Conference 2008 - Salt & Light

Dear Friends,

"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.

"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5: 13-15

The 2008 Conference marked a turning point in our vision for Parent Toddler Groups Together Network because the theme was a clear encouragement to groups to be true to Christ’s teaching to be salt and light.

It is always a thrill to greet everyone arriving for our day together. There was a sense of anticipation for our Lord God’s inspiration and prompting as we began the day worshipping together. How would we be listening to His voice and responding to His call during the day? What would we experience as the day unfolded and what would we take away?

Delegates were local and from towns beyond Tunbridge Wells including Broadstairs, Greenhithe, Bristol, Newport, South Wales, Wembley, Caterham, Rochester and Margate… Lots of new faces and familiar ones too!

Fiona Castle was our key speaker and she opened the day with some wise and inspired insights on life for young mums today. They face so many challenges, and parent-toddler groups play a vital role in supporting and encouraging them.

Using personal stories and examples, Fiona explained that young mums can easily feel like the world is tearing pieces out of them. In today's image-conscious society, with its multitude of makeover shows, mums can feel under pressure to have perfect looks and an ideal home. Finances are often a problem. Sadly, this is not being helped by the prevalence of debt culture in the UK.

So many mums can’t cope with the idea of staying at home with young children and we have a parenting generation where children are entertained, taken out and about from the home and don’t always get the opportunity to just potter. Life is fast, time is scheduled and diaries are full.

One of the biggest dilemmas for young mums today is “to work or not to work”, said Fiona Castle. The government has a range of provisions for childcare, nurseries and so on but does not provide tax breaks for those who choose to be full-time mums, she commented. Many women are under pressure to work in order to pay the mortgage. Another factor is the way that we tend to introduce each other by our job descriptions. Fiona Castle, a mother of four, recalled how she used to be asked, “Do you work or are you just a housewife?”

The many mums today who are single parents face added problems and added loneliness and isolation, Fiona Castle noted.

She encouraged parent-toddler groups, “You are being salt and light for these women, being role models. You give them someone to talk to and a place of refuge.” She added that parent-toddler groups are often dealing with women who are desperately struggling to find their identity. “Bringing up the next generation of secure adults is the most important job we have”, she continued, observing that high-flyers who leave their jobs are soon forgotten, ‘but what we do for our children is remembered long after our children fly the nest’. The encouragement that parent-toddler groups give is “vitally important” for mothers, she concluded.

Fiona Castle has been involved in a parent-toddler group called ‘Pop-in’ for 30 years. She is also chairman of Activate, an organisation working to take Christianity “into the real world in a real way”.

It was wonderful that Fiona and her dear friend, Joyce who has taken over the leadership of Pop-In and who also spoke with wisdom and truth, stayed for the rest of the day offering a listening ear to us as they mingled and operated the chocolate fountain and displayed the beautiful Achkiy cards and jewelry for sale and hand-made in Peru.

Fiona’s presentation was followed by a choice of seminar – puppets with the Time To Sow team or a powerful appeal from Gaynor to be ‘intentional’ in our evangelism… as she reminded us of the urgency and the ‘divine imperative’ in sharing the Gospel with those who are lost.

This was the year to be intentional in our thoughts, hopes and dreams for the network as well as our involvement out there in the toddler groups as we serve God. Many of us are committed to being true to our identity in Christ, letting his light shine from within us as we point to Him.

So many groups across the UK welcome non church or fringe families across their thresholds every week and yet we somehow feel uncertain about sharing our faith in these settings. Being salt and light is part of the call. Being true to the transformation Christ has made in our own lives as we walk in faith is the way we can be salt and light in the communities in which we serve.

There was a range of seminars to choose from including practical sessions on teams, together times singing and stories, multicultural settings, special needs and disability, worship and using the bible with under fives and an inspirational session on looking after ourselves and pacing our lives as we serve others… listening to God for the right balance in all things, drawing close to Christ.

We had new ideas such as the prayer wall for us to add news or prayers and the opportunity to have a bit of pampering with a relaxing hand massage - an extra treat to enjoy. Perhaps we need more pampering on day like this and maybe we can learn more about friendship evangelism through links with Activate.

As Mothering Sunday followed our day together, it seemed right that this year had a distinct appeal for women and the challenges of women and mothers today.

Lots of us would have returned home to families and the demands of balancing family life – whether looking after children at various stages or caring for partners or older parents – balancing the needs of others as well as preparing for Easter celebrations in our groups and other roles within Church life as we seek to follow our Father’s will and respond to Christ’s example and all that He has done for us.

And as for next year? We shall just have to wait on the Lord for his prompting…