by David Brown

Created on: January 20, 2010   Last Updated: January 21, 2010

There are many benefits of the family going to church together and they outweigh those of not going to church or having part of the family going and the other doing secular style things.  However, one has to be careful where the family is going to church on Sundays on a regular basis and then Monday, things are back to a secular way of life.  This is preached quite a bit, not long before the Sunday church service is long over.

For many years, this writer, who was born into a Conservative Jewish household, spent a good portion of his teenage and young adult life in Jewish Community events.  After college, however, this changed.  After returning to his home state at the end of 1991, he found himself in an extremely secular state-of-mind even though he loved God and believed in God and today does so even more.  There was the talk in many circles of Judaism that it was very important to marry within the faith so it would not wane and for the children if there were any to be born into the family.  This writer took heed to this for many years but did not follow the practice.

In 2001, this writer married a beautiful and loving Southern Baptist and to this day, nearly ten years later is still married to her.  Not only is he married to her, he is very active in a non-denominational Christian Church.  This writer converted in 2003 with the belief and which he still believes today strengthens the marriage when both the husband and the wife are of the same faith.  This writer believed and still believes today that he was not complete in his faith so this is when he found Jesus Christ to be his Lord and Savior and found that it only made sense that He is the messiah.

This writer and his wife have no children to this point.  Yet, going to church together is extremely important for the faith of the family as well as for the guidance given to them by God.  Church is important for the development of friendships, brotherhood and sisterhood in Christ.  Not only are Sunday’s important to study and receive the importance of the Word, but for the survival of the Christian faith overall.  Churches have been in decline as people are wavering from God.  Such harsh economic and financial times of late have led people to take a different course in their lives.  Unemployment has led people away from the faith and the practice of the faith and has made the search for a new job the new priority.  This does not mean that a person has to step away from prayer, it is just that they are doing it a different way.

Many churches have more than just Sunday services, Bible Study and time of fellowship.  There are Wednesday night gatherings as well which includes maybe a dinner, a time of prayer and a time of bible study.  This is as important as going on Sunday to church.  This is also a time when the entire family should attend church events as children get together and bond in their faith with Jesus Christ.  It is also a continuance of fellowship with other Christians as well.  This helps in knowing that after Sunday services, life as a Christian does not end. 

Go to church and go as a family.  This maintains a strong family bond and a strong sense of family value.  Granted, divorces and separations may still occur but this is not because the family is stepping away from the faith, but that secular events such as the same financial stress mentioned earlier has taken a front seat to what church is all about.

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