Forest Hill Chosen to Participate in National Program to Strengthen Family Faith Practices
We are delighted to announce that Forest Hill is one of 17 congregations in the U.S. and Canada chosen to participate in a new program called Family Faith Every Day, a comprehensive initiative designed to strengthen faith practices in families with young children. This program is aimed at empowering parents and caregivers to incorporate simple, meaningful faith practices into daily life.
Primary funding for the program comes from Lilly Endowment, Inc., with additional support through a partnership with the Atlantic School of Theology. Rev. Traci Smith, Program Director, and Rev. Dr. Dave Csinos, Research Director, will provide the leadership for the program, which consists of financial support, printed resources, and coaching designed to help the congregations lead family faith formation initiatives within their communities.
“We know that nurturing faith in young children starts at home,” said Smith. “Through this program, we are equipping congregational leaders to train parents and caregivers to integrate faith practices into their daily routines. These practices will strengthen family bonds, deepen spiritual connections, and create lasting traditions that can be passed down through generations.”
Program Details:
- Three-Year Commitment: Forest Hill will receive up to $15,000 over three years to support family faith initiatives.
- Peer-Learning Cohorts: Amy Wheatley, Director of FYC Ministry, will participate in a peer-learning cohort and receive training, coaching, and opportunities to collaborate with other leaders across diverse theological backgrounds.
- Parenting Circles: We will create and lead parenting circles, helping parents and caregivers implement faith-based practices in the home. The parenting circles will use a custom curriculum based on Chalice’s Faithful Families series, written by Smith.
- Research and Evaluation: Csinos will lead the cohort’s research arm, evaluating the effectiveness of the practices to continue developing and sharing the lessons more broadly.
Forest Hill, chosen for our commitment to fostering family faith practices and our readiness to engage in this transformative journey, will also receive workbooks, training materials, and access to a faith-formation library to support our ongoing efforts.
We are incredibly grateful (and excited!) for the opportunity to partner with Family Faith Every Day to strengthen and expand our ministry to families of young children. During the next two months, we will provide more information about the program and invite families to participate in parenting circles that will begin in the new year.
Amy Wheatley
Director, Family Youth and Children’s Ministry
For more information about Family Faith Every Day: https://chalicepress.com/pages/family-faith-every-day
Congregations Selected to Receive Grants:
Bethany Presbyterian Church, Seattle, WA.
College Mennonite Church, Goshen, IN.
Dover-Foxcroft Congregational Church UCC, Dover-Foxcroft, ME.
First Baptist Church, Greenville, SC.
First Presbyterian Church, Elizabethtown, KY.
Forest Hill Presbyterian Church, Cleveland Heights, OH.
Gower Street United Church, St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada
Independence Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Ashland, VA.
Kenilworth Union Church, Kenilworth, IL.
Mayflower Congregational UCC, Oklahoma City, OK.
New Covenant Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Nashville, TN.
Palmer Memorial Episcopal Church, Houston, TX.
Parish of the Epiphany Episcopal, Winchester, MA.
Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church, Apple Valley, MN.
St. Luke’s United Methodist, Orlando, FL.
St. Paul’s Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Raleigh, NC.
St. Paul’s United Church, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada