Family-Friendly Church

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VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 WIDTH="119"><div> <A HREF="comments.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Contact Us"><U><B>Comments</B></U></A></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="13"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="16" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="13" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=400 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF" bgproperties="fixed" background="32100c00dvldtc.gif"> <div> <I>Family-Friendly Church</I></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="0d44d0c0.gif" border=0 width="589" height="12" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> <B>One Model for a Family-Friendly Church</B></div> <div> <B>by Joe Cammilleri</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>The results and blessings of Christian parents returning to a biblical model of education through homeschooling is rapidly resulting in a rethinking of many traditions far beyond the scope that we initially expected when pioneering in home education.</B></div> <div> <B>Youth groups, church activities, avenues of Christian service, college education, and vocational preparation are just a few areas that the pioneers didn't really encounter until being on the trail of a different mindset for a while.</B></div> <div> <B>We as families are commanded to assemble, edify, and serve through God's church. Yet this home education trail has caused us to question some conventional church tradition. Age-segregated Sunday Schools with other believers training our children all seemed fine before this pioneering journey. Questionable music, fun and game ministry philosophies, and falling standards have caused many parents to pull their children from the youth group. This has resulted in pressure from pastor and peers. Loyalty will not allow discord (and rightly so), while convictions will not allow participation. Many of the most faithful families who were once at the forefront of church ministry are now being immobilized. What are we to do?</B></div> <div> <B>How does the home educator prepare for a child's vocation. College brings cautions to many. Apprenticeship is becoming one avenue for training. Yet much of this requires sending our children away from home. For many, this concept just doesn't seem in line with the whole mindset of home education. For our children to provide a home (hopefully debt free) and provision for their future families, they m</B><B>ust have some marketable skills. What are we to do?</B></div> <div> <B>As we pioneer this trail I would like to offer some principles that we have adopted in our church which have been a blessing and encouragement to home educating families. We will propose one model of a church that has proven to be family-friendly for believers in our home town. We attempt to develop the entire individual, under the direction of the father, by developing character along with practical skills. This certainly is not the only way, but it has proven effective for us. We continue to learn as we go and welcome comment concerning our pioneering journey.</B></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B><U>Family School</U></B></div> <div> <B>Believing that the family is God's first ordained institution, and that it is a powerful tool to accomplish God's work, we do not age-segregate our families. Rather we direct the family as a unit while learning, serving, and worshiping. Our "family school," which precedes our worship service, consists of teaching Character Sketches. Each sketch includes a character in Scripture that exemplifies a certain character quality. Following the principle of Proverbs 6:6, we include a study in nature. Each family has a Character Sketch book along with a notebook that contains worksheets for every member of the family. Fathers are responsible to sit daily with their families instructing in the various character sketches. All week long practical application of the various character qualities are encouraged.</B></div> <div> <B>Here is just one example: Our first month we studied the character quality of orderliness. Solomon's plan for the temple provided the orderliness study in Scripture, while the chipmunk provided the nature study. Under the direction of the father, Monday was devoted to definitions and facts related to orderliness. Tuesday and Wednesday included facts of the nature study.</B></div> <div> <B>Wednesday and Thursday included the characters in Scripture and how they exemplified orderliness. Friday was devoted to practical a. application in the home. When the body came together on Sunday morning everyone, young and old, was ready with the various facts and testimonies of God's dealings with their family concerning the week's study. The family Pastor walked around asking for facts and testimonies around the week's study. This held fathers accountable and usually resulted in the congregation teaching the entire lesson. From three year olds having had colored pictures of the chipmunk, to the theologian offering the ways Solomon's temple was a picture of the New Testament body of believers, everyone was involved. The practical applications in the orderliness study turned our homes upside down (literally in many cases when closets, basements, and garages were involved). The blessings are abundant:</B></div> <div> <B>1. Unity is promoted within family and church, in that the entire body is learning the same thing.</B></div> <div> <B>2. The church is simply an extension of the family.</B></div> <div> <B>3. The father and family are held accountable for what they have learned.</B></div> <div> <B>4. The father receives the responsibility and the blessing of training his own family.</B></div> <div> <B>5. Destructive influence is limited when there is no age-segregation.</B></div> <div> <B>6. The burdens of "children's church ministries" are limited because every father is training his own.</B></div> <div> <B>7. Christian character is built in our families, thus producing a product that the world is looking for.</B></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>Life Preparation Classes</B></div> <div> <B>Within the walls of most churches are all the tradesman that most of our young people would ever need to apprentice under. As we considered the skills of those within our own church, our list included enough skill sets to keep us instructing for a long time. Among them were carpenters, electricians, computer men, painters, wallpaper hangers, heating and air conditioning repairmen, police, purchase agents, auto mechanics, etc. Seeking to keep the apprenticeship under the direction of the father, we began Life Preparation classes. The first Saturday of every month includes an entire day of instruction along with a hands on project in the various trades. The first month was a Shepherd's class which instructed in missions and basic shepherding of God's flock. The second month we had the Red Cross come in and certify twenty people in community CPR. The third month one of our men instructed in basic carpentry. We have decided to build a mission's quarters in our basement. This will allow us to teach fathers and children the various trades with an ongoing opportunity for hands on instruction. The blessings of these types of classes are numerous:</B></div> <div> <B>1. Fathers are exalted in the eyes of our young people while instructing.</B></div> <div> <B>2. Classes wet the young peoples' appetites to the different vocations available to them.</B></div> <div> <B>3. All the learning is done with the family together.</B></div> <div> <B>4. Marketable skill sets are learned by which to serve community leaders, foreign missionaries on church mission trips, and eventually their own families.</B></div> <div> <B>5. Avenues for jobs (or even a family business) are opened by working for the various Christian men in the church.</B></div> <div> <B>6. Others who have tried this have found that when community business leaders see the character of these young people they are willing to hire them and offer training, without college degrees.</B></div> <div> <B>A redefinition of the Christian family has resulted in a redefinition of the Church as well as the entire learning process. May we continue to yield to the Lord's leading as we pioneer.</B></div> <div> <B>Editor's Note: Although this model may not be for every church we trust that it may be a productive alternative for some. Further questions concerning this type of family friendly ministry can be addressed to Pastor Joe Cammilleri, Old Paths Bible Baptist Church, Box 169, North Greece, NY 14515-0169; (716) 964-9351.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Sign up for Patriarch Magazine</B></div> <div> <B>Suggested Donation: $25* per year.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Patriarch </B></div> <div> <B>PO Box 50 </B></div> <div> <B>Willis, VA 24380</B></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="http://Patriarch.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://Patriarch.com"><U><B><U>http://Patriarch.com</U></B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="0d44d0c0.gif" border=0 width="589" height="12" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000033" FACE="Papyrus" ><B>Back to Article Home Page-</B></FONT><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#0099FF" FACE="Papyrus" ><B> </B></FONT><A HREF="articles.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Offensive Articles"><U><B>Offensive Articles</B></U></A></div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>