Families Bond Over Potluck, Games and Prayer
Koinonia held its first monthly Family Connect Potluck on the first Friday of September. Our intent is to strengthen families by bringing them together for an evening of food, fellowship, prayer, teaching, and fun. Eleven families attended, including parents and grandparents and kids ranging in age from four to eighteen.
Parenting can sometimes feel isolating, especially when families are navigating difficult seasons or simply trying to keep up with the demands of daily life. The potluck dinner and all the evening’s activities were designed to help relationships grow between parents, families, and the children themselves.
The evening began with the dinner and several ice-breaker activities that got people relaxed and laughing. We learned some fun facts about families we see at church but may have never really met.
After dinner, the children went upstairs for team games. Older and younger kids participated together and cheered one another on. Our hope is that these connections will continue to grow, giving younger children some good role models and teenagers an opportunity to encourage and serve them.
While the children played, the adults gathered for prayer. The men shared and prayed about their responsibilities as husbands and fathers. The women introduced themselves, shared personal prayer needs, and prayed for one another in their roles as wives and mothers. These conversations were an important first step toward building relationships in which families can offer wisdom, carry one another’s burdens, and provide encouragement during difficult seasons.
Dr. Andrew and Amrita Bauliah then shared a parenting lesson about prayer and God’s faithfulness. They reminded parents that they cannot control everything that happens in their children’s lives, but they can bring everything to God in prayer. Parents naturally worry about their children’s health, friendships, decisions, faith, and future. Philippians 4:6–7 teaches that those concerns do not have to be carried alone.
Over the years, Andrew and Amrita have seen God answer prayers for their family through his protection, provision, guidance, and grace. Some answers came quickly, while others became clear much later. Parents are called to love, teach, guide, correct, and model faith for their children, while remembering that their children ultimately belong to God. “Our hope is not that we will be perfect parents,” Andrew said. “Our hope is that we have a perfect and faithful God.”
The evening concluded with dessert, but nobody was in a hurry to leave. The kids continued playing while the adults lingered in conversation. That may have been the clearest evidence that the evening accomplished its purpose, providing an opportunity for families to grow in Christ, pray for one another, share what God has taught them, and remember that no family was meant to walk through life alone.
All families with children are invited to attend the Family Connect Potluck on the first Friday of every month. Contact Children’s Ministry Director Lynna Donnor for more information.