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9am Family Hour Launching Sundays, September 2010
By Chuck Gschwend in Fellowship Bible Church 23 days ago | 67 views
Parents, We are on Your Side
Jesus has impressed upon us to equip parents with greater gospel zeal. This September, our 9am Equipping Hour transforms into the Family Hour. The remodeled Family Hour will empower Parents through a gospel-centered approach, including simple, practical ideas for loving and raising their kids each week.
Our reasons are clear.
First, we must raise the next generation of Jesus’ disciples. God calls Parents (Pastor Dads & Servant Moms) to be the primary disciple-makers of their children.
Second, the disciple-making role of Parents is under attack in our culture through expecting others to carry out the task or downplaying its importance.
Third, many parents are hurting and Jesus calls His church to reach out in restoration. Busyness and consumerism have many parents frustrated, overwhelmed, exhausted and longing for help.
Lastly, an attractive hour for parents could prove to be incredibly missional. Hurting parents are searching for help, driving them to “go to church” for the sake of their kids. During our Family Hour, we will contextually offer the gospel, not only for their parenting, but their whole lives.
Thus, the Family Hour will serve as an attractive place for all of us to invite our friends and their kids.
Our Plan for Parents
Our plan is to make 9–10am on Sundays one of the best hours for parents in Jonesboro. The Sunday morning 9am hour is still a “sacred” time in our cultural context. We will take advantage of this rather than adding to parents’ congested schedules.
The Family Hour will…
Support parents through our gospel education for Nursery–6th Grade. (We firmly believe the gospel calls parents to be the primary teacher of their kids, with us being a healthy supplement to what parents are doing in their everyday training of their kids.)
Offer a relaxed environment in our “Fellowship Cafe,” complete with great coffees and homemade continental breakfast foods.
Include time to relax, eat, visit with friends and make new ones who are on the same parenting journey.
Teach gospel-centered parenting in a conversational, participatory setting.
Cover critical parenting topics:
* How do I motivate my kids with the gospel instead of my frustration or anger?
* What are the basics of being a better dad/mom?
* What does each child need at each stage of their development?
* What does the gospel say about money?
* What does the gospel say about “true greatness?”
* How do I keep my kids from being an idol that our lives revolve around?
* What do I do with an angry or rebellious child?
* What does the gospel say about disciplining my child?
* What does it look like to be on mission TOGETHER as a family?
* What are some practical suggestions for helping my kids die to their selfishness?
* What does the gospel say about raising kids that have a deep joy?
* How can we lead our family in regular devotional times at home?
* How can we pray together as a family to further God’s kingdom in our neighborhood?
It will take our entire church family to serve our parents during this hour.
ALL Non-Parents
For the first time ever, we will give all our of parents (those who are currently parenting kids from birth through High School) the 9am hour off on Sunday mornings. We are calling the rest of our church family to sacrifice for the sake of these parents.
* WHO: high schoolers, college adults, single adults, married couple with no kids, and empty nesters
* PURPOSE: Teach our kids during the 9am hour
* QUANTITY: 11–15 adults
* ROLES: lead worship, teach, greet, administrate. (Of course, if you are a parent and feel called to still teach, we will let you.)
All Parents
Parents, we need you to fully participate in order to become better gospel-centered parents.
* Bring your kids: We offer gospel-centered, age appropriate small groups on Sunday mornings
* SHARE WITH OTHER PARENTS: Share in the joys and struggles through participation and dialogue
* INVITE: Invite your not-yet-believing friends and kids to join us
* SERVE IN EXTENDED CARE: Volunteer for Extended Care (during our Worship Gathering) to serve once every 6-7 weeks (about 8 times a year)
2 Potential Questions about the Family Hour
What about non-parents?
Our 9am Family Hour targets parents, which is different than the past. We are not ignoring the need to disciple those who are NOT parents. Sunday Morning Gatherings (10:15am), Missional Community Groups, FIght Clubs and Porterbrook Arkansas, provide abundant opportunities to be a fully developed disciple of Jesus. Additionally, serving others during this hour is a tremendous way to “act out” discipleship.
Is this a permanent change?
As elders and staff, we consistently ask Jesus, “How do You want us to more effectively disciple Your people?” During this particular season, we sense Jesus calling us to focus on parents.
Kids (Fellowship Kids, 9am)
Fellowship Kids Toddlers Class (1’s):
Pat the Bible class deposits God’s love and truth into the hearts and minds of our little ones as they repetitively learn four foundational life principles through music, puppets, and a variety of other creative means:
* God made everything
* God made me
* God made families
* God sent Jesus
Fellowship Kids 2’s Class–Kindergarten
Our Hands-On Bible Curriculum weekly focuses on one specific Bible truth, combining story, discussion, puppets, crafts, singing, and games. Each lesson involves young children in the learning process as they hear how the gospel transformed three characters in the Bible (taken from Genesis, 1 Samuel and Daniel):
* Joseph
* David
* Daniel
Fellowship Kids First–Sixth Grade
The Story of God for Kids traces God’s restoring gospel mission from beginning to end through the use of storying—an effective story-based dialogical method perfect for our media-literate, story-oriented North American context. Kids engage in God’s Story in community as a master story teller shares a new section of God’s Word and they respond by creatively retelling the story and breaking into four age/gender-specific small groups for discussion with a trained facilitator.
Here is what one of our partner churches said as they used The Story of God for Kids last year:
“We’ve found that for everyone—and especially kids-—teaching through Story is excellent for learning. Having just finished the Story of God for Kids with our 1st – 5th graders, all of us who taught were amazed at how much the kids remembered and were able to articulate about the gospel-—and not just details about the stories…but deep theological truth about the centrality of the gospel taken from the whole biblical narrative.”
FSM (Jr. and Sr. High School)
Any FSMer’s not serving our parents and kids during this hour will gather with our Student Pastor, Mike Roberts, to discuss what it practically looks like to follow Jesus on mission in our everyday lives as a JH or SH student.
9am Family Hour Launching Sundays, September 2010
By Chuck Gschwend in Fellowship Bible Church 23 days ago | 67 views
Parents, We are on Your Side
Jesus has impressed upon us to equip parents with greater gospel zeal. This September, our 9am Equipping Hour transforms into the Family Hour. The remodeled Family Hour will empower Parents through a gospel-centered approach, including simple, practical ideas for loving and raising their kids each week.
Our reasons are clear.
First, we must raise the next generation of Jesus’ disciples. God calls Parents (Pastor Dads & Servant Moms) to be the primary disciple-makers of their children.
Second, the disciple-making role of Parents is under attack in our culture through expecting others to carry out the task or downplaying its importance.
Third, many parents are hurting and Jesus calls His church to reach out in restoration. Busyness and consumerism have many parents frustrated, overwhelmed, exhausted and longing for help.
Lastly, an attractive hour for parents could prove to be incredibly missional. Hurting parents are searching for help, driving them to “go to church” for the sake of their kids. During our Family Hour, we will contextually offer the gospel, not only for their parenting, but their whole lives.
Thus, the Family Hour will serve as an attractive place for all of us to invite our friends and their kids.
Our Plan for Parents
Our plan is to make 9–10am on Sundays one of the best hours for parents in Jonesboro. The Sunday morning 9am hour is still a “sacred” time in our cultural context. We will take advantage of this rather than adding to parents’ congested schedules.
The Family Hour will…
Support parents through our gospel education for Nursery–6th Grade. (We firmly believe the gospel calls parents to be the primary teacher of their kids, with us being a healthy supplement to what parents are doing in their everyday training of their kids.)
Offer a relaxed environment in our “Fellowship Cafe,” complete with great coffees and homemade continental breakfast foods.
Include time to relax, eat, visit with friends and make new ones who are on the same parenting journey.
Teach gospel-centered parenting in a conversational, participatory setting.
Cover critical parenting topics:
* How do I motivate my kids with the gospel instead of my frustration or anger?
* What are the basics of being a better dad/mom?
* What does each child need at each stage of their development?
* What does the gospel say about money?
* What does the gospel say about “true greatness?”
* How do I keep my kids from being an idol that our lives revolve around?
* What do I do with an angry or rebellious child?
* What does the gospel say about disciplining my child?
* What does it look like to be on mission TOGETHER as a family?
* What are some practical suggestions for helping my kids die to their selfishness?
* What does the gospel say about raising kids that have a deep joy?
* How can we lead our family in regular devotional times at home?
* How can we pray together as a family to further God’s kingdom in our neighborhood?
It will take our entire church family to serve our parents during this hour.
ALL Non-Parents
For the first time ever, we will give all our of parents (those who are currently parenting kids from birth through High School) the 9am hour off on Sunday mornings. We are calling the rest of our church family to sacrifice for the sake of these parents.
* WHO: high schoolers, college adults, single adults, married couple with no kids, and empty nesters
* PURPOSE: Teach our kids during the 9am hour
* QUANTITY: 11–15 adults
* ROLES: lead worship, teach, greet, administrate. (Of course, if you are a parent and feel called to still teach, we will let you.)
All Parents
Parents, we need you to fully participate in order to become better gospel-centered parents.
* Bring your kids: We offer gospel-centered, age appropriate small groups on Sunday mornings
* SHARE WITH OTHER PARENTS: Share in the joys and struggles through participation and dialogue
* INVITE: Invite your not-yet-believing friends and kids to join us
* SERVE IN EXTENDED CARE: Volunteer for Extended Care (during our Worship Gathering) to serve once every 6-7 weeks (about 8 times a year)
2 Potential Questions about the Family Hour
What about non-parents?
Our 9am Family Hour targets parents, which is different than the past. We are not ignoring the need to disciple those who are NOT parents. Sunday Morning Gatherings (10:15am), Missional Community Groups, FIght Clubs and Porterbrook Arkansas, provide abundant opportunities to be a fully developed disciple of Jesus. Additionally, serving others during this hour is a tremendous way to “act out” discipleship.
Is this a permanent change?
As elders and staff, we consistently ask Jesus, “How do You want us to more effectively disciple Your people?” During this particular season, we sense Jesus calling us to focus on parents.
Kids (Fellowship Kids, 9am)
Fellowship Kids Toddlers Class (1’s):
Pat the Bible class deposits God’s love and truth into the hearts and minds of our little ones as they repetitively learn four foundational life principles through music, puppets, and a variety of other creative means:
* God made everything
* God made me
* God made families
* God sent Jesus
Fellowship Kids 2’s Class–Kindergarten
Our Hands-On Bible Curriculum weekly focuses on one specific Bible truth, combining story, discussion, puppets, crafts, singing, and games. Each lesson involves young children in the learning process as they hear how the gospel transformed three characters in the Bible (taken from Genesis, 1 Samuel and Daniel):
* Joseph
* David
* Daniel
Fellowship Kids First–Sixth Grade
The Story of God for Kids traces God’s restoring gospel mission from beginning to end through the use of storying—an effective story-based dialogical method perfect for our media-literate, story-oriented North American context. Kids engage in God’s Story in community as a master story teller shares a new section of God’s Word and they respond by creatively retelling the story and breaking into four age/gender-specific small groups for discussion with a trained facilitator.
Here is what one of our partner churches said as they used The Story of God for Kids last year:
“We’ve found that for everyone—and especially kids-—teaching through Story is excellent for learning. Having just finished the Story of God for Kids with our 1st – 5th graders, all of us who taught were amazed at how much the kids remembered and were able to articulate about the gospel-—and not just details about the stories…but deep theological truth about the centrality of the gospel taken from the whole biblical narrative.”
FSM (Jr. and Sr. High School)
Any FSMer’s not serving our parents and kids during this hour will gather with our Student Pastor, Mike Roberts, to discuss what it practically looks like to follow Jesus on mission in our everyday lives as a JH or SH student.
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