The South Bahamas Conference recently completed the Back to The Altar initiative promoted and launched by the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. Back to the Altar was an urgent appeal for all families to institute or begin morning and evening worship within their homes.

Back to the Altar sought to safeguard the spiritual lives of members and others from the adverse effects of social media and other media exposure by promoting excellent and healthy digital usage for family fellowship and evangelism. Some individuals felt that this initiative was challenging. However, Genesis 18:14 assures us that nothing is too hard for our God. When we place our concerns, struggles, and problems in the hands of the Lord, He will take care of our concerns as we continue to pray, surrender our lives, read His Word, and lean on Jesus.

So, for those families who have not yet commenced the Back to The Altar initiative, here is a plan or road map to implement and be successful with this program:

Start with you

Whether the family consists of just a husband and wife or includes children, ensure that the program begins with you. In a family with children, the most important gift parents can give is a passionate desire to love God and to follow and serve Him. It is difficult to impart a vibrant relationship with God if parents do not have a living and growing relationship with Him.

The examples modeled by parents influence their children. Therefore, parents must nurture the spiritual development of their child(ren) through prayer and scriptural meditation. Allow your child(ren) to see and hear you praying for them. Additionally, parents must encourage age-appropriate conversations with children regarding their faith and relationship with God. Show your child(ren) God’s amazing love by the way you manage them with caring gentleness. Read 1 Corinthians 13 and think about how that kind of love can make a difference in your parenting.

Plan Ahead

Planning your worship time is an essential key to success. Some families manage to have exciting worships morning and evening. Some choose to have family prayer together in the morning and have more extended worship in the evening when everyone is less rushed.

It can help if you take some time each week to plan your worship schedule and worship activities for your child(ren). Use your children’s quarterly or weekly lesson guides or a children’s devotional book to inspire you. Look for Christian books that have ideas for activities or worksheets. It would be terrific if you could manage a tremendous multi-sensory, interactive worship each day of the week; however, if you begin too ambitiously, you could quickly burn out. It may be best to start with a simple schedule and become more creative as you build your experience and resources.

Keep going

Maintaining a lively, interactive, grace-filled, Spirit-led, altar experience means staying connected. You must keep talking to God, each other, and your children about what works best for family devotions. Communicating with God and each other will allow for growth and a successful altar experience.

There is also additional help available. Call the Family Ministries leader of your local church if you need assistance establishing a family altar within your respective homes. May God continue to bless as He leads, guides, and directs the lives of each family within the South Bahamas Conference.

Article by Pastor Kenny Deveaux, Family Ministries Director