Families

These books are recommended for families and the congregations that support them.

Age to Age: Intergenerational Prayers, Praise, and Programs

The United Church of Canada (Toronto: The United Church of Canada, 2006)

This book includes worship services for all ages for Children’s Sunday, World Food Day, Environment Sunday/Earth Day, Peace Sunday, Christian Family Sunday, and a cultural heritage celebration. Available from UCRD.

The Best Things in Life Are Free: Cherishing the Simple Pleasures

Todd Outcalt (Deerfield Beach, FL: Health Communications, 2005)

Outcalt, a United Methodist minister, shares stories of finding meaning and pleasure in family, friends, volunteering, faith, and community. In this revised edition he also offers study guides to help small groups or individuals engage reflectively on the themes of this book.

Caring for Ourselves While Caring for Our Elders

Maren C. Tirabassi, Maria I. Tirabassi, and Leanne McCall Tigert (Cleveland, ON: The Pilgrim Press, 2007)

This book shares the encouraging stories of family members who are caring for elders.

Embracing Parents: How Your Congregation Can Strengthen Families

Eugene and Jolene Roehlkepartain (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2004)

Key research, true stories, quizzes, checklists, and practical tools that congregations can use to strengthen their families and their church.

Faithful Moments: Prayers, Graces, and Seasonal Celebrations for Families

Compiled by Jackie Harper (Toronto: United Church Publishing House, 2002)

A collection to help nurture faith in the home. Includes ideas for celebrating the seasons of the church year. Available from UCRD.

Give Me Grace: A Child’s Daybook of Prayers

Cynthia Rylant (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1999)

A book of prayers for small children, including prayers about kindness, love, gratitude, and guidance. These are easy to memorize and can be read at bedtime and before meals.

He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands

Kadir Nelson (New York: Dial Books for Young Readers, 2005)

In this wonderfully illustrated book of the beloved spiritual, an ethnically diverse family celebrates God and God’s creation.

Help Me Remember: Bible Stories for Children

Elaine Blanchard (Cleveland, OH: The Pilgrim Press, 2005)

An interactive resource that invites parents and congregations to share Biblestories with young children. The book is accompanied by four CDs of the stories.

I’m Sorry

Sam McBratney (New York: HarperCollins, 2000)

The tender story of friendship, its joys, and its struggles, this book offers the opportunity for parents and children to reflect on the need for forgiveness and reconciliation in relationships.

I’m Thankful Each Day!

P.K. Hallinan (Nashville, TN: Candy Cane Press, 2003)

A board book for toddlers that offers delightful visuals and simple words about things to be thankful for.

In the Name of Love: Baptism Activities for Children

Bethe Benjamin-Cameron (Toronto: The United Church of Canada, 2006)

Through colouring, finishing a dot-to-dot picture, reading a poem, and doing a word search, children in families and congregations learn about baptism. Available from UCRD.

In the Name of Love: A Baptism Resource for Congregations

The United Church of Canada (Toronto: The United Church of Canada, 2006)

This package of baptism material for congregations is designed to be stored in a binder. It contains print material, a DVD-ROM with text files that can be customized, a baptism video, and video interviews. Available from UCRD.

In the Name of Love: A Baptism Resource for Parents

The United Church of Canada (Toronto: The United Church of Canada, 2006)

This DVD-ROM includes a short video about baptism, video interviews, and text and image files parents can adapt to commemorate their child’s baptism experience. It also includes text files with ideas for spiritual practices in the home. Available from UCRD.

Lifetimes: The Beautiful Way to Explain Death to Children

Bryan Mellonie and Robert Ingpen (New York: Bantam Books, 1983)

Lifetimes explains life and death in a sensitive, caring, and beautiful way. It is about beginnings and endings. Appropriate for people of all ages.

Listen and Hear, Wonder and Respond: Reading the Bible with Children

The United Church of Canada (Toronto: The United Church of Canada, 2006)

This booklet introduces parents and children to different types of writing in the Bible and provides examples and wondering questions to explore with children. Available from UCRD.

Mama’s Going to Heaven Soon

Kathe Martin Copeland (Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Fortress, 2005)

A compassionate story that helps children and caregivers talk about the anticipated death of a parent.

Nurturing Faith in Families: 425 Creative Ideas for Family Ministry

Jolene L. Roehlkepartain (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2002)

The author shares tried and true ideas from local faith communities for nurturing faith in families. An excellent book for congregations that wish to support families in their faith journey.

Overturning the Tables: Consumerism, Children, and the Church

Julie Kinkaid (Toronto: United Church Publishing House, 2008)

This book explores the culture of consumerism and how it has affected all dimensions of our lives—the economy, lifestyles, the increase in world poverty and environmental devastation, societal values, family dynamics, relationships, and lack of self-esteem. Available from UCRD.

The Secret of Saying Thanks

Douglas Wood (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2005)

This beautiful book offers a reminder to express our thanks for the wonders of nature, family, and home we sometimes take for granted.

Stone Soup

Jon J. Muth (New York: Scholastic Press, 2003)

A variation on a familiar story that not only sees the community coming together to make soup, but also answers the question: What makes a person happy?

Water Bugs and Dragonflies: Explaining Death to Young Children

Doris Stickney (Cleveland, OH: The Pilgrim Press, 1997)

A short story about how water bugs change into dragonflies. Includes a section for parents, some scriptural references, and a prayer. See also the colouring book format available from UCRD.