We would like to invite you to our new Family Ekklesia Time reading plan. It is part of a new wineskin God is leading us, to build upon what we did as a church in our Sunday School program. God is calling us to empower parents and every family to view themselves as an ekklesia and to grow to be an active part of the God-powered, world-changing entity God intended His family, the Church, to be.
We are the “ekklesia.”
“Ekklesia” is a Greek word that is often translated into English as “church.” When we think of the word, church, we often see church as a building, a weekly worship service, or an organized group of people meeting together. But if you look at the beginnings of the church in the book of Acts, you will see it is so much more! The word, ekklesia, literally means, “to call out,” and as a noun, it means, “called out ones.” The church, or “ekklesia” is really who we are. As followers of Christ, we have been called out to be His disciple. In a very true sense, we have been called out to be the family of God. Whether a large group, a small group or even as an individual, the “ekklesia” is who we are!
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A New Wineskin: Every family is an “ekklesia.”
It is so important for a family to grow in their love for God (the Greatest Commandment), their love for another and others (the second Greatest Commandment), and their love for those in the world (the Great Commission). A significant privilege and responsibility of parents is raising their children to grow in these vital areas. In other words, to disciple their children.
What is Family Ekklesia Time?
Family Ekklesia Time is a regular time a family gathers to spend time with God, in His Word. Here’s how it works:
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Daily: Have everyone read the passage for that day and go through the “S-W-A-P” outline, writing your responses.
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Once a week: Gather the family or the group you are doing this with, to share what God has been showing you through the reading and pray with each other.
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Resources for Your Family Ekklesia Time
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A template for “S-W-A-P (which is modified from the SOAP method found in “Divine Mentor”) to follow and journal with a variety of formats: portrait set up, landscape set up, and drawing template.
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Prayer Journals for your children if you desire from our Children’s Ministry
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Video with Eric and Tiffany Kawaguchi that explains how they have done this with their family of 4 children under 13
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Video overview of Colossians by Bible Project
​An Exciting Invitation
We would like to invite every person and family to engage in our “Family Ekklesia Time” through the book of Colossians starting on November 1st. Will you take this step of faith and engage in this? We are asking families and individuals to register their families and groups through a link on our website. The purpose is to keep track of how many family units are engaging with this and to pray for all the families.
Previous FAMILY EKKLESIA TIME Resources