BOOK REVIEW
by Rev. Pat Hoertdoerfer
Children, Family, and Intergenerational Programs Director
Lifespan Faith Development, UUA

Fun Ideas for the Family-Friendly Church
By Group Publishing, Inc.
Loveland, CO: Group Publishing, 2000.
ISBN 0764421603, 112 pages

This book is a sequel to two books written by Ben Freudenburg and Rick Lawrence: The Family Friendly Church (1998) and Family Friendly Ideas Your Church Can Do (1999). In the first book, Freudenburg and Lawrence pose a fundamental question for family ministry: Should the family support the church and be congregation-centered, or should the congregation support the family and be family-centered? And the authors argued that to reach the needs of the Boomers, Generation Xers, and their families, congregations need to make a shift from fostering congregation-centered families to becoming family-centered congregations. In the second book, Freudenburg and Lawrence provide ready-to-go programming for families at home and families at church that includes worship ideas, service projects, enrichment, and fun activities. In the process, the families in the congregation come closer to becoming the strong, faith-filled families aspired to by the congregation’s mission.

Strengthening families with faith-based, fun-filled activities is the theme of Fun Ideas for the Family-Friendly Church. The 50 family-building ideas and activities in this book include learning activities, worship experiences, service projects, and relationship builders that can be used in many different contexts—families at home, family groupings in congregational worship, intergenerational learning programs, family service projects in the local community, family groupings at retreats, camps, and conference centers. These ideas and activities are easy to prepare and present and an effective way to minister to the whole family.

Learning Activities range from “Family Ties,” which provides families with a series of activities that emphasize the importance of family unity to “Addressing Stress,” which encourages families to identify situations that cause them stress and then explore healthy ways to deal with these situations. “Put the Cards on the Table” is a Learning Activity that encourages families to discover new ways to open conversations about conflicts. The activity begins with each family member sharing one pet peeve that’s related to his or her family. Then, using a deck of cards, families explore and practice ways of opening a conversation about minor conflicts with one another.

The Worship Experience section includes a focus on “Music Montage,” a focus on “Birthday Worship,” and a focus on altars called “Rock On.” The Service Projects section includes fun and meaningful ideas, such as “Cool Yule Caroling and Progressive Feast,” “Good and Plenty Trash Day, ” and “Love Collages” to deliver to sick members in local hospitals. The final section is full of wonderful ideas on Relationship Building that start with “Affirmation Banners” and “Character Search” and continue with “Fun With Family Photos” and “A Year in the Life” and conclude with “Generosity Bracelets” and “Faithopoly.”

This resource celebrates the simple but profound truth that there is power in letting families learn, worship, serve, and have fun together. Check it out to use with your family ministry at home, with your congregation, and at summer camp.