Words From A Shepherd’s Heart #9
It’s almost summertime! Those of us living on the East Coast of Canada know this is a unique and limited time of the year. Everyone is counting off the weekends, praying they chose their vacation dates well and will have hot and sunny days and not the dreaded cold and rainy ones. Cities and churches become emptier as everyone heads to their temporary summer spots and tries to unwind and recharge from the depletion of the year we’ve had.
As a mother and the wife of a teacher, I’ve also looked forward to the summer, when school routines can go out the window and we experience a slower rhythm to life.
It is a blessing that we are able to have this change.
But I’ve also noticed another side to this. Disconnection. While we seek to make the most of this time with family, we often leave our community of faith behind. Even when we do make an effort to meet in person at church, we can still feel disconnected because it’s a drop-in, drop-out kind of thing.
I remember one summer when my children were elementary and middle school ages, one of my sons asked why we weren’t going to church anymore (this was way before Covid). I had to stop for a moment and think about it, then said, “we have been going – we’ve gone every Sunday this summer!” The difference was we weren’t getting together with other families as much and regular weekly activities weren’t happening. How much more disconnected do our families feel in this post-Covid season where they may not have had the regular relationships to begin with? Do they even know people at church by name or would they recognize them if they saw them at the park or mall or the beach?
Faith at home this summer means being intentional about keeping our regular rhythms of prayer, reading the Bible (or age-appropriate stories) together, talking about faith together, and inviting Jesus into our vacation time as well as the other parts of our lives.
It also means not doing faith at home alone. We need to stay connected with our community of faith. The summer can be an optimal time to do this as we have a bit more flex time and the weather is nice for having a family over for a BBQ or evening of visiting. It could also be making a play date at the beach or a park to visit and stay connected, to talk about the weekly message or how God is at work in your lives.
It’s also a time that your community of faith needs you. If everyone takes off, then who is left to serve and continue ministry at home? This could be a great time to try a new ministry or give those who have faithfully served all year a week or two off so they can unwind and recharge as well. I mentioned this in a previous post but serving as a family and modeling serving are integral ways you can encourage your child in their faith journey. Our faith is not just words but actions as well.
“And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.” Hebrews 10:25
Pray about how to live out faith at home throughout the summer and stay connected with your community of faith. It’s not an either-or situation – either having a great/relaxing vacation or living out our faith; it’s both!
Watch for weekly vlogs this month from Pastor Sarah on ways you can practice faith@home this summer: onthejourney.ca or social media (@tjcmoncton)
Sarah Cogswell is Pastor of Children and Families at The Journey Church in Moncton, NB, Canada. She and her husband David have been married for 23 years and are parents to three amazing teenage boys. She spent 9 years caring for children in her home, and has hosted 18 international students throughout the years. She is currently working on her Master of Divinity through Acadia Divinity College and enjoys learning and experiencing ministry and faith all at the same time. You can contact Sarah by emailing sarah@onthejourney.ca