So much for the Leave it to Beaver Cleaver family of the fifties and sixties, which may not have existed anyway,There are a growing number of one-person households, which makes sense as many younger people defer the traditions of marriage and family. There are more multigenerational households, in part because of immigrants. Two-thirds of our 9.3 million familes are headed by married couples, but there are far more blended families with all their challenges.
I read this and wonder about what this means for the church. We are attempting to address that growing number of elderly one-person households through pastoral support. We recognize that children may be at church every other week -- or less-- because their time is divided between two households. I am aware that one devoted dad drives to southwestern Ontario every other weekend to pick up his daughter and includes her in our Sunday School. This is all part of the new normal and we can ignore it, be overwhelmed by it, or embrace it. The truth is though that it is work to keep up as the church.
Somehow we figure out how the love of Christ is present in all these circumstances within our faith community. A reader told me recently that one of her daughters noted that their household is really different because they spend time together, care for others, and love one another. This is a three-generation household with a single parent because of the untimely death of the dad. They are certainly a Christian family, and this is what we want to nourish.
Any thoughts about the changing face of our Canadian households? What about yours? What can we do to be creative about this in our church family?
2 comments:
I can relate to the reader's daughter. Even though we live in a " traditional family" we feel quite different . Family time is a protected commodity in our weeks...as is care and attention to grandparents both living in town, and several hours away and church involvement. So many of our connections seem to have just accepted that these things just can't fit into their busy schedules, and simply accept it as the way it is. One acquaintance in this situation said to me, as she stressed outloud over deep worries about a troubled teenager, she wondered if they had kept going to church if things
might be different for their daughter . No guarantees of
course,but an interesting hindsight.
I might add that as it is work to keep up as a church it is
also work for households in whatever form to keep up
with church. I too would love to hear what we can do to help.
My family spends a lot of time together, simply because as parents, Danielle and I realize that this time in our kids' lives only comes once.
As for the church, I'd say embrace away! Failing to do so could be problematic for a place like St. Paul's down the road.
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