Church Offers Help for Local Families

No one sets out to have a
”
bad family,
”
but they are certainly prevalent in the news. It seems that
every time someone is arrested, the crime is traced back to a
”
dysfunctional family.
”
No one sets out to have a “bad family,” but they are certainly prevalent in the news. It seems that every time someone is arrested, the crime is traced back to a “dysfunctional family.”

Gilroy’s South Valley Community Church (8095 Kelton Drive) hopes to help with this problem. The church is offering Family Matters, a 10-week program focused on improving the lives of local families.

On Jan. 21, Jim Burns spoke at the church’s 8:45 and 10:30am worship services. A noted author who earned a Ph.D. in Religious Education from Britain’s Greenwich School of Theology, Burns is well-known for founding HomeWord, a ministry devoted to empowering families in making wise decisions for a Christian lifestyle. He also hosts a radio show and writes advice columns for two magazines.

Mark Turner, Associate Pastor of Outreach at South Valley, says that for two years the church’s leadership has been discussing how to offer more support to parents to help them strengthen their families and to help them live out Christian values within their families. 

“Healthy Families make healthy individuals,” he says. “We want them to be able to pray together, play together and stay together.”

The Family Matters campaign is based on Burns’ book, “The 10 Building Blocks for a Happy Family.” Each Sunday’s pulpit message at the church’s two worship services will focus on a chapter of the book. Here are some examples of the topics to be covered:

The Power of Being There: Children regard your presence as a sign of caring and connectedness.

Express Affirmation, Warmth and Encouragement: This will create a home where children and spouses feel more secure.

Discipline with Consistency: Clearly-expressed expectations and consistency produce responsible kids.

The Best Things in Life Are Not Things: Sound financial decisions produce positive family priorities.

But the Family Matters campaign involves far more than Sunday sermons:

Weekly small group meetings will focus on these topics.

Youth groups will relate to these issues each week.

Those who wish to will receive black wristbands emblazoned with “Family Matters.”

Yard signs and bumper stickers have been distributed to carry this message into the community.

A float, which the church sponsored during the Gilroy Christmas Parade, introduced Family Matters to spectators.

South Valley Community Church’s school , Pacific West Christian Academy, has even made “Family Matters” their theme for the 2006-2007 school year. Parents, staff and students are all learning  the principles presented in Jim Burn’s book.

Super Bowl Sunday will feature a number of special activities: The part of church’s parking lot will be repainted with lines to resemble a football field and will be lined with bleachers. Worshippers will be encouraged to attend wearing jerseys of their favorite teams. A football passing contest will be held between services, with the possibility of winning a $5,000 prize. And a barbecue will be served at noon.

South Valley Community Church has long been devoted to providing resources to strengthen families, and this special campaign is part of that effort. But Pastor Turner offers assurances that the sessions planned during this program will be helpful to everyone involved, including grandparents, empty-nesters and singles. For more information call the church at 848-2362 or visit www.svccgilroy.com.