Mothers' Union is as much about dads as mums

This Father’s Day (20th June) encourage your church to actively invite and involve dads. We have lots of resources and ideas here to help you with your celebration.

Dads: because you’re worth it! Thanking dads for their invaluable roles.         

Mothers’ Union, who works extensively with parents and with church-based children’s groups, believes that more could be done to encourage the involvement of fathers in the faith development of their children.

Mothers’ Union is encouraging churches and their membership to use Father’s Day as a celebration of the important and unique role of both fathers and father-figures.

When Mothers’ Union thinks about celebration, it wants a party, with the children doing the inviting, the church organising the activity, and the dads getting praise and the party bag!

“We find that often mothers will bring their child to church and become involved in Sunday school: it is frequently mothers who pro-actively seek baptism for their child.” said Reg Bailey, Chief Executive, “We want to encourage fathers, by asking children to invite someone special to them – their dad, granddad, or a special father-figure - to come to their church on Sunday 20th June, Father’s Day, where the role of father’s and father-figures will be fêted and supported. Our members, we hope, will provide children with a “party bag” to give their dad, including a dad’s only treat - perhaps a Not for girls Yorkie bar, for example, together with information and supportive material dads can use by themselves, or with their children to  nurture the special part they can play in supporting the spiritual life of their children.”
 
Mothers’ Union has also developed a range of resources for the day, such as special prayers for different age groups, and other material for services. “We have also included prayers for those whose fathering has been less positive” Fleur Dorrell, Head of Faith & Policy for Mothers’ Union, commented “we need to provide space to recognise just as Mothering Sunday raises issues of bereavement and of poor experiences of mothers and motherhood, or of the grief of never having become a mother, these issues also apply to fatherhood. Our prayers and thoughts for the day will not only value fathers but will also seek comfort and reassurance from God for those whose father’s have died, or who have not had the support of a loving dad."

View below for downloadable resources and party bag ideas for Father’s Day