Faith group urging families to reconnect with patriotic traditions this 4th of July

As the US prepares to celebrate its 250th birthday, a faith organization is urging parents to make the most of Independence Day by reconnecting with their kids and taking time to teach them about the nation’s founding ideals.Ahead of July 4, Communio, a faith-based organization focused on strengthening families, released its “Great American Family Fun Kit,” complete with activity ideas, recipes for patriotic treats, and a prayer for the nation.Some of the activities include trying to use 18th-century slang, making a gratitude jar, creating a family flag and having an Independence Day-themed scavenger hunt.“When you think about all the holidays we have as a country, the Fourth of July, the Independence Day is — of our non-religious holidays — it’s right up there with Thanksgiving as being the most important family celebration that we have as a country,” Communio founder and president J.P.

De Gance told Fox News Digital.Communio is using its partnerships that cover 17,000 churches across the US to reach out to families and encourage them to celebrate Independence Day through neighborhood gatherings, block parties and activities to build their communities.“The most fundamental building block of a society is not the individual, it’s the family,” De Gance said.De Gance told Fox News Digital that Communio’s Great American Family Fun Kit reflects the organization’s belief that strong families are the foundation of strong communities.“I think there’s a lot of recent polling data that shows love of country, good old-fashioned patriotism, has declined in our nation amongst a lot of folks.And the goal here is to tie people back to the ideals of our founding and do so in a really grassroots, organic way at the local level,” De Gance said of Communio’s Great American Family Fun Kit.While the kit’s activities are centered around America’s 250th birthday, De Gance said their broader purpose is to encourage families to spend more meanin...