St. Matthew Institutes Faith Families
"A new commandment I give you, that you love one another." John 13:34
Have you ever experienced a time of tremendous family and/or friend support? Perhaps it occurred during a family emergency or crisis and everyone just dropped everything to help or be together. When my daughter was born and required heart surgery at seven days old, friends and family totally took over and scheduled babysitters for my two boys while we remained in the hospital. In addition, meals arrived continuously at our house for weeks after our return home from the hospital. Our hearts were so overwhelmed with gratitude. One night as I broke down and tried to express my deepest appreciation, my sister-in-law looked me in the eyes and stated, "We're family, and this is what families do!"
Years ago, my father in law experienced a dissection of the aorta. He arrived to Beaumont Hospital by helicopter and was prepped for surgery in less than an hour. However, in that short amount of time, almost every one of his children, their spouses, as well as most of his grandchildren dropped everything to get to the hospital and speak to him before his surgery. Afterwards, we gathered in the surgical waiting room, praying for him and his medical team, as well as loving on and encouraging my mother-in- law because that's what families do.
Last Friday, during our first Cross Country Meet, one of our runners was struggling to finish the race. One parent told me how endearing it was to watch the rest of his teammates, as well as their parents, shout his name and run along side of him to help encourage him to finish because that's what teams/school families do.
Families and Small Groups are such a blessing as they have the potential to be such powerful forces of love and support! As a result, we have implemented the concept of "Faith Families" into St. Matthew Lutheran School for the 2023/2024 school year.
Faith Families are a group of multiage Chapel Buddies that will meet with their assigned teacher once a month after Chapel. During these meetings, teachers will empower the spiritual leadership of our older students as they help lead their Faith Family through our new "Friendzy" Christian character building curriculum. For the month of October, the Friendzy theme is "We Need Each Other" based on 1 Thessalonians 5:11 "Therefore, encourage one another and build each other up!" Through discussions and hands on activities, students will enhance their relationships with each other, learn from each other, and grow closer to and more like Jesus as a Faith Family.
Yesterday, all of our Faith Families met for the very first time. It was extremely exciting to see the potential this concept holds. We look forward to the blessings evolve from these spiritual connections!
In Jesus,
Mrs. Palka