Building Spiritual Families
Overview
of the Program
This curriculum includes the
information you need to offer workshops on thirteen different topics: Family
Strengths, Communicating, Managing Stress, Child Self-Care, Food and Fitness, Working, Go For It!, Positive
Discipline, Money Matters, Balancing Responsibilities, Consumer Beware, Healthy
Home, and Kids and Self-Esteem.
Number of Sessions
The program philosophy requires that
the first module, Family Strengths, begin each multi-session program. Research
shows that family programs are most effective when participants come to several
sessions. The program design team recommends at least seven sessions for each
group of families who participate in the program. At a minimum, facilitators
are strongly encouraged to teach at least three sessions per group and are
required to begin with the Family Strengths module.
Module Outline
Each module follows the same basic
outline, shown in its individual table of contents, and contains approximately
two hours worth of material.
Organizational categories are:
- Relationship to building strong families
- Brief program description
- Research findings
- Goals and objectives
- Target audience
- Materials needed
- Time frame
- Program content
- References
- Resources
· 1. Develop a mission statement – Some families have a family crest that serves as a point of identity and recognition. In the same way, a family mission statement serves as a unifying factor that can galvanize family members around common principles and values. A family mission statement also establishes a “we” mentality instead of an “I” mentality.
· 2. Establish life values – We all know the frustration of making New Year’s resolutions only to experience failure months later. It is one thing to have good intentions, another to have the resolve to follow through. It is when our good intentions become a settled conviction within our hearts that they translate into life values. Life values transform good intentions into godly decisions.
· 3. Think in terms of legacy – The Bible instructs us to leave a heritage to our children. The definition of heritage is, “The spiritual, emotional and social legacy passed down from parent to child – whether good or bad.” Kings and Queens
· It is this overall idea of legacy that you must keep in mind in Kings and Queens relationships. It is important to realize that legacy is not an event, it is a process. Another way of saying that is, “legacy is caught more than it is taught.” Legacy is demonstrated in the way you live your life and how you relate to your family members.
· 4. Create an atmosphere of forgiveness and grace – Your family members don’t want to feel as if you are defining their value based on their accomplishments or behavior. Love and accept them unconditionally. Offer loads of encouragement rather than constantly criticizing one another.
· 5. Preserve the dignity of your family members - Reminding family members of past wrong doings results in keeping a ledger of failure. When you bring up the past in order to drive home a point, you are poisoning your family’s hearts with shame. This communicates to your family members they are defined by their past. The result is despair. There is no way they can undo their mistakes.
· 6. Establish a rallying place – Whether it is over the dinner table, bedtime, devotional time, family meetings, make sure to create a place to huddle and connect.
· 7. Celebrate the uniqueness of each family member – Family relationships that are healthy also need to know they are celebrated for who they are as individuals. Recognizing the unique gifts and abilities in your family members builds in them a sense of confidence.
