YOUR FAMILY MINISTRY

 As organized religions prepare to exit the world stage the FAMILY will be the hope of the future. Spirituality belongs to the FAMILY and no organization may interfere. As parents you are directly responsible for the spiritual development of your family.

Setting Up Your Family Ministry
You may have your weekly Family Ministry Meeting in your home in the living room, family room, a special room or in a separate building. It is advisable to setup the room or building with chairs and tables and a podium if you have room for it. Then you may decorate it with Family Photos, Photos of the Children, photos of Grandparents and Great Grandparents. Actually it is advisable to have photos of all your parents for as long as you can remember. If you do not have photos of any member of the family you could draw one or use AI to generate an appropriate photo. You may also use a photo of your favorite savior or God like Buddha, Jesus, Krishna, Vishnu or Shiva, You could also use photos of your favorite flowers, trees, birds or animals. This is going to be your Sacred Place so it is very important to have photos that bring out the best in the family. Remember to include a brief biography of your parents who have already passed on for the education of the children.

It is advisable to dedicate the room or building after you have set it up. A dedication ceremony essentially involves a prayer or an affirmation to bless the room or building for the spiritual work of the family. Both parents could dedicate it or you could also invite everyone in the family to dedicate it with the mother or father leading the dedication ceremony. You can dedicate it on any day and at any time that is suitable for everyone concerned. Instead of the Ten Commandments or any other religious precepts you may hang your Family Values in the room or building.

After the dedication of your Family Ministry Room or Building it becomes a Sacred Place and a place of refuge where you can feel safe, rejuvenated, and reassured after a day of problems and challenges. There is no more waiting for Sunday in order to go to church or the Mosque because you can do all the spiritual things you need to do in your Sacred Place. Further you can also associate your Sacred Place with miracles, love, joy, motivation, success, peace, happiness, achievement, health and wellness! It is also a place where you could go and pray, meditate, chant, affirm and study with concentration.

You may have your Family Ministry Meeting on any day and at any time but we recommend Sundays at 11 a.m. You may choose a suitable day and time if this does not work for your family. The most important thing is to have a day and time that works for all the members of the family and make that day and time a regular period for your Family Ministry Meeting.

If you are the only one in your home you could invite your friends and relatives and have your own Family Ministry. Further if there are only the two of you like a mother and a child or a father and a child you could also meet with your friends and relatives. You can also invite other families, more especially the families of your potential in laws to have a joint Family Ministry Meeting occasionally.

Family Ministry Meeting Program
This is the program for your Family Ministry Meeting. Any member of the family could lead the program but you should encourage the children to lead the program often for their education and development. You may follow this program in your presentations:

Introduction: Hi Grandma, Grandpa, Mom and Dad: Good morning and thank you for attending our weekly Family Ministry Meeting. My name is John Doe and I will be your host. Our topic for today’s meditation is COMPASSION.

Opening Meditation: You may offer an opening prayer, an affirmation or a moment of silence

Announcements: The host may make announcements at this time. Make announcements on the state of the world, welcome new family members, recognize individual contributions and give awards.

Opening Thoughts: The leader or an appointed person will stand and read the opening thoughts on the chosen topic.