Families

Even children and youth who regularly attend church and Christian formation typically spend no more than 2-4 hours at church each week. Children’s first and primary faith mentors are their parents or guardians. This means that faith is primarily formed in the home. Here are some resources for helping families journey in faith together.

Online Resources

Building Faith is an extensive formation website curated by Virginia Theological Seminary (VTS) that includes a section on faith resources for the home. New articles are posted regularly and faith leaders and parents can choose to receive email notifications when items are added.

Grow Christians is a “community of disciples practicing faith at home.” The group blog consists of reflections, stories, images, and recipes from Episcopalians all over, inspiring families to celebrate the presence of God through the Christian year.


Choosing a Children’s Bible

How do you find the right Bible for your child? It’s worthwhile taking the time to be selective in choosing a children’s Bible, as the selection is broad, but the quality inconsistent. The article Which Bible is Best for Children helps give thought to finding what you want from a children’s Bible and choosing one that is most appropriate for your child’s style of learning. The article is from 2010, but still very good and relevant, with helpful links to additional information.

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Two more recently published Bibles that are widely recommended for younger children are The Big Picture Story Bible (ages 2-7) and The Jesus Storybook Bible (ages 3-8).
Let us know if you have a Bible of your own you would like to recommend!

Nourishing Faith

Stories of God at Home: A Godly Play Approach

By Jerome Berryman

In his latest book, the creator of Godly Play, Jerome Berryman, talks about nourishing faith through storytelling in the home: the importance of storytelling; how to present stories of God at home, weaving them together with one’s family stories; and reading classical children’s books, looking for connections between them and the stories of God. This book invites families to set aside intentional time for sharing stories and conversation, opening up the creative process and making meaning together.

Faithful Families: Creating Sacred Moments at Home

By Traci Smith

Faithful Families encourages families to add spiritual practices into their daily life, with a focus on transforming everyday moments into sacred moments.

Sacred Dwelling: A Spirituality of Family Life

By Wendy M. Wright and Santa Murphy, illustrator

A book that’s great for that Sunday afternoon (or bed time or anytime) read with the family.

Living in God’s Time: A Parent’s Guide to Nurturing Children throughout the Christian Year

By Margaret Persky

This is a great idea mine for incorporating the liturgical calendar into our “out of church” lives.

The Family Cloister: Benedictine Wisdom for the Home

By David Robinson

St. Benedict’s very practical rule of life for a monastery (everything, from prayer to laundry, eating to gardening, is done with a heart oriented toward God) is applied to life in a family.

Children’s Books

By Siska Goeminne and Merel Eyckerman
This is a gentle book about the gift of our uniqueness–our unique personalities, ways of life and belief, and physical appearances. Read more >