On April 6, 2008, Forest Ridge Community Church will launch Focus on Your Family, a church-wide campaign geared toward strengthening and nurturing families.

Forest Ridge welcomes all families, singles, and seniors to join in this effort focused on intentional spiritual planning, marriage, and parenting.The six-week campaign is part of a much larger one-year family ministry process created by Focus on the Family. Forest Ridge is excited to be one of several churches around the country piloting this exciting new program.

This unique program offers helpful tools and lessons for parents who want to effectively use time spent with their families to strengthen their marriages and nurture faith in their homes. DVD lessons, small group studies, CDs, family dinner discussion guides and bedtime reading materials are just a few of the items offered to help prioritize and direct intentional family time during moments at home or while out on the road. The campaign's purpose is to empower families to develop intentional spiritual family plans.

At the end of the 6-week effort, workshops will be held to craft written spiritual plans for all families. Citing a study conducted by LifeWay Research, a recent USA Today article said 70 per cent of Protestants between the ages of 18 and 30 who were regular church attenders in high school stopped attending by age 23. Among this group, 34 percent did not return to church by the time they were 30.

"Most church-attending parents think that simply dropping their kids off at church or youth group is enough to help them develop a strong faith, when it is really the daily, intentional interaction they have with their children that serves as an influence even greater than that of the church," says Chris Abeyta, Focus on the Family's director of church strategy and outreach.

"It is the parents' role to nurture the faith of their children so that it becomes rooted deeply in their hearts, empowering them to live life knowing God and with a strong moral compass. However, it is equally as important for the church to come alongside parents and equip them to model and nurture faith in the home with their kids."

"We want to encourage our community to take charge of their own spiritual development - we're becoming more home-centered and church-supported in our ministry approach," says Tim Miller, senior Pastor of Forest Ridge Community Church of Monument. "What a great opportunity for our church to be able to work in conjunction with a ministry like Focus on the Family.

Being able to tap into their 30 years of insight and expertise will be extremely helpful. We are so excited about what the Lord has in store for us during the Focus on Your Family campaign."

As research continues to point to the home as the place with the greatest spiritual influence, Forest Ridge recognizes the need to assist community families in ways that will bring them together in life-changing ways to foster faith in the home.

All are invited to join in this Focus on Your Family campaign. Forest Ridge meets at 10:00 a.m. on Sundays in the Creekside Middle School building located at 1330 Creekside Drive. To learn more, visit www.forestridgechurch.org