Father's Day Blessings - and why this day is important for Interchurch Families.

Melanie Carroll • June 18, 2023

Father's Day Blessings, and why this day is important to Interchurch Families...

Fathers matter greatly to interchurch families for several reasons, so we want to take a moment and express gratitude and appreciation for their role (because let's face it without a Dad in the equation at some point there isn't an Interchurch Family to begin with...)
But a good father can strengthen family bonds and foster a harmonious environment, so here's just a quick idea of why fathers matter and why and how they can be thanked within interchurch families:

1. Providing Guidance:
Fathers in interchurch families (along with Mothers, but hey, todays its the dad we are focusing on!) can play a crucial role in guiding their children through the complexities of navigating different church traditions. They offer wisdom, support, and advice in helping their children understand and appreciate the beliefs and practices of each parent's denomination.
By acknowledging their guidance, children can develop a deeper understanding and respect for their diverse church heritage.

2. Promoting Unity:
Fathers not only have the opportunity to promote unity within their own interchurch families through their active encouragement to open communication, empathy, and respect for each parent's faith, but by emphasizing the shared values and common ground between their respective church traditions, fathers can help create an atmosphere of unity, where differences are celebrated rather than seen as sources of conflict... something that is not only important in the family itself but something much needed in the world at large too.

3. Instilling Values:
Fathers are of course also instrumental in instilling values in their children, and this is particularly important in interchurch families where together they can prioritize teaching values rooted in Christianity, such as love, kindness, forgiveness, and tolerance rather than rooted in a particular traditions outlook alone, and by emphasizing these values in their interactions and modelling them in their own lives, fathers help their children navigate the differences in religious practices and develop a strong moral compass that will see them far into the future.

4. Nurturing Faith:
Fathers have a responsibility to nurture their children's faith anyway, but within an interchurch context they can actively engage in religious activities, prayer, and worship with their children that demonstrates open receptivity, creating opportunities for spiritual growth and connection that supports their children's exploration of their own faith, helping them develop a sense of identity and a deeper understanding of their relationship with God.

When it comes to thanking fathers in interchurch families we want to:

1. Express Gratitude:
Taking the time to express heartfelt gratitude and appreciation for their commitment to their role as a father and spiritual guide.
We want to let them know how much their efforts and support mean to their whole family and their children...and to the wider Christian community.
Their example of receptivity and expression of ecumenical openness goes a long way in building up the Christian faith in a way that is larger than a single expression.

2. Recognize Their Efforts:

We want to take this moment and acknowledge the unique challenges fathers face in interchurch families and recognize their efforts in navigating those challenges. We recognise and value their commitment to fostering unity, understanding, and faith within the family... and into the wider communities of the Church.

3. Celebrate Father's Day:
We are taking this Father's Day as an opportunity to celebrate and honour their role.
It's a special day so we want to reflect that and celebrate the Interchurch father who walk with love and appreciation in two traditions, we want to recognise their gifts of grace, faith and love and say thank you for being that person, that father.

Finally, as the Association of Interchurch Families we wanted to dedicate this time to encourage us all to engage in a meaningful conversation about faith, values, and the experiences of being in an interchurch family.
We hope that others outside the family will listen attentively to their perspective and experiences and encourage open dialogue that promotes understanding and growth in a family centred and ecumenically receptive way.

We want to let the fathers already out there doing it, and the ones to come, know that we are here to support their spiritual journey and the importance of their role in passing being interchurch on to the next generation, and that if we can help in anyway then please do lean on us and ask us for help too.

We know each father and Interchurch family is unique, but we also know they all are to be recognised for their contributions and honoured for their role, as they strengthen the bond within their interchurch family and create a loving and supportive environment for all the church rich in its diversity and great in its love.

So Happy Father's Day from all at the Association of Interchurch Families.

< Older Post

Newer Post >

One Body, One Spirit: What Interchurch Families Reveal About Christian Unity - An AIF reflection for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2026

By Melanie Carroll • January 18, 2026

One Body, One Spirit: What Interchurch Families Reveal About Christian Unity Each January, the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity offers the churches an opportunity to pause and reflect on the unity we confess and the divisions we continue to live with. In 2026, the chosen theme — “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling” (Ephesians 4:4) — names something central to the Church’s self-understanding: unity is not an aspiration we invent, but a reality we are called to live into. For the Association of Interchurch Families, this theme is not abstract. It resonates deeply with the ongoing experience of families who belong, worship, and participate across Christian traditions. Interchurch families do not stand outside the Church’s struggle for unity; they are located squarely within it. Unity as a Given, Not a Goal Paul’s words to the Ephesians do not begin with an instruction to create unity. Instead, they speak of unity as something already given: one body, one Spirit, one hope. The task that follows is not construction but faithfulness — learning how to live in a way that honours what is already true in Christ. This distinction matters. Too often, Christian unity is framed as a future achievement, dependent on agreement, negotiation, or institutional convergence. The 2026 theme gently but firmly reframes the conversation. Unity precedes our efforts. It is grounded in God’s action, not ours. Interchurch families instinctively understand this theological ordering. Their shared Christian life does not begin with the resolution of difference, but with the recognition of a faith already held in common. Difference remains real and sometimes difficult, but it is encountered within an existing bond, not outside it. Living with Difference Inside the One Body The image of the Church as one body has often been used to affirm diversity of gifts and functions. What is less frequently explored is what it means to live with diversity that is shaped by distinct ecclesial traditions — different patterns of worship, authority, sacramental understanding, and spiritual language. Interchurch families live with these realities daily. Their experience highlights something important for the wider Church: difference does not automatically fracture unity, but it does require attentiveness, humility, and patience. These are not optional virtues. They are the practical disciplines of belonging to one body. The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity regularly invites churches to pray for deeper mutual understanding. Interchurch families remind us that understanding is not achieved once and for all. It is sustained through listening, mutual respect, and a willingness to remain in relationship even when questions remain unresolved. One Spirit at Work Beyond Boundaries The 2026 theme also directs attention to the work of the Holy Spirit. If there is one Spirit animating the body of Christ, then the Spirit cannot be confined neatly within denominational boundaries. This has implications not only for ecumenical dialogue, but for how churches recognise one another’s faithfulness and fruitfulness. Interchurch families often encounter both hospitality and hesitation within church communities. Their presence can expose unspoken assumptions about belonging: who is fully included, who is seen as peripheral, and whose faith is trusted. The theme of one Spirit challenges churches to look again at how they recognise the Spirit’s work in Christians formed by different traditions. For the Association of Interchurch Families, this is not a theoretical question. It touches pastoral care, sacramental participation, and the formation of children and young people. The lived reality of interchurch families raises questions that cannot be answered solely by policy; they require discernment rooted in the shared work of the Spirit. One Hope, Held Together The final phrase of the theme — one hope of your calling — draws unity beyond the present moment. Christian unity is not sustained by agreement alone, but by a shared orientation towards God’s future. Hope allows Christians to remain connected even when full resolution feels distant. Interchurch families often hold this hope in a particularly grounded way. They live with unresolved tensions not because they minimise them, but because they trust that faithfulness does not require completeness. Their lives suggest that unity can be real, even when it is unfinished. This has something to offer the wider Church during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Rather than viewing difference as a failure to be overcome, interchurch family life points towards unity as something practised patiently, sustained by grace, and entrusted to God’s ongoing work. A Quiet Witness to the Church The Association of Interchurch Families does not claim that interchurch families provide a solution to the Church’s divisions. What they do offer is a witness — often quiet, sometimes costly — to the possibility of remaining faithful to Christ across ecclesial boundaries. The 2026 theme names a truth the Church already confesses. Interchurch families live close to that truth, not by choice or strategy, but through the ordinary realities of shared Christian life. As churches pray together this January, their experience invites a deeper reflection: not only on what unity should look like, but on where it is already being lived. Melanie Carroll - Executive Officer. If you are not already a Member of AIF we invite you to join us at our online Service for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity as we come together as 'One Body and One Spirit'. Please register below and we will send you out a zoom link to join us.

An Invitation to the AIF Week of Prayer for Christian Unity Service on the 20th January 2026 at 7:30PM

By Melanie Carroll • January 13, 2026

If you are not already a Member of AIF we invite you to join us at our online Service for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity as we come together as 'One Body and One Spirit'. Please register below and we will send you out a zoom link to join us.

Happy New Year! January —The Courage to Begin Again

By Melanie Carroll • January 1, 2026

JANUARY — The Courage to Begin Again January is a month often framed by fresh starts, renewed hopes, and the desire to step into the year with intention. For many interchurch families, however, the idea of “beginning again” is not simply about turning the page on a calendar; it is a rhythm woven into their very way of life. Interchurch families live at the intersection of traditions, expectations, and identities. As a result, the courage to begin again is not seasonal — it is habitual. Yet January gives us an opportunity to name that courage, honour it, and recognise the spiritual depth it carries. Beginning again may be as practical as shifting Sunday worship patterns because a child’s schedule has changed, or as emotional as revisiting conversations about belonging that have long been sources of tension. It may involve addressing unresolved experiences from last year — a moment when a priest or minister misunderstood your family dynamic, or when extended family expressed opinions about your choices to raise your children in both traditions. For some, beginning again may be choosing to return to church life after a season of being stretched thin or feeling spiritually exhausted. The idea of “courage” can sound dramatic, but for interchurch families it is often quiet, steady, and almost unnoticed. It is the courage of showing up in a church that is yours but not fully yours. It is the courage of continuing to pray for unity when you feel the strain of disunity most sharply. It is the courage of teaching children that they are not divided but doubly enriched, even when the world struggles to understand that reality. January invites us to reflect on the difference between courage as a moment and courage as a practice. A single moment of bravery can be powerful, but interchurch life asks for something more: a patient, ongoing willingness to step forward, again and again, even when the way is uncertain. Beginning again in this context is not naïve optimism; it is a spiritual discipline rooted in hope. For many interchurch families, hope is what sustains the courage to begin again. Hope that the churches we love will continue to grow closer. Hope that our children will be able to live out their faith identities freely and fully. Hope that our own callings — lay or ordained, formal or informal — will be recognised and supported in both of our traditions. January reminds us that these hopes need tending, and tending requires courage. Scripturally, we often turn to passages that speak of new beginnings — “Behold, I am doing a new thing” or “His mercies are new every morning.” But for interchurch families, it may be equally valuable to reflect on the stories where God’s people must take small, faithful steps into uncertain territory. Abraham setting out “not knowing where he was going.” Peter stepping onto the water with trembling confidence. The disciples returning again to the upper room to pray and wait when they did not know what God would do next. These moments resonate deeply with interchurch experience. Beginning again is not about control; it is about trust. It is about trusting God with your family’s decisions, your children’s spirituality, and your own dual belonging. It is about trusting that unity is not only a prayer but a promise — one that will unfold over time, even if we do not yet see the full picture. January also encourages us to reflect on the internal dimension of beginning again. Many interchurch families carry memories of past experiences — some beautiful, some painful. The courage to begin again includes the courage to forgive, to heal, to remain open. Unity in the home requires unity of heart, and unity of heart requires the bravery to keep loving generously across difference. Perhaps you find yourself this January feeling hopeful, or perhaps tired. Perhaps you are longing for clarity about church commitments, or simply grateful for the stability your family has found. Whatever this year begins with for you, hear this blessing: Your courage is seen. Your hope is holy. Your faithfulness is part of the very story of Christian unity that the whole Church longs for. As we enter 2026, may you find the gentle strength to begin again — not because January demands it, but because God is already ahead of you on the path, welcoming you into the year with grace. Melanie Carroll - Executive Officer

A Christmas & New Year Prayer

By Melanie Carroll • January 1, 2026

Eternal God, at Christmas we give you thanks for the gift of your Son, born among us to bring light into the world and to draw all people into your reconciling love. As the Association of Interchurch Families, we come before you as those who live daily across Christian traditions, seeking to hold together faith, family, and unity in Christ. We give thanks for the churches and friends who walk alongside us, support us, and share in this calling. At this turning of the year, we pray that the light of Christ, first seen in the manger, may continue to shape our shared life. Grant to your Church and all people a generosity of spirit, patience in difference, and a deepened commitment to the unity we share through birth and baptism. As one year ends and another begins, renew our common resolve to listen well, to learn from lived experience, and to bear faithful witness together to the truth that unity in Christ does not require uniformity, but is grounded in Love. May the joy and hope of Christmas remain with us in the year ahead, strengthening our partnerships, guiding our discernment, and drawing us ever more deeply into your peace. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, the Word made flesh, the light of the world, now and for ever. Amen.