September: The Environment of Serving

We love our Home Group!  There is something about hanging with the same people over time, carrying each other's burdens, praying, listening, laughing and chasing your kids together that makes you feel a little bit like family.

Twice a month we get together with our small group.  (officially called CARE Groups at our church.)  Our group of 6 young families gathers around a potluck dinner for conversation, worship, a reading from the Word, and often a craft or activity.  Each month there is a different principle, or "environment" that we are trying to foster in the lives of our busy families. 

We use the HomeFront Magazine as our curriculum.  Have you ever checked it out? 

 It's free and full of ideas on how to create positive and life-giving environments 

in your home through quality family time.

This month we are focusing on the Environment of Serving.  

Serving asks the question, "What needs to be done?"  

Isn't that a great atmosphere to create in your family's life?

Here are some of the girls in our CARE Group thinking up "Acts of Service" to write on fall leaves...

And of course one of my boys had to include something about poop 

(...at least it was about picking up the DOG's poop).

We got to create a fall decoration that had meaning.  

Each leaf had one Act of Service written on it.

How many Acts of Service could we do this month?

And, later at home, we hung our "fall service garland" in the dining room.

And the conversation about why we serve somehow seemed to bring up that Jesus came to serve, not to be served, and HE was the Son of God! 

 So actually asking the question, "What needs to be done?" 

puts us in excellent company.  

HomeFront Groups: The Environment of Responsibility

We are testing a new small group concept for young families.  These specific small groups (part of the CARE Groups at VCC) include the entire family in the faith and fellowship building inherent in a good small group.  But the kids are brought into the circle with this model.  The faith of the whole family is challenged and cultivated, together.
Would you like to hear more?

This is the remarkable free monthly HomeFront magazine we use as curriculum:

Each month the HomeFront magazine covers one of ten foundational environments (or atmospheres) that a spiritually awakened family might want to foster in their homes.
Last month we celebrated the environment of Responsibility.
The Environment of Responsibility teaches us that:

God has entrusted me with the things 

and people He created around me.

Here's how we explored the environment of Responsibility:  The families in our group each brought something to put inside of a host of "blessing bags".  The kids chose a gift bag, filled with nice things and finished with a flourish of tissue paper and a simple handmade card.

Then they got to take home their completed bags to keep handy in the car for the next time they see someone on the street corner, asking for help. 

These would be great to create every so often and to keep handy in your car.  

Putting them together as a family can lead to conversations with your kids 

about how God has entrusted us with the people around us.  And . . .  Viola!   

You have just allowed the environment of Responsibility to grow in your home.

First, we made cards with scriptures pasted inside, decorated with stickers, and signed in crayon.

Then, each child grabbed a gift bag and picked what items they wanted to put inside of it.

There were crackers, juice boxes, water bottles, cookies, band-aids, socks, Bibles, trail mix, 

and other treats.  (It was serious business as maybe you can tell!)

When we were all finished this was the happy group:

This is an example of a shared spiritual experience you can do with your kids to foster the monthly Spiritual environment in your family's life.  The idea for the blessing bags came right out of                            September's HomeFront monthly magazine.