Adults can nurture children in the Christian faith. Below are listed some of the ways:

In Families:

• Read Bible stories together.
  
• Talk about pieces of their faith journey and your own faith journey.
  
  
• Make a regular habit of doing good for others and talk about "why."
  
• Pray together.
  
• Read the Bible and pray at times when children can see you.
  
• Include God and the use of religious ritual at special family celebrations.
  
• Stop and pray together when having a family disagreement.
  
• Sing songs of faith.
  
• Practice spontaneous prayers together — when hearing a siren, seeing the first bird in the spring, after a joy-filled moment, or when feelings are hurt.
  
• Work at keeping religious holidays religious (Christmas, Easter, Pentecost).
  
• Write letters to children who are away, telling them about God, your faith, your prayers for them, their importance to God. Include something of your faith in each letter (or e-mail).
  
• Include age-appropriate Christian symbols, Bibles, Bible storybooks, or Christian music when giving gifts.

In the Church Family:

• Learn children's names and use their names when having conversations with them.
  
• Seek out children to include in conversations.
  
• Sit with families at church dinners. Visit with the children as well as the parents.
  
• Smile at children during worship. Encourage their attendance and inclusion in worship.
  
• Plan for the inclusion of children for every event.
  
• Offer to share your interests and talents with children and youth in the church. (Take a small group fishing, help them make wooden crosses, teach them needlework, share your backyard for a Sunday school class outing, tell Bible stories, and so on.)
  
• Become a mentor for a child or youth who is not related to y ou. Develop an ongoing, supportive relationship.

With Neighborhood Children:

• Be a loving, caring neighbor.
  
• Invite children (and their parents) to join you in attending a church event.
  
• Bring children with you to Sunday school and church every Sunday. (Make certain you have a parent's permission.)
  
• Share Bible stories with children, as appropriate.
  
• Share Christian gifts with children, as appropriate.
  
• Write prayers for children, and give the prayers to them (particularly important for a life event — birth, death, marriage, first day of school, getting driver's license, losing first tooth).

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Mary Alice Gran (mgran@gbod.org) is the Director of Children's Ministries for the General Board of Discipleship in Nashville, Tennessee.

Posted 8-29-06