New Directions for Holy Questions; Progressive Christian Theology for Families
Pandemic life has greatly assisted us in distilling what is most important in our lives. In my work in children’s and family ministries and as a parent of 7, I have found that families with children have had to pare down to what matters the most in our days. Families are making time for connection, for rest, and for what meshes with their core values. New Directions for Holy Questions; Progressive Christian Theology for Families is a good resource for those who are in ministry alongside families with children, as well as for parents looking to add to their libraries.
New Directions for Holy Questions is a resource that provides children’s and family ministers with ready-to-go conversations that are flexible enough to be used in a variety of settings and in a variety of methods. Are you in a phase that needs to provide ministry opportunities via an online platform? You can have a whole group storytelling session, even encouraging families to find and use some props, and then move to smaller group breakout room chat sessions about the story, using the questions in this book. A little preparation would enable you to drop care packages with props and craft supplies for each family, augmenting your online sessions. Perhaps you are trying an outdoor family faith formation picnic. This resource would be a great addition to your time. You could even set up a small stage and allow people to participate in the storytelling. Are you looking for an out-of-the-box VBS? This resource could be quite powerfully used for this purpose. You could do a full week VBS, 6 Sunday series VBS, or even an online VBS centered around a theme you pull from the stories included. Then, reserve a few of the stories (this resource includes 19) for a fall VBS reunion, a midwinter storytelling camp, and a spring VBS reunion. This resource also lends itself for use in multigenerational settings, whether you are looking at a monthly gathering or special seasonal offerings.
New Directions for Holy Questions would also make a wonderful resource for families. In my work as a children’s and family minister, I hold 4 week sessions at various points in the year to discuss topics that are of interest to our families. Tackling kids’ big questions is a topic that comes up time and again. I bring several trusted print and online resources to share, and this book will be added. This would be a good gift to give to families as we wind down sessions. Pair it with some basic craft supplies and a few simple props, along with a ‘wondering bowl’ (small bowl that people put slips of paper they have written their wonderings or prayers on), and you have a something special that lives into our responsibilities to equip parents to be the primary sources of faith formation for their children.
New Directions for Holy Questions is a useful resource for me as a parent. My husband and I have seven children between the ages of 18 and 1. We have a nightly Bible and prayer time, and we are always looking for new resources to use. I’m looking forward to pulling this one out over the summer, delving into the stories together, and taking the time to really discuss the accompanying questions over roasted marshmallows or ice cream cones. It’s not often that I find a resource that fits the wide range of ages and stages I have under my roof (which does also include my adult sister with Down Syndrome at various points), so when I do, I keep it on a close shelf. This book was provided to me by the publisher, but I will be purchasing my own copy for my personal library.
