Parents, you may be wanting to start a family worship time (or do so more consistently) but feel frustrated or overwhelmed by the prospect of getting everyone’s participation on a consistent basis. Take heart! Here is a suggestion that may help you. (HT to Alaina Torrey for planting the seed for this idea.)
The principle behind this is to start small, establish a routine, and stay flexible. With young children, repetition is your friend! Using this Family Worship Menu chart as a guide, choose a time and place, pick a couple of worship elements at first, and sing or read them each time you meet together as a family. (Sort of like a “Pick Two” at a fast casual place!) With the Taking Gathered Worship Home (booklet or online doc) and RPC website music at hand, you can use our responses and hymns to worship God at home while you teach your children to participate more fully on Sundays. Another idea is to save your weekly worship folder to use at home the next week.
If a daily time slot doesn’t seem feasible, find one day of the week and get started. That’s the main thing… rather than get bogged down waiting for the perfect situation or devotional guide to come together, set a time and place, and your family will benefit from your efforts!
Please feel free to share your experiences so we can all learn from one another! Send in your stories, what worked, what you learned, etc. Contact Carol