African American Family Life Bibliography
Compiled by MaryJane Pierce Norton

Resolution 57, found in The Book of Resolutions of the United Methodist Church 2004, charges the General Board of Discipleship with providing a listing of resources and programs developed to strengthen African American family life.

While there are a wide variety of resources available that have been published and produced to strengthen family life regardless of ethnicity or culture, the following resources specifically address African American families. This is a representative listing rather than a comprehensive one.

Congregational Ministry

• Church and Family Together: A Congregational Manual for Black Family Ministry edited by Karen Jones Bernstine. Judson Press, Valley Forge: 1996. ISBN 0817012435.
  This book addresses establishing a biblical and theological foundation for creating a climate for family ministry; a step-by-step approach to family ministry; advocacy techniques; suggestions for rituals, traditions, and celebrations that strengthen family life; and an appendix of practical tools for the congregation. Produced in collaboration with ecumenical staff, this book will be revised in the near future, but the 1996 edition is still available.
• Reclaiming the Urban Family: How to Mobilize the Church as a Family Training Center by Willie Richardson. Zondervan: 1996. ISBN 0310200083.
  Dr. Richardson has, in this book, recorded what he and the congregation at Christian Stronghold Baptist Church in Philadelphia have done to strengthen families in urban areas. He gives pastors and leaders methods for restoring, training, and strengthening families. Included also is a section of resources for African American family ministries.
• How to Equip the African American Family by Dr. George & Yvonne Abatso, edited with Bible study applications by Dr. Colleen Birchett, Urban Ministries, Inc.: 1991. Student Guide, ISBN 0940955172; Leader's Guide, ISBN 0940955180.
  This book contains guidelines for strengthening single-parent, dual-parent, and extended African American families. Each chapter contains case studies and Bible study applications. There is a separate leader's guide that gives instructions for using the book as a text for group Bible study.

Marriage Ministries

• Fighting for Your African American Marriage by Keith E. Whitfield, Howard J. Markman, Scott M. Stanley & Susan L. Blumberg, Pfeiffer & Co: 2001. ISBN 0787955515.
  Included in this book are solid solutions to challenges faced in marriage. The book addresses the stress of everyday pressures of racism and its affect on marriage; special issues faced in raising, nurturing, and disciplining children in a society that discriminates against them; and other topics pertinent to black couples.

Parenting Resources

• Effective Black Parenting Program
  This is an instructor-based program administered by the Center for Improvement of Child Caring, 11331 Ventura Boulevard, Suite 103, Studio City, CA 91604-3147; www.ciccparenting.org In addition, CICC carries a full range of print and video resources to address issues in black families and black parenting.
• African American FaithHome for Parents.
  This is a series of booklets written specifically for African American parents. The twelve booklets in the series are:
  
  • "Blended Families"
  • "Helping Your Child Cope with Grief"
  • "Surviving Miscarriage"
  • "Helping Your Child Cope with Divorce"
  • "The Family Dinner"
  • "Teaching Your Child to Pray"
  • "Your Child and Discipline"
  • "Your Child and Respect"
  • "Now That You're a Parent"
  • "Communicating with Your Preschooler"
  • "Communicating with Your Child, Ages 6-12"
  • "Communicating with Your Teenager"
  
  These are sold in a sampler package containing one of each of the twelve booklets or in packages of 12 of a single title. Available from www.cokesbury.com.

General Publications

• The Strengths of African American Families: Twenty-Five Years Later by Robert Bernard Hill, R&B Publishing, 2nd edition: 1998. ISBN096581470X.
  Robert Hill returns to his innovating work of 25 years ago and gives an analysis of the five key cultural strengths of African American families.
• Climbing Jacob's Ladder: The Enduring Legacies of African American Families by Andrew Billingsley, Touchstone, Reprint edition: 1994. ISBN 0671677098.
  This is a comprehensive book that discusses African American family structure, looks at the legacy of slavery, examines the influence and strength of the extended family, and examines the influence of the black church.

••••••
This bibliography was prepared by MaryJane Pierce Norton, Associate General Secretary, General Board of Discipleship, United Methodist Church. For further information, please contact the Rev. Norton at mnorton@gbod.org.

Gather as a family for devotions on Saturday morning, or choose an alternative time during the weekend. Create a family altar by placing a cross or a picture of a cross in the center of a table. On the table, place a Bible and a hymnal. Gather the whole family, including children, around the altar (table). Then follow the devotional model of Adoration , Confession, Thanksgiving, Scripture Reading and Reflection (ACTS). Close with a prayer circle.

Adoration: Prayer and Praise (5 minutes)
Ask a family member to read a psalm.
Suggestions:
Psalm 23        Psalm 34    Psalm 67
Psalm 95:1-7      Psalm 100     Psalm 103: 1-18
Psalm 136:1-9    Psalm 150

Singing a Favorite Hymn
Suggested hymns from The United Methodist Hymnal
92   For the Beauty of the Earth
408  The Gift of Love
383  This Is a Day of New Beginnings
460  Help Us Accept Each Other

Confession and Receiving God's Forgiveness (2 minutes)
Read Psalm 51.
Members of the family speak words of forgiveness, hold hands, or embrace in a circle to receive God's forgiveness, saying to one another: "In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven."

Thanksgiving (3 minutes) Ask one another the following questions:

• What are you thankful for today?
• What blessings have you received from God?

Encourage members of the family to express thanksgiving in their own words.

Scripture Reading and Reflection (8 minutes)
(Read one of the following Scriptures.)
Genesis 1:1-31         Joshua 24:14-18
Isaiah 12:2-6           Jeremiah 31: 31-34
Matthew 5:1-12        Matthew 5:13-16
Matthew 12:46-49     Matthew 22:35-40
Acts 16:11-15          Hebrews 13:1-6
John 3:16-17          Mark 9:33-37
1 Cor. 13:1-13       Romans 12:1-13

The Family Discusses the Meaning of the Scripture
Ask family members to think about the following questions and share with one another:
What do I want the most for our family?
What is the Word of God saying to our family today?
How can I contribute to the well-being of our family?
How can our family share the love of God with others?

Closing Prayer (5 minutes)
(Family members may share their prayer concerns, then pray together the following prayer.)

Loving God, we praise you and we love you. We thank you for forgiving us, and we thank you for uniting us as a family. We present to you our prayer concerns. In your mercy, grant us healing, hope, joy, and peace. Help us accept each other with the love of Jesus. help us to grow in faith, and teach us to reach out in love and service to our neighbors. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

___________
    Reprinted from the 1997 Christian Home Month planning resource, which was developed by staff of the General Board of Discipleship. Permission is granted to download and copy this material.

In an online survey, 73% of respondents said they secretly love their kids more than their spouse; 17% said they love both the same; and 11% said “my spouse comes first.”
(nymetroparents.com)

Movie: Coraline (Feb. 6)
Genre: Animated Fantasy/Adventure
Rating: PG (for thematic elements, scary images, some language, and some suggestive humor)

Cast: Dakota Fanning, Teri Hatcher, Dawn French

Synopsis: When a girl walks through a secret door in her new home, she discovers an alternate version of her life. It’s very similar to her real life, but she actually perceives it as much better. This adventure soon turns dangerous when Coraline’s fake parents try to keep her in this alternate life forever. She must figure out a way to get back home to save herself and her real family.

Discussion Questions: What might it be like to have a different life or different parents? Why do you think God has placed you in this family and in these circumstances? How can we discover God’s plans for us?


This page is designed to help educate parents and isn’t meant to endorse any movie, music, or product.  Our prayer is that you’ll make informed decisions about what your children watch, listen to, and wear.

Artist: David Cook
Album: David Cook

Artist Info: When he picked up a guitar at age 13, David Cook knew rock ’n’ roll was the style for him. He reluctantly auditioned for American Idol season seven and eventually won. A week later, he broke chart records when 11 of his songs debuted on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart.

Summary: Cook’s debut album deals with relationships, loneliness, and life on the road. The songs, ranging from ballads to rock anthems, are full of poetic, heartfelt lyrics. “Permanent” is about his brother’s struggle with brain cancer. Cook calls writing music “therapeutic,” saying it’s “an outlet to express negative energy.”

Discussion Questions: What are some positive and negative ways of expressing tough emotions? When you’re having a bad day, what’s your best outlet or stress-reliever?

This page is designed to help educate parents and isn’t meant to endorse any movie, music, or product.  Our prayer is that you’ll make informed decisions about what your children watch, listen to, and wear.

via email

When it came to football, my mother-in-law gave me great advice, "You can either get mad or learn to love it too." I took the latter part of her advice. So, along with 90 million other Americans, I was recently glued to my TV watching the Super Bowl. It reminded me of several years ago when my husband and I had the opportunity to be one of the screaming fans attending the Super Bowl.

Knowing this was once-in-a-lifetime, we arrived at the stadium hours before the game to watch preparations. We took in everything, including the caretakers pushing their carts up and down, carefully chalking in the boundary lines.

At any football game, depending on the weather, these lines might be facing a tough day. Rain, snow, cleats, smashed bodies might beat against them for hours. At the end of the game, they are no longer white, straight and clean. In some places, they may have been completely rubbed away. But when game time rolls around again, the caretakers pull out their carts and chalk the lines back in.

Often, as a parent of two teens and a pre-teen, I grow weary of "chalking in the lines." Peer pressure, TV, music, and FaceBook all beat against the boundary lines of safety and obedience I have helped create for them. I am prone to think to myself as my children leave the house with keys in hand, "I don't have to remind them to not blare the music. They know. I've told them before." Or, "It isn't necessary to tell them not to have the opposite sex in the house when you are gone. You have told them that many times." But then I remember that the world is constantly repeating its opinion on what is fun, acceptable, and okay. So I must chalk in the lines by reminding them of the boundaries the Lord has called me to put in their life.

God is our example of setting boundaries with those we love. In the Garden of Eden, God made it clear to God’s children that they were not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God set the boundary. It was then up to Adam and Eve to obey.

Just recently, I had to chalk the lines again. My son asked me if he could attend an event, to which my answer had to be "no." With tear-filled eyes, I explained why. Needless to say, he was not happy! But then I remembered another conversation we had several months ago when he said, "Mom, thanks for my curfew. It has kept me out of trouble many times." That was evidence enough for me that when we set the boundaries, with love, they know we care deeply about them.

When the day has been long, when you are tired, trying to cook, run a load of laundry and figure out what time you need to leave for the next rehearsal, my hope is that you will not grow weary in "chalking in your lines." I pray that one day soon, your child will thank you, too.

Dear Lord, help me. Sometimes as a parent, I get tired: tired of going against the world that seems to have no boundaries. In Your strength, help me to lovingly show my child the way. Soften their heart to talk with me about what is best for them. In Jesus' Name, Amen.