Some things have changed totally over the last few months, and some things haven’t really. Our need for human contact, to be able to speak and be listened to are still the same, if perhaps more apparent due to time apart.
Despite us ‘all being in this together’, every family is having a unique pandemic experience, just as our family experience is always unique!
When trying to help families with their faith at home, it can sound like we’re coming with an extra list of things they should be doing, leaving them feeling guilty or defensive, neither of which is conducive to inspiring their faith at home!
I wondered instead of sending people resources if we could ask people questions and really listen. Something which not spending time together means is that many parents are spending much time with adults and don’t have people to chat to, to vent to or ask for advice. We can do that for each other without being face to face, and for some families, a caring call might be the different between being able to connect with God in the middle of a rough week or not.
I’ve put together some questions as ideas for things to ask families when you connect with them.
You might want to arrange a time to call or just call and see if they’re free (sometimes when we do this we call as just the right time, as the Spirit guides us!) – or have a Zoom call or a Whatsapp or Facebook messenger or text chat – whichever works best for the parent you’re wanting to connect with.
Adapt the questions to fit yourself and the family you’re chatting with. Don’t feel you have to use them all and do add in your own ones!
It’s all about listening to them and hearing them and helping facilitate them in the season they are in to share their faith as a family in a way which works for them.
- How are you? (always a good start!)
- What’s been your biggest challenge in lock down?
- What have you discovered during Lock Down?
- What do you enjoy doing together as a family?
- Describe a good family moment during lock down
- How has lock down affected your faith at home?
- When have you felt closest to God during Lock Down?
- What has been most difficult in your faith at home in this season?
- What would you like to see in your faith at home in the next few months?
- What one thing could you do this week to help you move towards your goal and how could I help you?