This summer, Base Camp welcomed parents and caregivers to For Parents: A Seminar, to glean wisdom from a professional counselor we had the honor of hosting. Brianna Edwards is an Orlando-based Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC), Registered Play Therapist (RPT), and TBRI Practitioner (Trust-Based Relational Intervention) specializing in children and teens (ages 3-18), trauma, and attachment and parenting.
Read MoreEvery week in Base Camp, kids and volunteers gather to connect with God and one another. It’s everything you’d expect to find in a high-energy children’s ministry environment. But what you see on a Sunday morning is just a snapshot of something much deeper and richer taking shape over time. Within Base Camp, a fabric of Christ-centered relationships is being woven each week across generational divides. Communities of volunteers, growing deeper in their own faith, walk alongside families through the ups and downs of life, serving kids who will move on to Surge and Edge and return to lead small groups of their own, guiding the ones who come after them.
Read MoreThis summer, Summit Base Camp had the privilege of hosting For Parents: A Seminar, alongside Summit Students at our Orlando and Lake Mary locations. We viewed Paul Tripp’s Parenting: It’s Not What You Think It Is, ate delicious food together, and enjoyed lots of quality conversations at our tables. There were lots of laughs, stories, realizations, and connections. It was a meaningful time for the folks who got to experience it in person, so we want to share some of the insights and wisdom! Here’s a look into some of the impactful moments from the weekend, and our biggest takeaway as your Base Camp team.
We discussed how our lives are shaped by our worship, and that we make a choice as to whether we’ll worship our Creator or his creation. Tripp prompted us to consider the things in our children’s lives that are warring for their attention, focus, and ultimately, their adoration. Then for the kicker — understanding we as parents are also human, we took a look at what shapes our own lives – are we worshiping our Creator, or something that may seem benign or even good, but is vying for priority in our own hearts?
Another thought-provoking point Tripp shared is that “the family was intended by God to be transformative.” For this portion, discussion amongst tables spanned from recognizing our innate desire for our (physical, emotional, and spiritual) comfort instead of growth, to defining what God’s intentions for our families might look like realistically, both over the life of our family, as well as in our everyday routine.
While we all had quotes we deemed important enough to jot down, or noteworthy discoveries we looked forward to implementing in our homes, and although we had coffee, pastries, and ice cream sandwiches, one theme came across consistently for many people who attended: table discussion time was the crown jewel of the event weekend.
This could be due to the nature of the content sparking particular interests, or discussion questions encouraging a look into our individual parenting styles and ideals, but we think it’s most largely due to the fact that we are created for community, and our parenting journeys are included in that. We see throughout Scripture the encouragement to abide with and support one another (Matthew 18:20, Hebrews 10:24-25, 1 Corinthians 12: 25-27, Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, Romans 1:11-12, Proverbs 27:17, Galatians 6:2, Romans 12:10-16; OK you get the idea). We believe the responsibility, honor, and privilege we have as parents to the next generation is fortified through the bond of community.
Parenting alongside one another in community means understanding you’re not alone. The ache of isolation is a tactic the enemy uses to have us believe we’re singular in what we’re experiencing, but the truth is that many have seen, understood, and can empathize with our struggles. Our families are not unique in our battles with hardship, frustration, and imperfection. God designed us to thrive when we pray alongside, fight for, and celebrate with one another.
If you’re already living and parenting in a supportive community, that’s fantastic! If you’d like to begin experiencing life and your parenting journey within community, we’d love to help connect you with people on a similar path. We recommend participating in a connect group! This can look lots of different ways: meeting weekly, every other week, or monthly, meeting in someone’s living room, at a Summit location, with childcare, or virtually on Zoom, meeting for a six-week study or committing to simply check-in with one another consistently, or some other option that works well for you. If you’re up for connecting with other parents, we’d love to help make that happen. Please email our Family Engagement Coordinator and let’s get the conversation started.
We’re here to support you, and it’s our genuine honor to do so. Thank you for inviting us in as you raise the next generation.
At some point over the summer, you’ll likely be asking the question, “What should we do this week?”, and we’ve got you covered with some nearby outdoor fun!
We asked you (the experts!) on Instagram to share some of your favorite playgrounds, splash pads, and family hikes, and you came through in a big way.
We’ve compiled your ideas into a helpful map for you to pick and choose from for your next family outing (you could even make the choosing fun by blindfolding one of your kids and letting them choose, sort of like a game of pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey).
We hope you enjoy getting out and exploring these different central Florida playgrounds, splash pads, and hikes this summer!
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