January 9, 2018

One hour a week. That’s how much time many of today’s church-going families spend on growing their faith. Many families spend that hour in church on Sunday.

“Few church-going families have faith conversations or pray at home.” explained Susan Easttom, St. Luke’s Director of Family Ministries. “At St. Luke’s, we are committed to assisting and equipping you to become intentional about building a God-honoring home, one step at a time. You can do it – we can help!”

Whether you’re part of a large family or you live alone, there are many ways to build your faith between Sundays.

Bob and Marsha Long will share their experiences on that subject this Sunday, January 14, at 5 p.m. in the Christian Life Center (CLC) at the Downtown Campus. The event is called “Our Stories Start at Home: An Evening of Inspiration with Bob and Marsha Long.”

Faith has always been their guiding principle as parents and grandparents.

“We had the same challenges that other families have,” Marsha said. Bob and I were blessed to be raised in families where faith was at the forefront. Our faith was a part of our being, a part of who we were as a family – who we still are as a family.”

“Every family is unique. My hope is that people will leave the event with the desire to incorporate something intentional into their family that makes them feel special. I’d like them to realize that they don’t have to do everything- but they can start with small steps,” Marsha continued. “What could we do this week and maybe next month, keeping in mind that no family is perfect.”

“I do believe that families have a greater challenge than ever before to manage time and to be there to help their children grow in faith,” Bob said. “It is a different world than when I grew up or when my own children grew up. There is a challenge, and we want to be there to try to talk about, ‘how do we help tell the story?’ The event is for anyone who would like to come.”

“Faith has to happen in the home for there to be something that’s really making a difference in kids’ lives,” Amy Givens, Director of Youth Ministry, said. “Faith can really grow when we practice and talk about it in our home. Faith is not something that’s just isolated to any one place and adding it to our home life can start to transform our minds, words and actions.”

Although it’s never too late to grow in faith, reaching kids before they leave home is crucial to helping them avoid bad behaviors.

“They’re growing up and they’re leaving the church, and they’re not establishing a relationship with God that they can use throughout their life,” Susan added. “In that relationship, life is a more joyful experience. We want them to get it – and maintain it.”

Children’s activities will take place during the presentation for all children, infant to 5th grade.

Adult tickets are $8 and available online at stlukesokc.org/RSVP or you can contact Susan at 609-1036 to reserve your tickets.

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