The Anglican Family Prayer Book Hardcover – October 1, 2003

This book is a wonderful distillation of prayers from the BCP and other sources that are useful for a family with young children. So thankful for this book!

This book was way better than I expected. I'm a pastor in a non-denominational church. We wanted to plug into some of the older, even more ancient church traditions, but I found the church liturgies difficult to use. The language is antiquated, making it difficult to understand. Plus, there is just a lot to search through that we would never use.This book is MUCH easier to use, quick to understand, and extremely helpful for this non-Anglican to use.danielcooley.com

Great book for families.

I thought this would be for children, as the author writes childrens book, but that isn't true at all. This is a very appropro book for Anglicans of today. I love it.

I know the Author, a very dynamic Women who shares many gifts with us all, Recommend this for yourself or as a gift.

I purchased this book as a gift for a new family at our church. They loved it and were grateful for this spiritual resource.

Anne Kitch is probably better known to readers as the author of children's books (`Bless this Day', `Bless this Way', and `One Little Church Mouse') - this is not a children's book per se, but it does keep in mind both Kitch's love for writing for children, and her special ministry of education that involves children.Children are integral to the family (that goes without saying, perhaps), and prayer should also be integral to the family. This book provides a framework, suggestions, prayer texts and inspiration for incorporating prayer into the family life on a daily basis, around gathering times such as meals, as well as other parts of life.In many ways, no Anglican can escape the liturgical patterns of the Book of Common Prayer or the liturgical daily cycles of ancient monastic systems (nor, indeed, do they generally want to!). This book begins with a wonderful introduction to what common prayer is - it is not common as in `uninteresting' or `ordinary', but common as in the root of the word `communal' - these are things done in common, in community, and the family provides a perfect context and beginning for true community. There are many common prayers held in common across the broader lines of Christianity - the Lord's Prayer, the Song of Mary (Magnificat), St. Francis' prayer, etc., and these are laid out in the first section with introductions accessible to all.The second section looks at daily prayer - morning, evening, graces, blessings, bedtime prayers, as well as prayers for days of the week. How one goes about prayer, in the family group and when one is alone, is important, and Kitch discusses that at the beginning of this section.The third section has prayer suggestions and texts for people and occasions. Special occasions in the life of the family - anniversaries and birthdays, new homes, baptisms, grieving - as well as prayers for important members of the extended family - distant relatives, friends, visitors, even pets - are included here. There are prayers for healing and reconciliation, and prayers for thanksgiving and celebration. There is more than one way to talk to God, Kitch reminds us, and one can use either the acronym ACTIP (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Intercession and Petition) or ACTS (replacing the final two with the word Supplication) as a reminder for the various ways we talk to God in prayer.The final two sections bring the world of the prayers of the Anglican church into relationship with the prayers of the family with an overview and text samples of prayers from the Eucharistic liturgy (with a brief discussion on how to teach children to worship) and prayers for the liturgical year (special prayers for major holidays and seasons).This is a wonderful resource, a small book with big print (all the better for small hands to grasp and readers of all ages to find inviting in word and physical form). I highly recommend it to Anglicans of any age, and even to those beyond the Anglican tradition who want a structure to their prayer life, particularly that of the family.

This has been a wonderful resource for our family. While it is absolutely appropriate for a family from any denomination, those from the Anglican tradition will especially enjoy it. It makes the daily office user friendly for families with children who might struggle flipping pages through the BCP with all of its options and choices. The book also contains prayers for other holidays, celebrations, and occasions throughout the year. We especially found it helpful with our Advent celebration with prayers and readings for our Advent Wreath lighting each evening. I highly recommend it! Godparents, this would be the perfect gift for your godchild's family.

The Anglican Family Prayer book is an accessible book that is good for a variety of ages. We have a 7 year old and a 2 year old, and we find it works well. The language is challenging enough to help with developing skills, but easy to explain also. It contains all the essentials for daily prayer, has beautiful black and white drawings and is a nice size for any child to hold. I really recommend this book for people who want to include and encourage their children in daily prayer.