Family Night

Three Rivers Church believes in the importance of connecting what is taught here at church with how we live our everyday lives. Today children have an enormous variety of activities available to them- sports teams, music lessons, clubs, art programs, etc. Most families are overwhelmed running from one practice or lesson to another. We believe parents have the greatest influence on the development of their children’s faith and a God-given responsibility to pass on what God has done. Instead of offering a “mid-week” program for elementary age children, we are encouraging parents to develop their own Family Nights. As a church we are striving to empower and support parents in developing their own Family Night activities which will strengthen the family bonds and pass on spiritual values.

This seems to be the missing link between church and home and as a result some young people do not choose to live the faith they were taught as children. The Parents Guide to the Spiritual Growth of Children by John Trent from Focus on the Family states the following tragic statistic, “Some studies have shown that as high as 70% of young people raised in church have not embraced the faith as their own by the time they graduate from high school.”

We want to make sure that children do not regard what they learn on Sunday mornings as nice stories told by kind people. Instead we want them to know that these are important lessons that affect and guide their parents’ lives. God, himself, has given us this duty-

“These commandments that I give to you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” Deuteronomy 6: 6-7

Larry Schweizer, Pastor of Children at EFC in Naperville states, “Although many parents know they have the God-given role of communicating spiritual values to their children, they are so busy that it makes growing a family spiritually a difficult challenge. On the other hand, when parents do make the time they become frustrated because they are not sure how to intentionally pass on spiritual values… The spiritual formation of our children will not be primarily dependent upon programs, or even ministry leadership, but rather based on parental involvement in the spiritual nurture of their children in the home first. If our children are going to embrace our Christian faith as their own, emulate a biblical worldview, and choose godly character, then it will require parents and ministry leaders to partner together in molding their children’s faith. This can only be accomplished if we emulate an authentic relationship with God through the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Since this can be a daunting task for parents to do on their own, Three Rivers is aspiring to empower parents with understanding and resources to accomplish this task. The purpose of this web page is to provide ideas and resources to get parents involved in Family Night activities during the week.

Resources Available for Check-out from Church Library

Resources Recommended for Further Information or Purchase

How to help lead your child to receive Christ

Contact the Church office for more information on our children's ministries.

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