The Christian Home Month resource is for family ministry leaders, ministry teams, volunteers in ministry, and council chairpersons/coordinators in local congregations. It is designed to help local congregations develop and strengthen faith in the home and to celebrate Christian Home Month. Although Christian Home Month is typically celebrated during May, congregations may choose any month of the year to focus on the Christian home and its key role as a center for faith formation.
Our theme for 2025 is Families Called to Love.
This is an appropriate theme for the current context of our daily lives. We continue to live in a tumultuous time; coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic still weighs heavy on many families and churches. This past year, we have seen a presidential election, continued political tensions, racism, and social unrest. We have seen natural disasters that have devastated certain parts of our world. Children, youth, and young people are concerned about the deep divisions in this country and are disappointed at the disagreements. They have witnessed the name-calling and loss of human respect. It seems, as we watch the events of society unfold, that we have forgotten to live as Jesus called us to live – a life of love for self, neighbor, and God. We know that as Christians, we are called to be a people of love. We offer love to the world so that everyone will feel and experience God’s love, peace, justice, and grace.
The scriptures provide key verses about love of self, neighbor, and God. Deuteronomy 6:4-9 reminds us to love God and to keep those words of love visible throughout the day. It also instructs us to demonstrate this love to our children. We are commanded to love one another through Jesus’ words in John 13:34-35. Christ-followers’ actions should be rooted in love, and love is essential to individual faith formation and faith formation in homes and families. When we act with love toward those in our family, we are also challenged to act in love with those in our communities and the world. Where can we begin to act with love toward those whom we are called?
We can start by sharing and modeling ways for our families to offer acts of love and compassion in the home, church, and the world. We offer love to our communities by:
- Providing clothing, food, or shelter for those in our community who are without these basics.
- Providing classes on parenting, marriage, finance management, and English as a second language.
- Offering spaces of belonging to children, youth, and adults.
- Offering intergenerational worship for ALL God’s children, including those with disabilities.
This Christian Home Month resource, Families: Called to Love, includes worship service resources, a retreat plan that can be offered in a variety of ways, and devotional activities for families as they foster a climate of love in their homes. We trust that you will find something in this resource to inspire, encourage, and affirm you as you continue in this important work of family ministries.
Originally published by Discipleship Ministries. Republished with permission by ResourceUMC.