Care Group Project

We have a wonderful Care Group! We meet every other Friday evening, kids and all, and fellowship, study God's Word and pray for each other. This past meeting, our group decided to do a little mission project. Each family brought enough "materials" to make 40 sandwiches of either PB&J or bologna and cheese. These sandwiches would feed the hundreds of homeless on the streets of St. Louis through Larry Rice's New Life Evangelistic Center. Our small group of 6 families made over 220 sandwiches in about a half an hour. It really did not take much time, effort or money to do something worthwhile. (The jelly was a little challenging to get off the floor but whose worried??)

Our Care Group feels led to put some feet to our teachings. Our kids need to see how faith can be put into action! Remember how Pastor Phil always says "More is caught than taught"? That is so true. We can talk about God every day and that is important! However, they are going to "catch" the fact that we DID something to impact the world around us. Actions speak louder than words!

So, I challenge your Care Group, Bible study, family...to see how the Lord leads you to put some feet to your words. We can all have an impact on the world and take the Gospel out! Sometimes a piece of bread and bologna is the vehicle for someone to hear the Good News that Jesus saves!

It's dinnertime!

9 Reasons Why Dinnertime Should Be Family Time
Jim Burns, Ph.D.

I'm happy to announce that over the past few years, more and more families are making the intentional effort to have regular, family-mealtimes. Here are eight reasons why doing so is a great idea:

1) Kids who live in families that eat dinner together regularly are less likely to be involved in at-risk behaviors.

According to the 2009 study done by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASA), compared to teens who have frequent family dinners (five to seven family dinners per week) children who eat dinner with their families infrequently (fewer than three per week) are twice as likely to use tobacco or marijuana and more than one and a half times likelier to have used alcohol.

2) Families who eat dinner together regularly are more likely to have stronger, happier family relationships.

As families struggle to find amounts of quantity and quality time together, family dinnertime provides the opportunity for both. Teens who frequently eat dinner with their family are likelier to say they have excellent relationships with their parents, and teens who have infrequent family dinners are likelier to say they have fair or poor relationships with their parents. When families hang out together and communicate, they grow strong and healthy.

3) Kids who live in families that eat dinner regularly together perform better in school.

According to the latest research, compared to teens who have frequent family dinners, teens who have fewer than three family dinners per week are one and a half times likelier to report getting mostly C's or lower grades in school.

4) Families who eat dinner regularly develop a stronger family identity. Eating together serves to build a family identity.

Additionally, this family "routine" provides a sense of stability and security that provides kids with a positive environment where they can grow into healthy adults.

5) Families who eat dinner together regularly can keep in touch with each others' lives.

Everyone - kids and parents alike - can keep up-to-date during your family dinnertime on what is going on with school, jobs, family life, and friends.

6) A regular family dinnertime provides natural opportunities for planning and problem solving.

Scheduling family meeting times to discuss planning, needs and problem solving can be difficult. A regular family mealtime can offer a natural solution to the challenge.

7) Eating dinner regularly fosters learning.

When families who eat dinner together engage in a variety of conversation topics, learning is encouraged. Kids who are exposed to regular family discussion times learn a broader vocabulary.

8) Kids are likely to receive better nutrition when eating dinner regularly with their families.

A simple, but true rule applies: when kids eat with their families, they eat better. A family dinnertime means kids are more likely to eat a nutritionally balanced meal, lower in sugar and fat content, than if they prepare or purchase meals on their own.

9) The benefits of regular family meals don't require a large amount of time.

Some might shy away from regular family dinners due to the busy pace of life and the concern for the amount of time a family meal requires. But, the latest research shows that the average family meal lasts just 35 minutes. That's not a lot of time to invest in order to see great some great benefits to your family!