Family Communities

What happens when a cluster of families get together to explore faith issues, to play, and to pray; and what if they keep gathering like this every couple of weeks? It’s called a family small Christian community or an intergenerational small Christian community.

My family has been a part of a family group for 11 years. I have worked to support and start other groups for 10 years. I am convinced that this format is one of the best ways to teach faith to children. It works and it nurtures families at the same time. With all of the forces working to pull families apart, I think we must encourage families to gather TOGETHER for faith activities. When this is done in communities some magical things happen.

The family groups I have worked with have been like this:

4-6 families (of various configurations)
Gather in each other’s homes about twice a month
All ages gather together (children and adults)
Explore topical faith issues
They pray, play, discuss, and faith share at each gathering

Over time they:

Bond tightly to each other
Engage in service together
Support and challenge each other through:
Discussion
Prayer
Practical support of life
Understand church as a “verb”
Carry their faith into ever expanding aspects of life

And, don’t just take my word for it. Here is what participants declare:

“I like the relationships with other families who share our values and beliefs.”
“These people have become like extended family to us.”
“We pray for each other and when we see each other out in the community something special happens.”
“We all learn from each other. The kids learn from each other and from the adults and the adults learn from the faith (or the questions) of the kids.”
“Our kids learned more in this group than they did in any class.”
“We live our faith together. It feels good.”
“When we went to the city to hand out bag lunches it was a powerful experience for me. I learned that day that my kids can do service and they can lead me places where I was afraid to go.”

If you are curious about family small Christian communities try just doing one gathering. Invite some families, plan a 1 ½ hour session and see how it goes. Or, if you are in an adult SCC, try one or two intergenerational gatherings a year by inviting all family members (from your already existing SCC) to come together for a gathering. Make sure you do inclusive prayer, a faith activity, and simple faith sharing. Or, if you are really intrigued, find 4-6 families who want to try a one year experience and go for it (See the resource page for materials you can use.).

Blessings on your small Christian community endeavors!

Reading and Resource List

for Family Spirituality and Intergenerational Programs

Intergenerational small Christian communities are often comprised of families as well as singles and couples of all ages. Gatherings may include some reading and discussion, but activities typically encompass a range of learning styles, they are multi-sensory and active, and most importantly they are fun to keep everyone engaged. Family spirituality books and youth ministry resources often have ideas that can be adapted for intergenerational small Christian communities.

Family Spirituality

· God Knows Parenting is a Wild Ride by Kathy Coffey

· Holiness Family Style video by Kathy Chesto (Ligouri) – if you only get one resource on family spirituality get this video, watch it, and show it to every family in your parish – it is outstanding, touches people deeply, and empowers too!

· Building a Family, A Handbook for Parenting with God by Marilyn Spaw Krock

· Raising Kids Who Care about Themselves, About Their World, About Each Other by Kathleen Chesto

· Weaving Faith and Family…When You’re Hanging on by a Thread! by Eileen Marx (delightful stories for parents; includes conversation starters, prayers, and scripture; organized by week and by topic)

· Sacred Dwelling, A Spirituality of Family Life by Wendy M. Wright (beautifully written)

· Experiencing God With Your Children by Kathy Coffey. (down to earth, inspiring reading for parents/caregivers or anyone wondering about passing on faith)

· Raising Faith Filled Kids by Tom McGrath (affirming and nurturing with lots of ideas for families)

· Dear God: Prayers for Families with Children by Kathleen Finley (most useful for families with young children through elementary age)

· Catholic Family Catholic Home by Mary Kathleen Glavich, SND (a handy and user friendly book to encourage family faith; filled with ideas, prayers, and rituals)

· My Monastery is a Minivan by Denise Roy. (Real life stories, readable, easy to identify with)

Religious Education Resources in Intergenerational Format:

· Family Faith Communities, 10 Easy to Use Gatherings by Amy Sluss, published by Good Ground Press – this book is for families who want to use the format of small Christian communities for their religious education. Published as an small Christian communities resource, it was created and is used as a religious education resource. An easy-to-use, easy-to-start set of gatherings.

· FIRE (Family Based Intergenerational Religious Education) by Kathleen Chesto published by Liguori. This program has 5 years worth of books – each book is one year of religious education to be used by groups of families who form community together and meet in each others' homes.

· Playing, Learning, Praying, Parish Tools for Gathering Families (A large group activities resource) by Kathleen Chesto, published by Liguori. This is a resource to use with FIRE (above) or on it's own. These are large group gatherings for intergenerational groups. A great resource for getting started in that you can use one or two of these gatherings alone.

· God Is Calling by Judith Dunlap and Mary Cummins Wlodarski, published by St. Anthony Messenger Press – To use with a large group (20-30 families) – this program covers the bible in 3 years with nice story books for home use and intergenerational activities for once a month parish based gatherings.

General Resources that may be used for Intergenerational SCCs:

· Sluss, Amy. Family Faith Communities: 10 Easy to Use Gatherings. Good Ground Press, 2003

· Chesto, Kathleen O’Connell. Rituals and Icebreakers: Practical tools for forming community. Liguori, 1999. (great ideas for starters to gatherings)

· Calderone-Stewart. A Family Guide to the Catholic Youth Bible. St. Mary’s Press, 2000. (for adolescents and their parents; could be adapted for use in family groups but was written for one family to use at home)

· Jambor, Helping Kids Live Their Faith: Service Projects that Make a Difference. Thomas More (RCL), 1999.

· Group. Growing Close: Activities for Building Friendships and Unity in Youth Groups. Group Publishing, 1996.

· Rice & Yaconnelli. Play It! Great Games for Groups. Youth Specialties, Inc., 1986.

· Newstrom & Scannell. The Big Book of Team Building Games. McGraw-Hill, 1998.

· Rydberg, Denny. Building Community in Youth Groups. Group Publishing, 1985.

Let this list be an inspiration and a beginning. There are loads of wonderful resources out there so keep looking and adapt materials to fit your situation.

Small Christian Community Connection