Equipping Christian Grandparents: A Journey of Faith and Legacy
Christian grandparents have a significant role to play in helping their grandchildren meet and know God. How can we encourage them in community?
During the Covid lockdown, Martyn and Angela Thompson of Moulton Parish Church in Northampton were keen to find ways of keeping in touch with and supporting their grandchildren, including in their faith.
‘We used technology to help us spend regular creative and meaningful times with them from a distance and prepared some prayer materials for ourselves to help us to pray for them. We felt the Lord laying on our hearts a fresh, deep desire to be the grandparents he had created us to be, to leave a legacy of faith and to help others to recognise God’s design for grandparenting too.’
Soon after that, Martyn and Angela starting meeting with other Christian grandparents from their church to share their vision. Four years later, Moulton Parish Church is proud to host a flourishing grandparenting ministry.
Setting up a Christian grandparent ministry
Inspired and supported by the Christian Grandparenting Network in the United States, the Thompsons set up a grandparenting event one Saturday morning in March 2023 and invited all the grandparents within their church. 34 grandparents were excited to gather together and learn of God’s design for grandparents, the importance of praying regularly for and with grandchildren and practical ways of sharing God’s love in everyday life.
Following that initial event, word spread and the church now hosts a Grandparenting event twice a year, sharing testimonies and practical teaching. ‘We have been encouraged by the interest and passion shown for teaching and support around Christian Grandparenting, as no-one had ever heard a sermon or seminar on Christian Grandparenting.’
Martyn and Angela have some valuable insights for others wanting to establish a grandparent ministry:
- Begin by recognising the importance of grandparents in passing down the faith.
- Ensure you have the full support of your Church Leaders.
- Create a small core team passionate about guiding and developing this ministry in supporting and resourcing grandparents
- Share your vision for Grandparenting with your church.
- Create the right opportunities in your church to help equip grandparents to pass on their faith to the next generations.
Resources for Christian grandparents
Martyn and Angela are tireless advocates for Christian grandparenting, producing resources, prayer booklets and newsletters to encourage others.
They also recommend a growing number of books and resources to help with different aspects of Grandparenting ministry, as well as conferences, workshops and Bible studies tailored specifically for grandparents. You can find all of their resources and recommendations on their website.
Building community
Key to everything, the Thompsons say, is building a grandparenting community.
‘Christian grandparents love to meet together. Churches can provide opportunities for grandparents to connect, share experiences and pray for one another.
It is important to establish confidentiality in groups and to respect that we don’t have the right to share private matters about our children’s children within groups. We can however support one another by looking at how we might respond to various challenging situations that can occur, and some grandparents may appreciate one to one pastoral support in difficult times.’
Martyn and Angela also speak of the value of intergenerational activities: ‘Create opportunities for meaningful worship, service and fellowship that strengthen family bonds and reinforce faith values. As a church, why not use the Christian festivals throughout the year (including baptisms and dedications) as an opportunity for all generations to get together to share aspects of the Christian faith and pass on traditions?’
You can discover more about Martyn and Angela’s journey, and contact them, via the grandparenting page here.
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