October 15, 2024
Family Faith Every Day, a comprehensive initiative designed to strengthen faith practices in families with young children, is excited to announce the seventeen congregations selected to participate in its distinguished three-year peer-learning program. This program is aimed at empowering parents and caregivers to incorporate simple meaningful faith practices into daily life. Primary funding for the program comes from Lilly Endowment Inc. with additional support through a partnership with the Atlantic School of Theology
Rev. Traci Smith, Program Director, and Rev. Dr. Dave Csinos, Research Director will provide the leadership for the program, which consists of financial support, printed resources, and coaching designed to help the congregations lead family faith formation initiatives within their communities.
“We know that nurturing faith in young children starts at home,” said Smith. “Through this program, we are equipping congregational leaders to train parents and caregivers to integrate faith practices into their daily routines. These practices will strengthen family bonds, deepen spiritual connections, and create lasting traditions that can be passed down through generations.”
Program Details:
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Three-Year Commitment: Congregations will receive up to $15,000 over three years to support their family faith initiatives.
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Peer-Learning Cohorts: One leader from each congregation will participate in a peer-learning cohort and receive training, coaching, and opportunities to collaborate with other leaders across diverse theological backgrounds.
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Parenting Circles: Congregations will create and lead parenting circles, helping parents and caregivers implement faith-based practices in the home. The parenting circles will use a custom curriculum based on Chalice’s Faithful Families series, written by Smith.
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Research and Evaluation: Csinos will lead the cohort's research arm, evaluating the effectiveness of the practices to continue developing and share the lessons more broadly.
The selected congregations, chosen for their commitment to fostering family faith practices and their readiness to engage in this transformative journey, will also receive workbooks, training materials, and access to a faith-formation library to support their ongoing efforts.
Selected Congregations:
Bethany Presbyterian Church, Seattle, Wash.
College Mennonite Church, Goshen, Ind.
Dover-Foxcroft Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, Dover-Foxcroft, Maine
First Baptist Church, Greenville, S.C.
First Presbyterian Church, Elizabethtown, Ky.
Forest Hill Presbyterian Church, Cleveland Heights, Ohio
Gower Street United Church, St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada
Independence Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Ashland, Va.
Kenilworth Union Church, Kenilworth, Ill.
Mayflower Congregational UCC, Oklahoma City, Okla.
New Covenant Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Nashville, Tenn.
Palmer Memorial Episcopal Church, Houston, Tex.
Parish of the Epiphany Episcopal, Winchester, Mass.
Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church, Apple Valley, Minn.
St. Luke’s United Methodist, Orlando, Fla.
St. Paul's Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Raleigh, N.C.
St. Paul's United Church, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
About Family Faith Every Day:
Family Faith Every Day is an extension of Chalice Media Group’s mission to create a world in which families grow in love through daily faith practices across generations. Through this initiative, congregations are equipped with the tools they need to support families in making faith a meaningful part of everyday life.
For more information about the program or to inquire about future opportunities, please contact familyfaitheveryday@chalicepress.com