Revision #10477
Family Sunday
Localized for English-speaking readers (msgbatch_01GvFKF6zaroxwZ2RCatyoPp)
Status: approved
Changes from the previous English revision
= ## Definition and Meaning
=
- Family Sunday is a Sunday on which churches, regarding the family as a community established by God, reflect on its meaning, worship together as families, and pray for households. It is not a traditional feast of the liturgical year (the system of seasons by which the church follows the life of Christ over the course of a year). Like Children's Sunday, it is one of the commemorative Sundays that Korean churches have designated to honor a particular theme.
+ Family Sunday is a Sunday on which a congregation reflects on the meaning of the family as a community established by God, worships together as families, and prays for households. It is not a traditional feast of the liturgical year (the system of seasons by which the church follows the life of Christ over the course of a year). Like Children's Sunday, it belongs to the commemorative Sundays that Korean Protestant churches have designated to honor a particular theme.
=
= ## Biblical and Historical Background
…
=
= - Genesis 2:20–24, which describes the beginning of marriage
- - Deuteronomy 6:6–9, which instructs parents to teach God's words to their children
+ - Deuteronomy 6:6–9, which instructs that God's words be taught to one's children
= - Joshua 24:14–25, which contains the confession "as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD"
= - Ephesians 5:21–25, Ephesians 6:4, and Colossians 3:18–19, which address the relationships between husbands and wives and between parents and children
=
- Mother's Day is generally traced to a service honoring mothers that Anna Jarvis organized at a Methodist church in the United States in 1908. In Korea, the government designated May 8 as "Mother's Day" in 1956 and renamed it "Parents' Day" in 1973. In step with these civic observances, Korean churches have observed a Sunday devoted to the family in May, alongside Children's Sunday and Parents' Sunday. However, it has not been clearly established when the name "Family Sunday" first came into use.
+ Mother's Day is generally traced to a service honoring mothers that Anna Jarvis held at a Methodist church in the United States in 1908. In South Korea, the government designated May 8 as Mother's Day in 1956 and renamed it Parents' Day in 1973. In step with these civic observances, Korean churches have kept a Sunday devoted to the family in May, alongside Children's Sunday and Parents' Sunday. It has not been clearly established, however, when the name "Family Sunday" first came into use.
=
- The Catholic Church also has a day honoring the family. On the Sunday within the Octave of Christmas (the eight-day festal period beginning on Christmas Day), Catholics celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family, honoring the household of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph of Nazareth. It differs from the Protestant Family Sunday in both date and character.
+ The Catholic Church also has a day honoring the family. On the Sunday within the Octave of Christmas (the eight-day festal period beginning on Christmas Day), it celebrates the Feast of the Holy Family, honoring the household of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph of Nazareth. This feast differs from the Protestant Family Sunday in both date and character.
=
= ## Practice in Korean Churches
…
= The date and name of Family Sunday vary from church to church.
=
- - Some churches observe it on the third or fourth Sunday of May, following Children's Sunday and Parents' Sunday.
+ - Some churches observe it on the third or fourth Sunday of May, after Children's Sunday and Parents' Sunday.
= - Some churches combine it with Parents' Sunday into a single Family Sunday.
- - Some churches observe it as "Couples' Sunday" around May 21, Korea's Married Couples' Day.
+ - Some churches observe it as "Couples' Sunday" around May 21, South Korea's Married Couples' Day.
=
= Common features of the day include the following:
…
= - Sunday school children and youth attend the main worship service with their parents.
= - Sermons address marriage, child-rearing, and honoring one's parents.
- - Prayers of blessing are offered for couples and families, and couples celebrating wedding anniversaries are recognized.
- - Family worship is encouraged, and guidance materials are distributed.
+ - Prayers of blessing are offered for couples and families, and couples marking wedding anniversaries are congratulated.
+ - Family worship is encouraged, and guidance materials for it are distributed.
=
- In churches that emphasize the liturgical year, such as the Anglican Church of Korea, May falls within the Easter season. Such churches therefore sometimes mark the occasion by adding prayers for families to the Sunday services of Eastertide rather than setting aside a separate Sunday. In recent years, some have also argued that churches should be mindful of diverse family situations, including single-parent households, members who live alone, and couples without children.
+ In churches that place greater emphasis on the liturgical year, such as the Anglican Church of Korea, May falls within the Easter season. Rather than setting aside a separate Sunday, such churches sometimes mark the occasion by adding prayers for families to the Sunday services of Eastertide. In recent years, some have also argued that churches should be mindful of diverse forms of family, including single-parent households, members who live alone, and couples without children.
Family Sunday is a commemorative Sunday in Korean Protestantism devoted to reflecting on the meaning of the family and praying for families. It is usually observed in May, Korea's "Family Month," though its date and name vary by denomination and congregation.
Family Sunday is a commemorative Sunday observed in Korean Protestant churches for reflecting on the meaning of the family and praying for families. It is usually held in May, which is observed in South Korea as "Family Month," although its date and name vary by denomination and congregation.
Full revision
Family Sunday is a commemorative Sunday observed in Korean Protestant churches for reflecting on the meaning of the family and praying for families. It is usually held in May, which is observed in South Korea as "Family Month," although its date and name vary by denomination and congregation.
Definition and Meaning
Family Sunday is a Sunday on which a congregation reflects on the meaning of the family as a community established by God, worships together as families, and prays for households. It is not a traditional feast of the liturgical year (the system of seasons by which the church follows the life of Christ over the course of a year). Like Children's Sunday, it belongs to the commemorative Sundays that Korean Protestant churches have designated to honor a particular theme.
Biblical and Historical Background
Sermons and prayers on Family Sunday frequently draw on biblical passages concerning the family. Representative passages include:
Mother's Day is generally traced to a service honoring mothers that Anna Jarvis held at a Methodist church in the United States in 1908. In South Korea, the government designated May 8 as Mother's Day in 1956 and renamed it Parents' Day in 1973. In step with these civic observances, Korean churches have kept a Sunday devoted to the family in May, alongside Children's Sunday and Parents' Sunday. It has not been clearly established, however, when the name "Family Sunday" first came into use.
The Catholic Church also has a day honoring the family. On the Sunday within the Octave of Christmas (the eight-day festal period beginning on Christmas Day), it celebrates the Feast of the Holy Family, honoring the household of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph of Nazareth. This feast differs from the Protestant Family Sunday in both date and character.
Practice in Korean Churches
The date and name of Family Sunday vary from church to church.
- Some churches observe it on the third or fourth Sunday of May, after Children's Sunday and Parents' Sunday.
- Some churches combine it with Parents' Sunday into a single Family Sunday.
- Some churches observe it as "Couples' Sunday" around May 21, South Korea's Married Couples' Day.
Common features of the day include the following:
- Sunday school children and youth attend the main worship service with their parents.
- Sermons address marriage, child-rearing, and honoring one's parents.
- Prayers of blessing are offered for couples and families, and couples marking wedding anniversaries are congratulated.
- Family worship is encouraged, and guidance materials for it are distributed.
In churches that place greater emphasis on the liturgical year, such as the Anglican Church of Korea, May falls within the Easter season. Rather than setting aside a separate Sunday, such churches sometimes mark the occasion by adding prayers for families to the Sunday services of Eastertide. In recent years, some have also argued that churches should be mindful of diverse forms of family, including single-parent households, members who live alone, and couples without children.