Time & Money
Tips for getting parents involved
by Debbie Streicher
For the builder-generation, it was a given: Their children went to Sunday school. This is no longer true and it seems we have skipped a generation of adults who have experienced Christian education.
My question: How do we bring this generation of parents "on-board" and give them tools to be the faith role models for their children that God is calling them to be?
For sports, band, or other activities, parents invest time and money wanting their child to get something out of it. Ten years later, they no longer play the sport and the instrument is kept under the bed. When it comes to Sunday school, what would happen if we asked for an expected amount of time and money from parents? This investment is one for the future and one a child will have for the rest of their life.
Ten years later, faith will be there. Thirty years later, faith will be there. Fifty years later, faith will be there......
Should we be asking something from parents involving time and money when it comes to Christian education? Here are a few tips.
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Service, Fellowship and Bonding
Small Group Tips for Head to the Heart Confirmation
by Monty Lysne
A healthy friendship is full of good stories. After time away, these shared stories – experiences friends have with each other – can serve as an immediate “catch up” tool to rekindle relationships. We all need a storehouse of good memories and good stories about friends to remind us of why we enjoyed hanging out with each other in the first place. When these stories are enhanced around genuine acts of service, they move from pleasant memories to real connecting elements between people. These stores gain depth.
A very important, but sometimes overlooked aspect of the Head to the Heart small group system is the Service/Fellowship Event. The bond between Guides and groups is central to our small-group confirmation system. If this bond isn’t cultivated, relationships will take longer to form. Theme Events are great for exploring faith and some real bonding and sharing happens during this time. However, in order to move from the head to the heart, it’s vital to get out of the church building, start doing some things and creating some stories. Service/Fellowship Events are part of the system for this reason.
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168 Hours in a Week vs. 1 Hour for Christian Education
Setting expectations and being intentional
by Debbie Streicher
There’s 168 hours in a week. In the church we see the larger percentage of people for 1 hour during worship and a smaller percentage for 1 hour during Christian Education.
What message can we possibly give during this prime time to nurture and sustain faith lives the other 166 hours of the week?
How do we help our children, youth, and adults?
A simple faith practice we call the FAITH 5 modeled in church every Sunday in small groups and at home every night in households will change lives.
I bought a few boomerangs when I was in Australia. They are beautiful. I’m not very good at using them yet, but I began to reflect on what I want them to do. I want them to come back.
Then I thought about the FAITH 5.
I like to think of them as having the potential of the boomerang effect. Throw them out there and you’ll be amazed at how quickly stories come back. Along with the stories come the people. Again and again.
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Faith Inkubators Australia
A trip recap
by Monty Lysne
Earlier this summer, Rich Melheim, Debbie Streicher and I were privileged to spend almost a month touring Australia at the request of the Lutheran Church of Australia. We spent time in a variety of Australian regions training on various Faith Inkubators ministry systems, meeting many great people, and seeing some wonderful sites. (Read our official “Faith Inkubators Australia" release in this newsletter for the specifics on the partnership.)
While in Australia, we all contributed to a travel blog documenting our travels. Please take a look at the entire blog for many more details on our adventure Down Under: http://www.faithink.com/monty/australia/
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Faith Inkubators Australia Partnership Announced
The goal will be to provide leadership, training, and resources to strengthen families and churches in the LCA.
Faith Inkubators is pleased to announce the establishment of an international partnership with the Lutheran Church of Australia (LCA). Following two years of international discussions, meetings and a month-long summer teaching tour in a dozen Australian cities and New Zealand, “Faith Inkubators Australia” has been created, a division of the children, youth and family ministries of the LCA.
“The goal will be to provide leadership, training, and resources to strengthen families and churches in the LCA, and to work together to grow the ‘once a week’ faith education system into faith incubation ‘every night in every home’ across the church,” said Rev. Rich Melheim, founder of Faith Inkubators.
Peter Eckermann, an exceptional youth ministry leader, trainer, and long-time supporter of ministries across the LCA, has been chosen and installed as the full-time director of Faith Inkubators Australia. His duties will include training/equipping pastors and congregational leaders in faith incubation systems, and to work with Faith Inkubators (US) and the national Faith Inkubators Australia board to create customized resources for the church.
As for the future, Faith Inkubators Australia will be printing Head to the Heart and Bible Song Home Journals in the Australian city of Adelaide; harnessing the energies of 700 newly-trained pastors and congregational leaders; and working with young adult leaders, artists, musicians, writers, and teachers to build a creative foundation for the church.
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"Reason to Live" CD from Jon Anderson Now Available
Jon's songwriting and vocal talents are heard on many Faith Inkbuators Bible verse songs.
http://www.victimofgrace.com
Some of the more popular Faith Inkubators Bible verse songs were composed and performed by Jon Anderson. Jon has just released his latest CD called "Reason to Live". Here are the liner notes from the CD.
I’ve been writing music since I first met my wife. Love for her motivated the first song and now my love for God – or rather His love for me as a victim of grace – continues to motivate the songs I am fortunate enough to write today.
It is an amazing thing to realize that you are a victim of grace. You did not ask for it, did not deserve it – blindsided by His love. Before you ever realized – maybe not even yet – that you needed rescue, you were rescued. Rescued because He loves. The question is not whether God loves you – He has proven His love for you by sending His Son Jesus to die for you – but what will you do with His love – what will you do with Jesus?
I hope these songs reveal who Jesus is, His love for you and that they will encourage you to live fully in His love. I’m not talking about religion, not even talking about being a “Christian” – I am talking about becoming a friend of Jesus.
Not much else to say. I hope you will let the lyrics and the music speak to your heart and then you decide. No matter, you have a reason to live and His name is Jesus.
From one victim of grace to another...
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