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 This weekend at Church of the Cross will be one of excitement and fun.  Immediately following our second service we will be having a church-wide picnic on our campus with plenty of food and games for the kids.  It will be a great time to meet new friends and get caught up with your old ones!

But before the cookout we have a great service planned for you. This week Tiffany Crawford – the newest member of our ministry team, will be sharing with us about “Family Ties” and dealing with the relationships between children and their parents. We are happy to welcome Tiffany as the newest member of our ministry team, and we believe that with her experience in Children’s Ministry and overseeing DivorceCare for Kids as well as being a Licensed Belief Therapist she will help us in our efforts to minister to families both in our church and our community.  Tiffany will be working part-time in Children’s Ministry through the end of the year, and then God willing will come on full-time at the beginning of 2009

It was one of the very first to show a blended family. What’s interesting is that it really wasn’t all that huge a hit back when it came out in the early 70′s. It only lasted 5 years and did not receive great ratings. But it became very popular from the 80′s on. There were several Brady reunions and a Brady Bunch movie was made in 1995(with new actors because the 70′s versions were too old) The movie was such a hit that a Brady sequel was made in 1996 and another one entitled: The Brady Bunch in the White House in 2002.

Why is it more popular now than went it first came out? Sherwood Schwartz, the creator of The Brady Bunch, answered it this way. “My idea for the sitcom was to show a blended family but there just weren’t that many in the early 70′s. But starting in the 80′s remarriage became the “norm” and so seeing a blended family with all it’s challenges made the “Brady’s” a hit! My idea was just a little before it’s time.”

He’s right. The make-up of the American family has changed dramatically into today’s society. One of the change agents is the high divorce rate. The overall divorce rate still is around 50%. However, remarriages now make up 46% of all weddings in America and the divorce rate among remarriages, is around 60%. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin predicted that those who remarry a second or third time will have a divorce rate of closer to 70%. A huge part of this problem for those who remarry is the incredible challenges that face step-families.

So, as we continue our series on how to “Fireproof” our relationships – This weekend an expert in the field, Robbie Goss will address the challenges of a modern family. If you are dealing with a step-family situation or you know someone who is, dial into this message. Robbie Goss who is a family therapist provides practical, realistic solutions to the issues that face step-families.