Still Waters Family Ministry
Hear, O Israel: TheLordour God, theLordis one. LovetheLordyour God with all your heartand with all your soul and with all your strength.These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.
-Deuteronomy 6:4-9
What is a Faith Champion?
It is our goal to have an adult or couple being the primary influence on the faith of a young person. Ideally a parent(s) will fill this role, but that may not be the case. Some of the other options are a grandparent(s) or another extended family member(s). If this are also not going to work Still Waters will provide a surrogate of sorts to will through the Milestones and attend events with a child/student.
What do we hope Faith Champions model for the kids?
It is our hope that Faith Champions will model certain behaviors for their child/student and families. We would like to see families praying together daily, talking about faith weekly, and serving together monthly. Two other behaviors Faith Champions will hopefully model is consistency in giving and attendance.
The purpose of the Milestones is to partner the Home and the Church in a process that will encourage and equip the Faith Championsto lead their young personspirituallly. We believe that God created the child/student to shape the future, God chose the home to shape the child/student, God called the church to shape the home.
A Milestone takes place at an important time in the development of a young person. Each Milestone takes place during the year in which a child/student is in the appropriate age or grade level. All Milestones, except the first, will have two meetings for Faith Championsscheduled in the year prior. These meetings will connect Faith Champions together, communicate core values, and equip the Faith Champions to lead.
Each Milestone will have a Church Event (Baptism) or Acknowledgment (Commitment to Purity). Also, each Milestone will either end with a joint celebration (First Bible) or families will be encouraged to celebrate on their own with family and friends (Confirmation). And we have included a few resources that you may find helpful as your family approaches and participates in each Milestone.
Birth of a Baby (age 0-1)
This Milestone launches the partnership between church and family. Faith Championswill be encouraged to attend a meeting with Pastor Matt and Jacob between the time of finding out about pregnancy and the actual baptism. This meeting will explain this milestone and its core values, provide resources and encouragement to help the Faith Champions to hold to the vows they will make at baptism, and help families to celebrate the milestone accordingly. Finally, the child can be baptized during a weekend service of your choosing.
Core values
Faith Champion
Parental Vows
Church’s Role/Family’s Role
Meeting with Matt and Jacob
Church Event – Baptism (service of family’s choice)
Family Celebration
Resources: Shift by Brian Haynes
Revolutionary Parenting by George Barna
God Knows My Nameby Debby Anderson
Spiritual Growth of Childrenby Kurt Bruner, John Trent, and Rick Osborne
Teaching Your Child to Pray (Age 4)
This Milestone will help families take steps toward praying with and for one another daily. Faith Champions will be encouraged to attend the two meetings prior to the Milestone to explain the Milestone and its core values, as well as, resource and encourage them in this Milestone. Finally, we will prepare Faith Champions to teach each child a simple prayer that all of the Milestone families will recite in worship.
Core values
Faith
Forgiveness
Meetings – April of 3 year old year & November of 4 year old year
Church Event – Parent/Child Prayer (during each service on a weekend)
Church Celebration (after 2nd service of that weekend)
Resources: The Power of a Praying Parentby StormieOmartian (Harvest)
Bedtime Blessings Vol. 1 & Vol. 2: 100 Bedtime Stories and Activities for Teaching Your Child How to Prayby Rick Osborne
The Beginner's Bible: Timeless Children's Stories
Kid’s First Bible (Grade 3)
This Milestone will help families take steps toward frequent Bible reading and weekly faith talks/devotions. Faith Champions will be encouraged to attend the two meetings prior to the Milestone to explain the Milestone and its core values, as well as, resource and encourage them in this Milestone. Finally, we will present each Faith Champions with the Bible that they will be asked to write in and then present to their child in worship.
Core values
The Bible
Faith in Christ
Sin
Salvation
Meetings – December & May of 2nd Grade year
Church Event – Bible Presentation (during each service of a weekend)
Church Celebration (after 2nd service of that Sunday)
Resources: NIV Adventure Bible (provided by Still Waters)
The Case for Faith for Childrenby Lee Strobel
The Case for Christ for Childrenby Lee Strobel
Commitment to Purity (Grade 6)
This Milestone will allow families to commit to purity as a unit. Faith Championswill be encouraged to attend the two meetings prior to the Milestone to explain the Milestone and its core values, as well as, resource and encourage them in this Milestone. This Milestone culminates in the Purity Banquet, which will be acknowledged in worship. The Banquet will include dinner, fellowship, a short message, and time for families to talk over, pray over, and sign a family commitment to purity.
Core values
Holiness
Relationships, boundaries, dating, marriage, etc.
Meetings – February of 5th Grade & September of 6th Grade year
Meeting with Matt & Jacob
Church Event/Celebration – Purity Banquet
Church Acknowledgment (during each service of that weekend)
Resources: I Want to Talk with My Teen About Movies, Music and More by Walt Mueller
I Want to Talk with My Teen About Guy Stuff by David Olshine
I Want to Talk with My Teen About Girl Stuff by Heather Flies
I Want to Talk with My Teen About Love, Sex, Dating by Dr. Karl Wendt,Shannon Wendt
I Want to Talk with My Teen About Teen Addictions by Megan Hutchinson
Confirmation (Grade 8)
This Milestone will help families to begin the process of the student increasing their role in spiritual growth. Faith Champions will be encouraged to attend the two meetings prior to the Milestone to explain the Milestone and its core values, as well as, resource and encourage them in this Milestone. Each student & family will meet with Matt and Jacob prior to Confirmation Weekend. Finally, each student, accompanied by Faith Champions, will have to give a short presentation during worship. Finally, we will encourage and help families to celebrate this milestone in the way that they see fit.
Core values
Spiritual gifts
Spiritual growth
ID in Christ
Community
Spiritual disciplines
Confirmation vows
Begin transition in spiritual growth/maturity
Church, UMC, Still Waters, Personal Doctrine
Meetings – September & February of 8th Grade year
Church Event – Confirmation Weekend (during each service of a weekend)
Family Celebration
Resources: NIV Teen Study Bible (or another translation of your choosing)
Parenting Beyond Your Capacityby Cary Niewouf and Reggie Joiner
The Five Love Languages of Teenagersby Gary Chapman (Northfield)
Independence & Responsibility (Grade 10)
This Milestone will help students and families, as they mature, to have clear guidelines in place for the student and to hold each student to those guidelines. Faith Championswill be encouraged to attend the two meetings prior to the Milestone to explain the Milestone and its core values, as well as, resource and encourage them in this Milestone. Finally, similar to the Purity Banquet, this Milestone will end with the Coming of Age Celebration and a church acknowledgment in worship. Coming of Age Celebration will include dinner, fellowship, a short message, and time for families to talk over, pray over, and sign a contract that the Faith Champions drafted as a result of the meetings.
Core values
Responsibility
Driving
Working
Dating
Accountability
Meetings – September & February of 10th Grade year Church Event/Celebration - Rite of Privilege
Church Acknowledgment (during each service of that weekend)
Resources: Lead Your Teen to a Lifelong Faith: A Workbook for Parents and Group Studiesby Joe White and Jim Weidmann
Spiritual Mentoring of Teensby Joe White and Jim Weidmann
High School Graduation (Grade 12)
This Milestone will help students and families take a look back at and celebrate where they have come together. Now, the student will take over the lead role in spiritual growth. Faith Champions will be encouraged to attend the two meetings prior to the Milestone to explain the Milestone and its core values, as well as, resource and encourage them in this Milestone. In worship, Faith Champions will present their senior with a blanket and book. Finally, we will encourage and help families to celebrate this milestone in the way that they see fit (open house) but also in a private moment where the Faith Champions will read and present a written blessing to their senior.
Core values
God’s will
Apologetics
Life skills
Meetings – October & March of 12th Grade year
Church Event – Book/Blanket Presentation (during each service of a weekend)
Family Celebration (Open House & Blessing)
Resources: NIV Study Bible (or another translation of your choosing)
The Blessingby Gary Smalley
I Want to Talk with My Teen About Money Management by Lisa Crayton
The Case For A Creator: A Journalist Investigates Scientific Evidence That Points Toward God by Lee Strobel
General Resources
Legacymilestones.com
Drivefaithhome.com
Whatisorange.org
Visionaryparenting.com
Faithathome.com
Homeword.com
Biblicalparenting.org
Familyfirst.net
D6family.com/splink
Resource Library
Milestone Meetings
Stillwaters.com (parent page)
Other Family Offerings
In Tidepool, AXIS, and Kinesis we will invite Faith Champions to participate with their child/student 1x per semester
Each year we will offer four family events.
Father/Son
Mother/Daughter
Father/ Daughter
Mother/Son