Being Family

I have been teaching a class at Mount Vernon Nazarene University again this fall.  This class has to be one of the most unusual classes.  The class is on family ministries, and I have found that some of the students seem to be resistant to the idea of family ministry.  In fact, a couple of the students seem to only want the traditional youth group that has students down in the basement away from everyone else.  On Monday, one student even asked, "What happens if we don't believe in family ministry?"   

I wish I could describe in detail some of the loss, pain, and joy I have watched in the lives of people over this past week.  I have seen people experience the loss of family, parents experience the birth of a new baby, parents and kids experience the pain of divorce, students express the pain of family that is hurting, a student express joy because someone cares who isn't immediate family, the struggle of a person trying to figure out how to pay the bills and keep their family together.  I could go on. 

It was also in the midst of this week that one person said to me, "I am so thankful that in the mist of our pain, we have found people who are family." This statement was a subtle reminder that what people often need today is family.  

I am currently in the process of serving more in the area of family ministries.  We are still navigating through what all this will eventually mean.  However, due to the way things have evolved in the setting where I serve, I have naturally been involved more and more with kids, teens, and parents.  I have found myself teaching classes, leading workshops, and writing articles on family ministry. I have found myself being an advocate for the importance of partnering with families today and the importance of challenging others to be family by building into the lives of those around them. Of course a major part of the importance of being family simply lies in the importance of building community.  People need to feel connected to people who care. 

I am just not sure which is more challenging.  Is it more challenging to help parents understand the importance of partnering with us or is it more challenging to get people to take the time to really build community with others?   Today I felt that it might be more challenging for people to take the time to build community.  Tomorrow I may feel differently.

In an effort to partner with families and build community, we have been working on a new website at www.gatheraround.org.  We have placed various resources for different kinds of families on this site.  We have also included different opportunities for people of all ages to join others in community or to get involved by volunteering.