The following post was written by Vicki Hulsey, Childhood Education Specialist, Tennessee Baptist Convention.
Churches need to discover ways to reconnect families by helping them grow closer together and closer to God. One way to do that is by offering family-friendly events in which family members learn, worship, serve, and laugh together. Let’s look at some guidelines for fantastic family fun nights.
- Be intentional. Decide on a purpose and stick to it.
- Place dates on the church calendar. Choose the same night of the month, i.e. First Friday, Fifth Sunday. Having a consistent time helps families avoid allowing other activities to creep in.
- Choose a theme. Choose a theme that allows families to participate together.
- Budget wisely. Plan activities that can be done for less than five dollars per family, or better yet, FREE.
- Spread the fun. Allow families to lead families by recruiting families to take the lead in planning a Family Fun Night.
- Include all families. Make room for all types of families including singles, empty nesters and senior adults.
- Be creative. Be creative with your theme and your budget.
- Communicate, communicate, communicate. Communicate your purpose, theme, date and time.
- Plan a family devotional. Provide learning activities to help family members read and talk about God’s Word together.
- Evaluate. Use evaluation tools with families and with those responsible for planning the event.
Does your church plan family fun nights? Share how you connect with the families in your church in the comments section below!
