Timely Tips for Father’s Day

Make this the year your church hosts a Father-Son Day. Invite church members to teach specific skills to dads and their sons (for example, woodworking, lure-making, fishing or cast netting, batting/ball skills). Or consider an overnight campout at a nearby park, where dads and sons can enjoy time together away from the inevitable interruptions of everyday life.

For Bible class on Father’s Day this year, encourage class members to take a closer look at Jesus’ relationship to his heavenly Father. Bible concordances can help you discover insights into the roles of both Father and Son. Help dads (and moms, too) investigate the unique role that fathers play in a Christian home. Pray that all fathers will grow closer to their heavenly Father.

For this month’s church newsletter:

As you gather with your family this Father’s Day, take time to talk with or about your fathers and grandfathers. Where did they grow up? What challenges did God help them face? What is their greatest success? greatest joy?

Be sure to take a paper and pencil (or better yet, a video camera or voice recorder) along with you to record the information you gather about Dad’s/Grandpa’s past and his dreams for the future. (Think ahead of time what to ask. For example, early memories, first job, faith mentors, favorite joke, best advice.) After the day’s festivities, gather all the information and place it in a Father’s Day Box, with plans to add to the memories on future Father’s Day celebrations.

Single Parents—Consider starting a single-parents support group for congregational members and for your community. Single parents are often overlooked during the Mother’s Day and Father’s Day celebrations, and this time of year can be especially difficult for people grieving the loss of a spouse due to death or divorce. If beginning a support group isn’t feasible for your congregation, perhaps single-parent members would be interested in a weekly, short-term Bible study that could offer encouragement and support to their unique challenges and needs.

You’ve probably heard of M.O.P.S. (Mothers of Pre-Schoolers). What about starting a “POPS” group—a ministry that lends support to fathers in your congregation? This is as easy as scheduling one Saturday morning a month for guys to gather around God’s Word. Young dads can learn from more experienced fathers as they share the challenges and joys of fatherhood.

Is there a strong father, full of faith, in your congregation? Invite him to speak a word of encouragement to other dads during your Father’s Day worship service.

Consider blessing all the men in your congregation with a devotion book or other value-priced gift from CTA this Father’s Day.

Have Sunday school children ask their fathers or male mentors (a coach, teacher, neighbor) to share their favorite Scripture verses—words that have served as an encouragement over the years. Compile and print the verses, then distribute them on Father’s Day. Pray that God’s Word will help all men as they parent, lead, and guide in many different ways.

This special day is a great time to work on your church or Sunday school class to work on your Family Tree—your “Faith Family Tree,” that is! Draw a tree trunk on a large piece of paper. Add one main branch for each member and make several “roots” growing from the base of the tree. Let each person name and label roots with names of people who have mentored them in their faith (former pastors/Sunday school teachers, relatives, friends, professors, and more.) When the “tree” is completed, together thank God for placing these special faith mentors in your lives. Also pray that the Lord will enable each of you to become a faith mentor for someone in the future!

June might be the perfect time to invite interested fathers of all ages to a short series of Bible classes with the theme “Fathering.” Help men see their special roles in light of our heavenly Father’s love. An intergenerational group of men can undoubtedly share valuable life lessons with one another. Check out your local Bible bookstore for a study guide or simply consult a good Bible concordance for father-themed passages to study.

Connect your church’s men in an updated version of the prayer chain. Invite those interested to share their e-mail addresses with each other, and encourage men of all ages to send prayer requests online. Then encourage everyone on the chain to pray for one another’s needs as they commute to work, eat lunch, or are reminded to pray at other convenient times during each busy day.

Picture this: a mini retreat for all the men in your congregation on the Saturday morning or afternoon before Father’s Day. Plan this special time away around one of CTA’s themes for Father’s Day. Spend time encouraging dads and men in every stage of life. As the retreat concludes, ask participants to stand together to form a cross. Take a snapshot and give a copy of the photo to each participant. Remind them, “We’re all in this together, because we’re joined together in Christ!”

Encourage dads to understand the importance of faith leadership in the family this Father’s Day. Here’s how: Ask dads of all ages to write down memories of ways their own fathers promoted faith in their families. Compile these memories to create a bulleted list of encouragements and print the list in your service bulletin for Father’s Day.

Plan to honor all dads during worship services on Father’s Day. At the end of the service, invite all fathers to the front of the church. Pray for the dads—specifically that the Holy Spirit will give them strength and vision to lead their families toward a stronger faith in Jesus.

Support all the busy men in your congregation in their desire for daily time with Christ in meditation and prayer. Remember that coaches, grandpas, scout leaders, and many men who are not dads do, nevertheless, serve as father figures. Distribute one of CTA’s devotion books to men this Father’s Day. The short, but powerful, devotions in this book will tuck easily inside a briefcase or lunch box—providing readers with five weeks of daily devotional time.

Recruit your youth or men’s Bible study groups to lend an ear or a hand to new dads this month. Offer to babysit (for free) so that the new dad and mom can have a quiet dinner out. Volunteer to cut the grass, change the oil in the car, or complete other home maintenance jobs for or with the new dad. Use these opportunities to listen to the new fathers and encourage them in their God-given task of raising a family that lives for Jesus.