February 2020 Newsletter
Education News
UPCOMING OPPORTUNITY: ETC CONFERENCE REWIND
Chosen for Life Ministries, All God's Children, and Nightlight Christian Adoptions are excited to host the Empowered to Connect Conference Rewind. Show Hope’s Empowered to Connect Conference offers practical teaching in a safe and supportive community.
This is a video conference featuring Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) methods. The content is ideal for adoptive and foster parents, those considering adoption or foster care, and those who are serving and supporting others, including social workers, agency professionals, church staff, and ministry leaders, counselors, and therapists.
Continuing education credits are available through this Simulcast Conference.
This two-part event will take place at Bethlehem Church - Oconee Campus on Saturday, April 18, and Saturday, May 2. The event schedules are listed below. Registration for each event is separate. Registration for Part 1
Registration for Part 2
Saturday, April 18
9:00-10:00 a.m.: TBRI & Trauma, by Darren Jones
10:00-11:00 a.m.: TBRI & Trauma: A Family Perspective
11:00-11:30 a.m.: TBRI Wrap-Up, by Darren Jones
11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.: Offsite Lunch Break (No childcare during lunch)
1:00-2:30 p.m.: Connecting Part 1, by Amanda Purvis
2:30-3:00 p.m.: Connecting Part 2, by Amanda Purvis
3:00-4:00 p.m.: Connecting Through Play, by Cindy Lee
Saturday, May 2
9:00-10:00 a.m.: Empowering, by Sarah Mercado
10:00-11:00 a.m.: Empowering and OT Perspective, by Marti Smith
11:00-11:30 a.m.: Empowering Wrap Up, by Sarah Mercado and Marti Smith
11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.: Offsite Lunch Break (No childcare during lunch)
1:00-2:30 p.m.: Correcting, by Amanda Purvis
2:30-3:30 p.m.: Correcting: A Family Perspective
3:30-4:00 p.m.: Correcting Wrap Up, by Amanda Purvis
Adoption News
SUPPORT OPPORTUNITY FOR ADOPTING PARENTS
EMPOWERED TO CONNECT: PARENT PREPARE COURSE
THE COURSE We are offering a six-week course for those in the process of adopting. The curriculum was created by Empowered to Connect (ETC). The course will begin on Sunday, February 16, and run for six weeks, meeting each Sunday from 7:00-9:00 (we will pause for Clarke county spring break if participant schedules require). The cost will be $25 which will include course workbook and access to additional readings and videos. Payment can be made by check at the first meeting. In addition, participants will need to acquire five books for the course (books can be purchased in any format, borrowed, etc.) To register, click here.
ETC Parent Trainings equip parents with a holistic understanding of their child’s needs and development while empowering them with the tools and strategies to effectively meet those needs, build trust, and help their child heal and grow. The ETC Connect course is an interactive learning experience designed specifically for parents and caregivers whose children have experienced adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), toxic stress, and maltreatment. This course was developed by Michael and Amy Monroe and relies heavily on the Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI®) model developed by Dr. Karyn Purvis and her colleagues at the Karyn Purvis TCU Institute of Child Development.
ABOUT EMPOWERED TO CONNECT Empowered To Connect (ETC) has a long and fruitful history of serving children and families. ETC was started in Irving Texas as a part of Tapestry Ministries of Irving Bible Church by Michael and Amy Monroe with the support of Dr. Karyn Purvis. In collaboration with Dr. Purvis, Michael and Amy went on to write two Empowered To Connect parent training courses, based on the Trust Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) model. In 2009, Show Hope and the Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development held the first Empowered To Connect conference. In the years since, the conference has been held 19 times, simulcast to thousands of locations and reached countless caregivers and professionals with a message of hope undergirded with truth and compassion. In 2018, the ownership and program rights of ETC were transferred to the care of the Memphis Family Connection Center (MFCC), a holistic family care clinic based on the principles of TBRI. MFCC co-founders Mark and Tona Ottinger have been ETC parent trainers since 2010 and are deeply invested in ETC and supporting its continued growth for years to come.
ABOUT THE TRAINERS In July 2019, Sam and Amanda Greavu traveled to Memphis, Tennessee for a three-day course following a seven-week online training. This training certified them as as ETC Parent Trainers and equipped them to teach Prepare and Connect Courses. Sam and Amanda have been married for 9 years. Sam is a Physical Therapist with Athens Orthopedic Clinic and Amanda works on staff at CFLM as our Director of Communications. They have two sons, both of which joined their family through adoption. Their oldest son was adopted at birth through domestic adoption. Their youngest son was adopted through international adoption from China at two.
Foster Care News
COMPASSIONATE LISTENING
Here at Chosen for Life Ministries, we desire to partner with our local child welfare department. We know that DFCS staff carry a heavy burden, and we want to lighten their load. With that in mind, in 2019, we started our Compassionate Listening project. Each Tuesday, a group of trained volunteers go to the Clarke County DFCS office to listen to case workers share. Our prayer is that Compassionate Listening would provide a space where caseworkers, who are dealing with so many hard things each day, might be able to simply catch their breath, refocus, and pray.
If you want to support local child welfare staff, you can volunteer with Compassionate Listening. Volunteers participate in an orientation on basic child welfare concepts and learn some guidelines to follow before serving. You can also support DFCS staff by donating items like gum, granola bars, small hand lotions, or hand sanitizers (quantities of 45-60). These small gifts are just another way for us to acknowledge the work they do in our community and encourage them. If you are interested in volunteering or donating items, please contact Jessi Williams.