Be a Part of the Family Friendly Partners Network Parents are the primary shapers of faith and life in their children; and the role of the church is to partner with the home in that process. For parents to be successful in their role as primary faith and life shapers, they need to have a healthy marriage, parenting skills for every age and stage of family life, and faith imparting skills. They also need resources to shape their family’s view of human sexuality and the ability to use God-given resources effectively. And, if they lose a spouse through death or divorce, and choose to remarry, they will need a new set of skills to raise a blended family. Therefore, the church’s family ministry is all about creating a culture at church that impacts positively on the home. This Biblical church culture supports parents and grandparents as the primary agents of faith formation and equips them for that role by providing an intentional training center. The church will then equip the home to be all God intended it to be. In order to advance congregational leader training in family ministry, the Kansas District has raised up retired Emporia State University Family Studies Professor and Faith/Emporia member, Jan Borst, as a Family Friendly Partners Network (FFPN) trainer and retired Lutheran School Principal-Teacher, Keith Jopp (St. Paul/Cheney), as a FFPN Regional Administrator. They both attended the Workers Conference in Wichita in October and led the Heart of Family Ministry workshops and hosted an information booth. It is now time for the next step. Jan and Keith invite you and all Kansas congregations to explore the three-year FFPN process to train and equip lay leaders and church workers desiring to be intentional in equipping families to pass on faith in Jesus Christ to the next generation. For further information, please contact Jan Borst (whborst@att.net or 620-343-1154) or Keith Jopp (keith.jopp@gmail.com or 316-542-3527). |
FFPN Trainer Jan Borst brings her knowledge and teaching skills as a veteran family sociologist. Jan retired in 2010 after twenty years on faculty at Emporia State University where she primarily taught courses in family studies. Over 14,000 students have been in her popular Marriage and Family class alone. Jan is well-prepared for this position as she has served on the Kansas District Children’s and Family Life Committee for over twenty years. She was instrumental in the conception and development of the District's former Family Life Academy and has taught in the current series of Faith and the Home workshops. Jan looks forward to spending some of her retirement time working for and with the Family Friendly Partners Network. FFPN Regional Administrator Keith Jopp spent his entire distinguished 43-year professional career thriving as a small town teacher and administrator at St. Paul Lutheran School in Cheney beginning in 1965. He became a certified lay minister in the Lutheran church in 2008. Originally from Minnesota, Keith completed an AA in education from Concordia College in St. Paul, Minnesota (1963), a BS in elementary education from Concordia College in Seward, Nebraska (1965), and his Masters of Education degree in curriculum development from Wichita State University (1974). Keith is married to Janet. Family Ministry Article Igniting the Fire in Your Families…Your Church |
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