Interim Director of SPEEDway Children's Ministry
November 2015
Did you know that parents are the number one influence on a child's faith and strength when the child reaches adulthood? The greatest gift you can give your child is the knowledge of how to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Deuteronomy 6 tells us to take the commandments of the Lord and "impress them upon your children." A love of Jesus Christ is truly a lifelong gift for your child—and you need only lead by example, but just how is that done?
THE
WORD OF GOD
First and foremost, cultivate your own relationship with Christ. As Paul instructed the church at Colossabe, “Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.” (Colossians 3:16)
- Do your children see you read the Bible regularly? Do you read it with them? One of my most precious childhood memories is my dear mother reading from a devotional book and the Bible at dinner time. Commit to setting aside a few times a week as a family to read from God’s word and discuss how to live out its truths.
- SPEEDway also emails a Family Connect page the first of each week that can be used to review the previous Sunday’s lesson. Make it a priority to use it as a guide each week, whether or not your child was able to be present that Sunday.
- Look for opportunities to see God work in your lives. What “God-sightings” have you had? Discuss these openly with your children and encourage them to share their God-sightings with you. Keep a list that you can use as a reminder of God's goodness when the sightings are few and far between.
THE WORK OF GOD 
Serving in and through the church helps our hearts become more like Christ. As we serve others, our hearts get bigger and our desire to meet the needs of others becomes stronger. Make opportunities to serve as a family through various outreach/service projects through Santa Clara First Baptist. In November your family can collect cold weather clothing for the homeless in San Francisco. Your family can also participate in a myriad of ways at the Bethlehem workdays to help prepare for SCFBC’s largest community outreach of the year. Continue to look for more opportunities to serve throughout the year.