Have you ever worshipped together as a family?   If you haven’t, you’re missing out.   Not only do kids need to see their parents model worship , but they need a space where they can participate themselves, learn about worship and ask questions.  Plus it’s just a whole lot of fun.

That’s why I love Worship Wednesdays, our backyard family worship time.  For the past two summers, we’ve carved out Wednesday evenings as a special night for our family to sing, read the Bible and pray together.  Why summer?  Our schedule is way more flexible.   No homework, soccer games or early bedtimes.  And, it’s a perfect time to get outside.

What We Do

Now before you dismiss this idea, let me tell you, it’s way easier than you think.  You don’t have to be musical or super-spiritual to pull this off.  Although our format varies, here’s a typical family service for us:

• Opening song
• Share time (share a Bible verse, praise poster, etc – everyone brings something)
• Short family devotion and prayer
• 3-4 more songs
• Prayer requests
• Closing song

Songs

For our songs, I will either Google some lyric videos (ahead of time so everyone’s not waiting on me to find the next song) or print out some lyrics for us to sing acapella.  It doesn’t always sound pretty, but that’s not the point.  The point is making a big deal about God and who we are in Him.  At the beginning of the summer we come up with our play list together so the kids have a hand in choosing the music.

Here’s our current summer song list:

• How Great Is Our God
• Good, Good Father
• More Precious Than Silver
• O Come All Ye Faithful
• Here I Am To Worship
• God is So Good
• Your Love Is Deep
• Sanctuary
• Jesus Loves Me

Share Time

The only rule we have for Worship Wednesdays is that everyone (including mom and dad) has to bring something to our worship time, a Bible verse, a poster with a “praise phrase,” a song or something.  We want our kids to remember that worship is not a spectator sport.

Devotional

We’re currently using a family devotional called God’s Names,  a great tool to focus our thoughts on God’s character.  It’s a perfect book to inspire worship.   I read the devotional but have my daughters read the Bible verses it references so they’re playing a part.

Prayer Requests

During our prayer time we brainstorm prayer requests together.  Then everyone takes one or two of those requests, and we pray for them out loud.

Realistic Expectations

One of the things that has made Worship Wednesdays work for us is that we are super flexible with it.  Although we try to protect Wednesday nights, we can bump worship to a different night if something comes up.  If it rains or is too hot, we move inside.  If the someone has a bad attitude that night, we just roll with it.

Our first week this summer, my daughters were fighting like cats and dogs right up until worship time.  As we began, I asked them to pray for God to help them let it go and focus on Him.  Much to my surprise they did it and it worked!

The bottom line is that we try to keep it fun and flexible so it feels more like a treat than an obligation.  Though some nights are crazy, other moments are powerful and sweet, and by the end of the summer we’re sad to see it go. Not only do Worship Wednesdays help us create some of the best memories of the summer, I’m praying they’re building a habit of praise in my kids that will last a lifetime.