CONNECTION OVER CONTENT
Like many of us, the children’s and family coordinator for Holy Trinity Rathmines, Zoe Hill, moved online when the Pandemic hit. She faithfully posted online sessions week in and week out but found the lack of contact frustrating – were people connecting in, were they finding the content and the resources useful? Were they engaging with them?
As time went on Zoe shifted her focus. She knew the content was important, but she also knew that her families were in survival mode and that more than ever they needed to experience the Love of God rather than learn about it. As Francis of Assisi said, “Preach the Gospel. If necessary, use words.”
She set up a parent staffroom on Fridays at lunchtime for any parent who wanted a chat after a week of homeschooling. There was no prep, just presence.
She wrote every family a letter that contained some chocolate and got more responses to that than to any video she had painstakingly prepared, recorded, edited and uploaded.
She put together library bags for families on different Bible themes that she could drop on the doorstep of their house and she would stay to chat at the end of their driveway if restrictions permitted.
She ran a Raising Faith course for parents who wanted to inspire faith in their children but needed the confidence to get started. https://www.careforthefamily.org.uk/faith-in-the-family/support-for-parents/raising-faith-resources/raising-faith-media-2 Again, she noticed it was more important to make sure there was time for parents to share with each other, than it was to watch every bit of content in the course.
What connections can you make this Lent? Can you commit to contacting people to let them know you’re thinking about them? Making sure they know that they’re known and seen and loved?
FAMILY DEVOTIONALS
The We Wonder Podcast – lovely quiet family time opportunities where family members can bring a page to doodle on or playdough to squish and then listen and wonder together for 12 – 15 minutes.
God’s Big Easter Story . . . a Holy Week Journey for families from DWELL
This 8 day devotional for families comes as a simple resource with a daily routine of:
- Breathing
- Reading the Scripture
- Wondering Questions about the Scripture
- Praying together
During your family time, you can cut out symbols for each day and add them to a journey through Holy Week trail they have provided (you have the option of either pre- coloured colouring them in yourself.)