Program Outline

Help for Leaders. 4 pages, 6.6 MB

• Thematic Posters (color and black & white). 2 pages, 2.7 MB.

  • Color Poster. 1 page, 1.4 MB.

  • Black & white poster. 1 page, 1.4 MB.

• Tips for Selecting Planners and Other Leaders. 1 page, 1.3 MB.

• Bulletin Insert. 1 page, 2 MB.

Activities to introduce Family Values: A Tapestry of Choices. 5 pages, 7.4 MB

• Clothed with love (Colossians 3:12-15). 1 page, 1.2 MB.

• Writing a family covenant
  (Colossians 3:12-17). 3 pages, 5 MB.

  • Part A. 1 page, 2.6 MB.

  • Part B. 1 page, 1.7 MB.

  • Part C. 1 page, 1.8 MB

• To whom do we belong?
  (Joshua 24:1, 14-28). 1 page, 1.6 MB.

Spiritual Practices for Families. 7 pages, 608 KB

• The Spiritual Practice of Hospitality. 2 pages, 600 KB.

• The Spiritual Practice of Praying Together. 2 pages, 600 KB.

• The Spiritual Practice of Reading the Bible Together. 2 pages, 551 KB.

Other Practices That Help Families Live Out Their Values. 2 pages, 200 KB

Families Serving Others Together: Vignettes 2 pages, 280 KB

Prayers and Blessings for Families. 1 page, 100 KB

Resources

Cloyd, Betty Shannon, Prayer and Children: A Shared Pilgrimage (Nashville: Upper Room Books, 1997).

Jantzi, Jeanne Zimmerly, Parent Trek: Nurturing Creativity and Care in Our Children. Scottdale, PA: Herald Press, 2001).

Thompson, Marjorie J., Family, The Forming Center: A Vision of the Role of Family in Spiritual Formation. (Nashville: Upper Room Books, 1996).

Wehrheim, Carol A., Getting It Together: Spiritual Practices for Faith, Family, and Work. (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2002).

____________ . Giving Together: A Stewardship Guide for Families. (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2004).

A sampling of children’s books to read and talk about the important values together

• The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds
• The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf
• I Loved You Before You Were Born by Anne Bowen
• The Quiltmaker’s Gift by Jeff Brumbeau
• Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown
• Swimmy by Leo Lioni

This resource is designed to help Christian families think about the values they cherish and want to live by. Unless we take time to identify such values, we may find ourselves tossed to and fro by the tides of the cultural river swirling around us. Instilling our cherished values in our children takes time and awareness. This resource provides ways for families to think together about what values they hold dear, how to talk about them together, and how to live them in their daily lives. Some of the activities here can be used by a single family at home in conjunction with programs planned by the congregation, or they can be put together to create programs for families or parents. Some activities are primarily for parents, while others include their children.

Please feel free to download and adapt any part of these resources to fit your family or group and enrich any plan with your own ideas. If you have access to the full version of Adobe Acrobat, you may customize the flyer to include your particular information in the space provided before reproducing it. The poster is for you to download, enlarge, and display as a visual aid for teaching or promotion.

Scan through the outline (at left) and click on the various titles to access the files you desire. Adobe Reader is required. Most computers already have it. If yours does not, click here to download it free.

If you would like a print copy of Family Values, you may send $10.00 to cover photocopies, postage and handling to:

Garland Pierce
Associate Director for Education and Leadership Ministries
National Council of Churches USA
475 Riverside Drive, Suite 880
New York, NY 10115

Direct inquiries may be made to him by email at
gpierce@ncccusa.org

Writer: Carol Wehrheim
Designer: Rob Gorstein

This resource is produced by the Committee on Family Ministries and Human Sexuality, Education and Leadership Ministries Commission, National Council of Churches USA.