Findlay Family Network

Findlay Memorial Church has been in existence since 1895, but the building has until recently been hidden behind big red doors with no indication of its presence. Five years ago, the desire of the people to engage with the community, and the individual efforts and projects, began to coalesce.

The church’s work among children and young people, and its toddler group, were already well established. Then in 2004 the church decided to bring these two initiatives together and run a holiday club.

Numbers attending were not great, but the leaders decided they would follow up by visiting all the families that attended. This led them to develop some significant family contacts. The next step, they decided, was to hold a family weekend away.

The weekend became fully booked as soon as it was offered. Shirley Berry, leader of the Findlay Family Network, was amazed at the response.

“We didn’t really know what we were doing,” says Shirley. “We hadn’t even planned a programme, and where we chose to go wasn’t very plush or attractive.”

Seven families attended, and the weekend made a huge difference to them. “Many of those on that first weekend now run things in the network,” says Shirley.

Findlay has decided that rather than go for a major overhaul of their building, they will make the upgrades and changes gradually as the need demands. So far they have changed their entrance area which wasn’t very welcoming. They then created a café / meeting space and most recently have renovated the office space for the family network.

To date they run…

• A regular programme of family fun events
• Parent and toddler group
• Parenting courses
• A café
• One-to-one support
• Building block events – enabling people to do things they have never done before.

Gangs and drugs are big issues in the area of Glasgow that Findlay serves. Yet Shirley says that she felt more comfortable in this context than any other. For Shirley, this is not a project. These are her friends and she knows every one of them by name.

Reflecting on the impact of the network, Shirley sees several principles which may help other churches:

• On the surface this shouldn’t be working. It makes no sense. The things we are doing are simple but are being effective. It’s got to be God!
• In the network, we are always in the minority as Christians, not the majority. I used to think it had to be the other way round.
• You have to go into the community and find out what they are trying to do, and join them. Allow them to be themselves, rather than try to make them become like those in the church.
• Build in honesty and vulnerability. Don’t pretend that you have all the answers or none of the problems.
• It’s often the smallest things that make show people you’re genuine.
• Don’t lose your passion in the process of getting organised and don’t allow the need for funding to erode your aims and values. Stay committed and trust that God will provide.
• The hardest thing can be changing the mindset of the church. It has to be a gradual thing as together we find out what we’re about.

Findlay Family Network has built its engagement on three levels:

1. Low level. Families who have high resistance to receiving help and for whom life is chaotic. For these they do a great deal of one-to-one input. They look to build relationship to the point where they are invited to visit the home. This is, however, high resistance and low engagement.
2. Middle level. This is where people begin to integrate. They begin to attend the fun events, and visit the café and other events.
3. High level. This is where there is low resistance and high engagement and people ultimately volunteer.

THE MISSION STATEMENT

Enabling families towards a better future and recognising the importance of the family in our local community.

THE AIM

Our aim is to offer support to parents and carers as they seek to establish and maintain good family relationships within their own family unit. As partners with parents in our community, we would seek to explore the many challenges of parenting in the current climate, providing the opportunity for each family member to reach his/her maximum potential. In so doing, we recognise the positive and essential contribution that the healthy family will bring to local community life. Our aim would be in keeping with Glasgow City’s Parenting Support Framework. We are committed in helping to create positive communities with confident parents and families with good emotional wellbeing.

THE PHILOSOPHY

As a community of Christians we would seek to stand with and encourage families in our local area to face the challenges of family life, demonstrating God’s love in action.

www.findlayfamilynetwork.org

Last Updated 03 December 2010