messenger is including the “Family Time” devotional idea for the month.
• At every opportunity we communicate the importance of teaching the faith in the home.
This message comes in print via the bulletin, and Messenger, from the pulpit as it is woven into
sermons, repeated at Baptisms, and Baptismal birthday recognition Sunday.
• While Confirmation remains a program that is primarily church centered/home supported,
some changes are beginning to happen especially with regard to absent students requiring
families to take responsibility for the missed class time.
• We have tried to take advantage of our Messenger. We include family friendly
information, encouragement etc. This is our ultimate Family friendly tool. It goes to their home
to be used in the home. It isn’t a program, and it isn’t new, but it has definitely been impacted
by the family friendly focus at Trinity.
• We do not have youth group meetings on days such as Father’s Day, Mother’s day,
Easter, and other holidays to honor family time.
• We are looking at our survey to determine what programs are needed. When we
determine a direction, it will not likely mean an additional program, (although it may), but rather
an additional opportunity in a program slot already designated. (ie. Sunday school option, Bible
study option, in time slots already established)
| The Family Friendly Partners Network |