The Family is God's Thing
Because both marriage and children are gifts of God, the family is not a social construct, but designed and ordained by God for His glory and our good. The human family is the building block of human culture and human flourishing. Therefore, ministry to families is a high priority at GraceSLO.
Family Ministry is not . . . having a family pastor, a once a year seminar, starting parent support groups. Family Ministry is not another program on the ministry menu, but rather an overlying rational for all we do. Our aim is to support, encourage, and build families, not undermine family. To this end, we ask continually across the lanscape of our ministry, “How is this affecting our families?”.
Our vision is to be a catalyst for strengthening families, marriages, and nurturing children and student’s faith. Since, no one has more potential to influence a child’s relationship with God than a parent, we seek to Influence and equip parents to be the spiritual leaders for their own kids. We strive to help parents define what it means to be a spiritual leader in practical, possible terms...and then partner with them to help them. What happens at home is more important than what happens when we meet at church.
Family Ministry at GraceSLO happens the following ways. . . .
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Instruction: We offer a continual stream of family-focussed Sunday Morning Adult Seminars. (CLICK HERE to see our current seminars.) We seek to instruct men through ongoing Men's Studies throughout the week and strategic events. (CLICK HERE to see men's stuff.) We offer a host of ministries to instruct and equip women (CLICK HERE to see women's stuff.) The goal of all our instruction is not to pull men and women away from their families, but to prepare and equip them to serve and lead their families.
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Partnership: Marriage and parenting are full of pleasures and pitfalls. We want to be in it with you. We want to partner with you in the building of a Biblical family.
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Support: We were not intended to walk by faith alone, but with others. Growth Groups at GraceSLO are designed to connect you with others on the journey, so you have the support you need for the challenges we all face.
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Counseling: It's our privilege to offer pre-marital, post-marital, family pastoral counseling. We urge couples and families in crisis to come to us sooner rather than later. We also, when needed, recommend and refer couples and families to outside professional counselors.
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Adoption & Foster Care Ministry: In addition to our ongoing family focus across GraceSLO, we offer a special ministry to those exploring or already committed to adoption and foster care. (CLICK HERE for more specific information.)