Remembering as a Group

Remembering God and God’s actions with others can be an abundantly faith-building experience, especially in intergenerational groups. Here are some ways to practice remembering together.

Tell stories of God’s faithfulness 

  • Read and discuss Chuck DeGroat’s article Why Telling Our Stories Matters. He shares seven excellent reasons why telling faith stories is crucial for the spiritual health of God’s family.
  • Check out the story starter questions and other resources from Faith Formation Ministries’ Faith Storytelling toolkit, and use them with your family, your small group, your youth group, or your entire congregation.
  • Buy or make a set of “story stones” like these stones available from Milestones Ministry. On each of the stones is a symbol of a common life milestone: baptism, graduation, new job, a “mountaintop” or “valley” experience, and so on. When your group gathers, take turns choosing a stone and then tell a story about what it represents and how God was faithful to you.

Celebrate and lament together

  • Celebrating the Milestones of Faith: A Guide for Churches by Laura Keeley and Robert J. Keeley includes suggestions for building and organizing an effective milestone ministry in your church and practical resources for God-centered milestone celebrations.
  • After going through a communally difficult time (such as a pandemic) remember and lament the hard parts together, but also remember and celebrate God’s goodness that carried you through. Plan a special community meal and/or worship service to share your stories.

Practice remembering as you worship together

  • Leave time during worship for people to remember God and God’s actions silently or aloud. 
  • Back issues of Reformed Worship include many articles and worship service plans on remembering—just enter “remembering” into the search function at ReformedWorship.org.
  • Worship teams and other groups, read and discuss the article Is the Lord’s Supper a Feast or a Funeral? by Jonathan Landry Cruse on BeautifulChristianLife.com. Talk about how to balance the somber and joyful aspects of celebrating communion.

In Intergenerational Groups