By Bonnie Mentel
Bell Shoals Baptist Church will be hosting a parenting conference Friday, March 4 (6:45-9 p.m.) and Saturday, March 5 (8:30 a.m.-1 p.m.) in the Worship Center. Featured speakers are Pastor Stephen Rummage, Heidi St. John, author of The Busy Mom, and Barrett Johnson, author of The Talks.
“The unique part of this parenting conference is that it’s a joint effort for three groups: our church, the academy, which is a major ministry of ours, and our homeschool network, FISH, which is a gigantic network of homeschool families. The three of them bring in different pieces of the conference,” said Victor Flores, high school pastor.
The theme of the conference is P3: Purposeful. Practical. Powerful. Break-out groups will include topics addressing Biblical discernment, boundaries, the stages of parenting, marriage, and more.
“We’ll talk about what it takes to parent in a way that is God-centered, how to have a Biblical family and helping parents be parents that raise Godly children,” Flores said. Flores will be leading a session based on the book that he wrote with his wife, Esther, “Raise to Release: A Missional Mandate for Parents.”
On Friday night, Pastor Stephen Rummage will begin the session followed by Heidi St. John, who will be addressing “Fearless Mothering.”
Heidi is the author of The Busy Homeschool Mom’s Guide to Romance: Nurturing Your Marriage through the Homeschool Years. Her second book, The Busy Homeschool Mom’s Guide to Daylight, was released early in 2012. She is the creator of a journal for moms called Words along the Way: A Busy Mom’s Journal which emphasizes the joys of journaling through the journey of motherhood.
Flores said that Heidi St. John is very popular in homeschool circles.
Also on Friday night, Barrett Johnson will host a session entitled, “Critical Conversations for Men.”
Saturday morning’s sessions will include “Purposeful Parenting” with Johnson and “Strong Family” with St. John followed by more breakout sessions.
There is free child care for preschoolers and children’s activities for first through sixth graders with advance reservations. Tickets are $20 per person or $35 per couple. To purchase tickets and to reserve child care, visit www.bellshoals.com.
The church is located at 2102 Bell Shoals Rd. in Brandon. For further questions, call 689-4229.
