Sunday night we hosted our first Family Night activity.  Our families gathered in the Crossroads Center Gym for a time of games, music, food, and a lesson on prayer.  

I was blessed to see all the families that took the time to participate.  We all had a wonderful time but the highlight for me was the dads taking to the stage to lead the kids in one of our songs.  

Reflecting on this evening, the following scripture came to mind. 

Deut 6:4-7  "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.   5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7  You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. ESV

While there is rightly so much value placed on a mother’s roll in our spiritual development, a father’s roll cannot be understated.  In fact, research by the Swiss government, Baptist Press, and Promise Keepers underscores the tremendous influence that fathers have on their children’s spiritual commitment. This is not at all to minimize the importance of mothers, but rather to encourage fathers to recognize the influence that they wield on their children’s spiritual life. That is why I love this picture from our family night…  dads leading their kiddos in praising God.  

When both parents attend Sunday worship and a Bible study or small group there is a 72% likelihood of their children doing the same. When neither parent attends Sunday school or a small group there is only a 6% likelihood of the children attending one when grown. We live in a culture that places less and less value on commitment to the local church.  The pandemic has only exacerbated this trend. We have a mandate from God to share the message of God’s redemption to a world that is desperate for meaning and hope.   

With this in mind, I hope that we all will consider our responsibility to help equip this generation and the next to be found faithful in our calling to serve Christ and our neighbor.

Loving you all, 

Michael