The FaithChest® can be used as a devotional center or altar in the child's room or wherever it is placed in the home. The devotional resources can be stored in the FaithChest®. Several congregations have begun giving a FaithChest® at confirmation to each of the confirmands. The family works with the confirmand and go back to their baptism and add photos, documents, letters, from parents, godparents, and the congregation. This is another excellent time to give a FaithChest®.
Most congregations have people who are skilled and love to work with wood. This could be a mission and ministry project for a group of retired people, a men's fellowship group, a Cursillo reunion group, or a service event. Involve as many people from the congregation to work on building FaithChests®. Remember to train and use teenagers also.
The concept of the FaithChest® was developed by Drs. Roland Martinson, David Anderson, and Dick Hardel for the Child In Our Hands Initiative (now known as Passing on Faith Conferences) which provides a process for tending the baptismal journey of a person from pre-birth to the grave, partnering home and congregation in nurturing faith. The congregation can support the family of the baptized child further by developing A Splashed With Promise Baptismal Journey Kit made up of resources suggested in the FaithLife in the Home Resource Guide developed by our Institute to assist godparents, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and parents in purchasing family friendly, theologically solid resources to nurture faith in the child at a specific milestone in the child's life.
Dick Hardel shared the idea of a chest to give to a family at the milestone of baptism with a faithful retired farmer with skills in wood-working, Jan Gunderson. Jan shared the idea with his wife and they both agreed this would be a wonderful ministry. Jan developed the first FaithChest® and the plans that The Youth & Family Institute has on their web site: www.tyfi.org He has presently made over 300 chests for The Institute to sell. FaithChests® ready for assembly can be ordered in our bookstore. Bookstore
Capture a childs faith journey in a beautiful FaithChest®!
FaithChest® is a registered trademark of The Youth & Family Institute. However, we encourage congregations to download the FaithChest® plans from our website or purchase a FaithChest® Kit from us and to invite people in the faith community with gifts of working with wood to build the FaithChest®.
We simply ask you to attach a FaithChest® trademark label to the bottom of each FaithChest® made so that people will identify FaithChest® with The Youth & Family Institute.
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