We will be holding Good Friday and Easter Sunday services! Find out more here

Christian Parenting Group

Samuel Beh was recently elected Associate Pastor and elder at GBC by the English Congregation. In this brief interview, he shares about a new ministry initiative at our church for parents of young children, the 'Christian Parenting Group'. 

1. Hi Sam, what is this new Christian Parenting Group about and why are we introducing one now? 

The Christian Parenting Group is a reading group we're starting to read together a book on Christian parenting. While we're going to be talking about parenting, anyone is invited to come! Youth Leaders, Sunday School Teachers, prospective parents, grandparents, non-parents, all are invited to join!  

The decision to introduce this was born out of the pastoral staff team's desire to help our congregation apply the gospel in every part of our lives. Church service and small groups only make up a very small portion of a child's spiritual formation. The most important driver for a child's spiritual formation is at home! As a young parent myself, I'd realised that I'm woefully ignorant in understanding what the Bible says about how to parent my own children, and so this group is for us to come together as community to learn about what it says on this topic.  

The second reason is that as parents who are having some difficulties with our children, it's very easy to feel alone in facing the problems that we do. In addition to reading and discussing the book together, we hope that this group would give us all a safe space to share our struggles, challenges, and breakthroughs with each other. 

2. You’re a relatively new parent yourself. What are the common struggles of parents who are trying to follow Jesus? 

A big struggle Jess and I are facing is in having a vision of what God wants of us in the way we parent our children. Beyond teaching them to pray and to read the Bible, and giving them the habit of attending church and serving in ministry, we've been struggling in knowing how to apply God's word in the nitty gritty of everyday parenting.

Another struggle we face, especially when we were first starting out, is in adapting to the very real changes to our lives that parenting brings, especially in juggling parenting with work, ministry, and still trying to have a semblance of a social life.  

3. How can church members come alongside parents, walk with them, and encourage them in this task of raising children?  

One of the things I have appreciated most, from a personal point of view, is how members have taken the initiative to just practically help us in minding the kids. Just last week during a wedding lunch Jess and I were really blessed by Uncle Poh Gee and Ps Ian who each fed one of our children so that we could each have both hands to feed ourselves.  

More broadly, sharing as someone who grew up in the church, the impression children form of God and His church is often based on the interactions we have had with uncles and aunties in the church. For example, a church that is gracious and winsome in the way we treat one another will in turn give our children a right picture of how God treats us. Conversely, a child growing up in church that is unloving and ungracious, could grow to think that is what the church, and God is like.  

I often do not realise the importance of my role as a church member in stewarding and shaping the theology of all the children in the church. 

4. What will the group be doing, and what can we expect to experience if we go for it?  

We'll be meeting once a month to discuss two chapters from "Parenting: 14 Gospel Principles That Can Radically Change Your Family." The "homework" is minimal; just to think through how you could be applying what you learnt from the previous session, while reading through the next two chapters from the book in preparation for the next session.  

Each session will consist of going through questions we may have about chapters we've read, discussing how we can apply them, before praying for each other.  

5. How can we pray for you and this new area of ministry?

Please pray for wisdom in knowing how to facilitate the group. It's really exciting but also a little nerve-wracking to try to facilitate discussions in a group of parents who are all much more qualified than I am!  

But also, pray that this group will be a blessing to all who attend, in both applying the Gospel to our parenting, and helping us build a community where we can support, pray for, and learn from one another!

christian-parenting

Samuel facilitating the first session of the Christian Parenting Group on 5 Aug. The group will meet once a month on every first Sunday of the month after service, from 11am – 12.15pm.