Parents
- are you reaching your full potential? - CFN newsletter 75
CHRISTIAN FAMILY NETWORK NEWSLETTER 75
> Resources: ministry helps parents develop their gifts
> News:
> New resources to help parents be media-wise
> Indoor rollercoaster for Christian adventure holiday launch
> Children's Society wins grant to probe racism
> Sites:
> Schools interactive: Christian-run resources site
> Bibletxt - God's Word to your mobile phone!
> Events: You Can Make A Difference; Reality
> Humour:
> Members' Zone latest
There's an excellent new issue of Families Together being put together as I write this, and it got me thinking: in our separated out, customised world, how much time do we spend doing things together as a family?
Often we don't eat together - because of different working schedules. Sometimes we don't go places together - because of differing tastes and age spans. And it's rare to find us all even watching TV together - different preferences, homework, work and separate TVs ...
How about you? They say quality time is what matters, but every child knows it's quantity, too! How do you make time and make it count?
There's a free book or CD for every CFN member who mails in their thoughts, or puts them on the Bulletin Board. Get writing!
God bless
Russ Bravo
Christian Family Network
info@cfnetwork.co.uk
http://www.cfnetwork.co.uk
RESOURCES
BUILDING
UP THE FAMILY
- Jackie Stead meets a couple dedicated to helping local churches support
and help parents reach their full potential
Are we
facing a crisis in parenting? That's the question I put to Neil and
Joan Sayers at Family Fullness
Ministries. With years of experience in children's work, they
have spent the last four years concentrating on leading parenting
seminars in churches.
Neil explained: "It became clear to us that as we ministered
to children, we had more and more parents coming to us saying: 'Can
you help us?' 'Do you have material you can supply to help us with
parenting issues?' so we began to introduce parenting seminars and
now our work is almost exclusively with parents.
"What we find is that so many of the questions and concerns revolve
around quite simple and basic parenting issues, but they need reassurance.
Years ago, parents had their family unit around them to give support,
but a lot of that has gone and so very often they just need someone
to tell them they are doing OK."
Family Fullness Ministries began in 1996, when the Sayers took the
decision to go into full-time ministry. As leaders of the children's
ministry at New Life Church in Woking, they were increasingly asked
to lead holiday clubs and youth weekends at other churches and felt
God was calling them to develop the work.
They are now supported as missionaries by the New Life Church, which
acts as their UK base and they have a US base in Redwood City, California.
(They studied at a US Bible school specialising in training people
to work with children and parents). Their work now takes them to the
USA (about four or five times a year) into Mexico, Africa, Eastern
Europe and South Africa.
Are there different problems facing parents in different countries,
I wondered?
"There are obviously cultural differences. Here in the West,
one of the greatest issues is that parents are simply not spending
enough time with their children. But, it's not just the parents who
are too busy. Children too are busy with music lessons, sports lessons
and so on. The result is that parents and children are spending a
lot less time together than is healthy. In Eastern Europe, this is
not so much a problem at the moment, though as their culture becomes
more westernised, it will become a problem.
"However, the basic parenting questions remain the same: discipline,
behaviour problems and communication problems. It all comes back to
reassurance.
"We always begin our teaching seminars by stressing two things:
First, there is no condemnation for anyone – there is no such
thing as a perfect parent and second, no-one is claiming to be an
expert. It's simply a matter of making mistakes, learning from those
mistakes and then sharing the things you have learned. This is always
our starting point."
A unique feature of their ministry is the opportunity for one-to-one
counselling in the home. Neil explained how this works:
"What usually happens is that we will spend about five or six
days with a church and we will do a range of ministries – some
public: preaching and teaching on a Sunday; parenting seminars; training
for children's workers and perhaps a one-off event for the children.
Then in the evenings and afternoons we will go into homes for ministry
and counselling.
"Many people find it much easier to talk in the privacy of their
own home than to ask questions at a public meeting. We like to spend
an evening with the whole family, sharing a meal with them, and then
talking and praying through the issues they raise. Sometimes it can
be a very specific problem, but very often it's a basic issue and
the parents just need some guidance."
For the
rest of this article - with tips on discipline and five gifts every
parent can give to their child - , go to our Resources section at http://www.cfnetwork.co.uk/members/resources.asp
> THIS WEEK'S NEWS
>
New resource to help parents be media-wise
The Mothers’ Union has launched a Switched On pack to
help parents ensure that that the media has a positive influence on
their children.
Go to http://www.cfnetwork.co.uk/members/news.asp for the full story
> Indoor rollercoaster for new Christian adventure holiday
The UK’s first indoor water rollercoaster is set to be a highlight
of Super Nova, a new Christian adventure holiday for young
people.
Go to http://www.cfnetwork.co.uk/members/news.asp for the full story
>
Children's Society wins grant to probe racism in youth justice system
The Children’s Society has been awarded £150,000 by the
National Lottery’s Community Fund to investigate the experiences
of black children and young people in the youth justice system.
Go to http://www.cfnetwork.co.uk/members/news.asp for the full story
> DON'T MISS
Pray for the nation!
On 13 July 2002 thousands of Christians from all generations, denominations
and races, are expected to gather at Reading's Madejski football stadium
for a day of prayer, fasting, repentance and worship, to see the hearts
of this nation turned back to God.
Much more information on this gathering, its background, how to get involved, and details of the Christian leaders supporting The Call England can be found at http://thecallengland.com
> MARRIAGE MOT
> Check out our archived marriage tips in the Members' Zone, plus
stacks more marriage resources at http://www.2-in-2-1.co.uk .
Thank
you - two little words that can mean so much
When did you last say 'thank you' to your spouse? Thank you for filling
the car up with petrol. Thank you for that nice meal you cooked? Thank
you for putting up with me, I've been a bit grumpy lately.
When I'm thanked by my husband, I feel warm inside. I know I'm valued
and appreciated. It's a bit like he's put a deposit in my emotional
bank account, or some petrol in my tank. I feel renewed and positive.
My spirits lift.
All this
may happen unnoticed in my busy life, but if I stop long enough I
can detect what's going on. Something changes when I'm thanked.
When did you last say thank you to your spouse?
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> EVENTS
Check
out our Events guide in the Members' Zone at http://www.cfnetwork.co.uk/members/resources.asp
Send your family/church event to info@cfnetwork.co.uk for a free listing.
> SITES WORTH SEEING
If you're
looking for creative help in schools work, check out what's on offer
from John Patterson's ministry Schools
Interactive, currently going great guns in Merseyside.
Interested in getting text messages from the Bible to your mobile phone? It's one way of making sure you take in something of God's Word each day, and Bibletxt provides it at £5 a month. More services are to follow, they say.
> YOU'VE GOT TO LAUGH
A
Second Wife ...
When our second child was on the way, my wife and I attended a pre-birth
class aimed at couples who had already had at least one child. The
instructor raised the issue of breaking the news to the older child.
It went like this: "Some parents," she said, "tell
the older child, 'We love you so much we decided to bring another
child into this family.' But think about that. Ladies, what if your
husband came home one day and said, 'Honey, I love you so much I decided
to bring home another wife.'"
One of the women spoke up immediately. "Does she cook?"
(Sermon Fodder: http://www.onelist.com/subscribe.cgi/Sermon_Fodder)
> CHRISTIAN FAMILY NETWORK THIS WEEK
(MEMBERS' ZONE) - http://www.cfnetwork.co.uk/members/default.asp
> Advice
> Building up the family - ministry helps parents reach their full
potential PLUS Five gifts to give to your kids
> J John on handling conflict in marriage - Part 4> The principles of forgiveness
>
Resources
> Adoption: what do legislation changes mean for Christians
> Reporting back from the UN Special Session on Children
> Walking by faith - Brian Allenby from Christians at Work with part
one of a three part look at this vital spiritual principle
> Reviews
> Children and the Gospel, by Ron Buckland (Scripture Union).
>
Top sites this week
> Schools interactive - resources aplenty
> Bibletxt - God's Word to your mobile daily
> Free music software for your church music group
> Assemblies from a Welsh head teacher
> Events: More of what's on near you, plus the guide to
2002's festivals and Bible weeks
> Webwatch Index: more than 450 sites at your fingertips
> Site Search Engine: the easy way to trawl our 450-page
plus archives
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