By Kristen Thomason
Parenting is hard. It’s even harder in a world saturated with social media and still coping with the after-effects of the pandemic. In these stressful times, many Christian parents find themselves searching for encouragement and wisdom beyond what they can carry on their own. They often turn to pastoral staff not only for spiritual guidance, but also for help navigating the everyday realities of raising children.
“Our parents have all the normal questions about mental health, technology, homework and current events that everyone else does. We also find that our parents have concerns about talking to their kids about faith,” said Kari Bauman, pastor for children and families at College Park Baptist Church in Greensboro, N.C.
While Bauman was able to provide pastoral care to many families who came to her seeking support, she realized others needed help beyond her pastoral capacity. They also needed one another.
To provide College Park parents the resources they need, along with an opportunity to connect, Bauman organized Parent Circles. Six to eight times during the year, the church invites parents to gather on a Saturday morning in the chapel to hear from experts on various topics and ask questions. Featured speakers have included local healthcare providers, faculty from nearby University of North Carolina at Greensboro, therapists, lawyers, elected officials and activists. “We have been seeking out ways to bring parents together so that we do not feel isolated in our parenting and so that the church is a place they feel they can bring their concerns and joys.”
Originally, the Parent Circles were funded by a grant from Columbia University. When the Columbia grant ended, Bauman turned to the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship for financial support. With a $4,900 Ministries Council grant, College Park has been able to maintain and expand the Parent Circles.
“The CBF grant provides us the funding to meet more regularly. Last year, we were only able to meet a few times, but this fall we have three book discussions, an Advent workshop and a social scheduled. In the spring, we are planning to have more conversations about mental health, neurodivergence and faith. The grant allows us to purchase supplies such as the books, to pay for childcare and food, and to bring in experts.”
Lately, more parents of youth have been attending the Parent Circles. “This is another parenting stage that can be isolating, and having additional funding allows us to expand our offerings to include more topics aimed specifically at teenagers.” Because many of the teenagers who attend youth events have parents who are not members of College Park, the Parent Circles have become a way to connect with families outside the church.
“We have also had parents of adult children share their wisdom with parents of our younger kiddos and have hosted Parent Circle socials just to bring people together,” said Bauman. Bringing experienced parents together with newer parents has strengthened the bonds the families have with the church and with each other.
Bauman believes churches who want to start their own Parent Circles should do so. “Carving out this space for connection has been a great gift to our faith community and has helped people make friends. Helping people connect and share wisdom and questions has helped us all feel less alone.”