Oak Knoll Lutheran Church loves its children! We take the promises we make at every baptism seriously and we work faithfully to fulfill those promises at every step of a child’s life. Whether just starting Sunday School or preparing for Confirmation, we support our kids throughout their journey of faith. 

There are so many forces at work in children’s lives today. Let us be a force for your child. Together, we can inspire faith and values that will last a lifetime.

GOD IN OUR FAMILIES

I recently attended a class at Luther Seminary called Linking Home and Congregation in the First Third of Life. The class was designed for people like me who work in Children, Youth & Family Ministry.    I was ready to dig in and work hard. I was prepared to take notes and research our best options for curriculum. I was prepared to make a huge difference in the lives of our families and our children. And then everything changed.

As I was imagining all the ways I was going to help the children of Oak Knoll become individuals with a passion for faith, this slide appeared on the screen. 

·         “the spiritual life of kids continues to lean on family as the primary source for understanding faith and spirituality. Where do adolescents across the globe look for help in their spiritual nurture and growth, really? 44% said family. 18% said no one. 15% said friends. 14% said religious organization. 6% said school. 4% said youth organization.” (from in In Their Own Voices, a global study on Spirituality by the Search Institute 2008)

Almost half of the youth surveyed, named their family as the primary reason for becoming a person of faith. It wasn’t their church or their pastor or their youth director!

For the remainder of the class, we focused on ways to build faith practices at home. I was energized by the realization that nurturing faith in our children is everyone’s job, especially families. I am inspired to begin conversations with parents about all the ways and places they can incorporate faith into their daily lives. The goal is to keep God present and active in our families and in our lives.

So, what do we do now? Let’s start here. I invite everyone to open their bible and read Deuteronomy 6: 4-9 together (with kids, I recommend a more contemporary translation like The Message Bible). Talk about the places that this passage instructs us to talk about God. How are they similar or different than the places we spend time today?