Saskatoon Temple's Family Sunday events aim to bring together all the generations that worship in the church community and reconnect with neighbours.
THE CHURCH
Salvation Army Saskatoon Temple
THE CHALLENGE
Strengthening relationships and reconnecting with neighbours
THE IDEA
A monthly nontraditional family service
THE COST
Varies widely depending on Family Sunday theme
Officer Angela Kerr explains:
Our Family Sunday events aim to bring together all the generations that worship in our church community to learn from one another. It’s also a good entry point for those who might not be familiar with traditional church settings.
Family Sundays have been happening every third Sunday of the month, unless that happens to fall on Easter or Christmas. In those cases we move the Family Sunday to the week before or after. We always tell our congregation to expect the unexpected. Our most recent theme of Superhero Sunday was well received. It was actually initiated by one of our preschoolers in our church and we went with it.
On Family Sunday we share a biblically sound message our oldest and youngest members can learn from. We try to make it unpredictable – it looks different, it feels different, we don’t quiet the children. Movement and noise are encouraged and embraced during this service. We usually have volunteer teams ranging from two to ten volunteers depending on the theme.
Our leadership anticipated a limited level of engagement from the congregation and community at large, but the reaction has been completely positive – the opposite of what we expected. The feedback from our seniors, their participation and excitement were so great.
Cost-wise, for this type of event it can be very simple or extensive. For Superhero Sunday we rented bouncy castles for the kids, used what we had around for costumes and hosted a lunch on-site for those who attended.
If another church is interested in something similar, I would recommend working within your budget to do something your church can rally behind. I would also advise – Don’t be afraid. Go big and let God do the work within that.
We try to make it unpredictable – it looks different, it feels different, we don’t quiet the children.
Do you have a story to share about your church’s community outreach? Contact our editors at editor@FaithToday.ca. Read more stories at FaithToday.ca/CIC. Photo: Angela Kerr / Salvation Army Saskatoon Temple