A couple of weeks ago, I had the chance to travel to Chicago to learn more about the grant that we received for families with young children. I came away from this trip so excited for the next few years! In 2025 our Parenting Circle will focus solely on families with children under 3 years old, but the subsequent years will expand to include families with children birth through fifth grade.
We are currently gathering five families to join this Parenting Circle and are almost there! We will meet 8 times using the Faithful Families Toolkit, exploring how to engage with faith at home practices in simple yet meaningful ways. Each session will be about 90 minutes. Members of this Parenting Circle will be invited to participate in the research component of this study. The research gathered will be shared with Dave Csinos and Traci Smith—experts in the fields of faith formation—to be used to help develop ways to equip families to feel comfortable and confident in approaching spiritual education at home.
As a minister, I have been deeply shaped by the work that both Dave and Traci have done over the years in faith formation. The opportunity for us to be in this pilot group, to not only grow together but also help shape spiritual education and resources in the future, is a deep honor and joy. I hope that this will be something that positively impacts FBG families for generations to come.
The grant will cover the cost of childcare and weekly meals together. I hope that our families will think of this as an opportunity to make some new friends, learn ways to talk about faith/incorporate faith practices at home, have dedicated childcare, and enjoy a meal that they don’t have to cook or clean up afterwards! We are excited to get this group together in the next couple of months. If you are interested in joining this parenting circle or one in the future (with expanded ages), please let me know!
—Bridget Kokolis, Children’s Minister