Could your church organise a “Challenge Weekend” for dads?

Churches are rediscovering that there are opportunities to engage with men. The surprise is that men aren’t as closed to spiritual things as we may have assumed. But what we need to discover as churches is an approach that works for them and us.

You could organise a “Challenge Weekend” where dads can take their children away to an outward bound centre with a group and to do adventure type things. This will help them build stronger bonds with their kids, and forge memories which will last a lifetime. And dads can also develop friendships with each other too.

There are outward bound centres across the UK. Christian Camping International (CCI) can help you plan your ideal trip. On their website, www.cci.org.uk, you can use a venue-finder to help you arrange where to go, and there is a host of valuable material covering legal requirements and other important things you need to know.

Before you start planning, check out CCI’s downloadable PDF - Top 10 things to remember when organising your group getaway

Care for the Family also runs The 1-2-1 Challenge weekends for parents to take one child to in order to forge a stronger relationship. Some of the challenges are specifically for dads-and-lads. More details can be found at www.careforthefamily.org.uk/1-2-1

Last Updated 06 December 2010