3 Local Organizations Equipped by Recent Training to Offer Parenting Groups

Apr 12, 2016 | UA News

Article written by Urban Alliance staff.

Recently, three organizations that are a part of the Urban Alliance networkBuilding Healthy Families, Our Savior Lutheran Church and South Congregational Church – were awarded grant funding, through the Urban Alliance initiative Thrive, to attend a Circle of Security training, as well as grant funds of up to offset the cost of facilitating a Circle of Security parenting group that will use the Circle of Security model. 

Circle of Security is a relationship-based early intervention program designed to enhance attachment security between parents and children. Attachment is a deep and enduring emotional bond that connects one person to another across time and space. Decades of university-based research have confirmed that children with caregivers that are consistently emotionally available and support both exploration and nurturing exhibit increased empathy, greater self-esteem, better relationships with parents and peers, enhanced school readiness, and an increased capacity to handle emotions more effectively when compared with children who are not secure. 

Does your church or Christian-based non-profit organization provide support and services to families with young children? 

  • Day cares, preschools, church nursery or preschool ministries
  • MOPS groups
  • Parenting education groups
  • Crisis pregnancy centers
  • Any other program working with families of children under five years of age

If so, your organization is invited to engage in Thrive and receive support and resources such as volunteers, donated goods, capacity-building support and grant funding to increase the impact of your services.

For more information, contact Jessica Sanderson, Urban Alliance’s Senior Director of Research & Strategy, at jessica.sanderson@urbanalliance.com or 860.986.7461.

The staff at Urban Alliance are familiar with Pastor Frank because he is a regular attendee to many of the trainings Urban Alliance provides on subjects like domestic violence, addressing childhood trauma, and better counseling techniques. โ€œThatโ€™s been so valuable to me to be able to bring that back, not only in my counseling but also in my teaching and preaching ministries, โ€œ shared Termine.

Pastor Frank was also one of the original members of the Micah group, a group of pastors that meets at Urban Alliance to discuss and strategize about challenging issues that face the church today. One of those earlier discussions on justice, incarceration, and returning citizens was particularly memorable. โ€œWe all lamented the fact that these men and women were coming out of prison into our churches and just kind of being thrown there,โ€ said Termine, โ€œWe could do better than this.โ€ That discussion planted the seeds that eventually led to the creation of Second Chance Churches – an opportunity for churches to provide support and mentoring to returning citizens that continues today.

When we asked Pastor Frank what he would say to another church that was unaware of Urban Alliance, he said, โ€œIf you are looking to get out in the community and make a difference in the community, Urban Alliance is a super way to do it. Weโ€™re a small church โ€ฆ we canโ€™t do everything. Urban Alliance is a pathway to get our people involved in ministries that are already doing it, doing it well, and just need extra volunteers.โ€

Pastor Frank Termineโ€™s story embodies many things we are trying to accomplish at Urban Alliance: supporting organizations in the communities they serve with training, resources, and opportunities to make a difference. Pastors and non-profit leaders face a wide range of challenges and, therefore, need a wide range of help and resources. Your support can help turn stories of struggle into stories like you find at Calvary Church.

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