Children are naturally open to wonder, amazement, beauty and sensing the presence of God, especially through time spent out in nature. But faith formation too often looks like taking them to an uninspiring classroom on a Sunday morning to “teach them things” about God. It is time to turn that model upside down and give our kids the connection to God, others and themselves they deserve and that parents, teachers, and pastors look for but can’t find.
Francis and Friends is a new “faith and nature” resource to meet kids where they are and then get them back outdoors: to be filled with awe and wonder and to strengthen family bonds. Francis and Friends is built upon the loving, inclusive teachings of St. Francis of Assisi and St. Clare, and it centers each child’s life in the Great Commandment to love God with all our Heart, Soul, Mind and Strength.
It’s a program with five units:
- Introduction: God loves everything God has made
- Heart: We are called to help others
- Soul: We are all brothers and sisters in God’s family
- Mind: We all live in God’s kingdom
- Strength: We are called to live simply and joyfully