“Open-Door Talks” are spaces we will open up once a quarter to facilitate conversations led by experts on specific topics. Each conversation will take place in a one-time Zoom session that will be recorded and made available to all who sign up. Those who register for the session will receive an email the day after the event with a link to the video. 

We strongly encourage all who register to join the live Zoom session if your schedule and time zone permit. The link will be sent the day before the session to the email you provide in the registration form.

As part of the registration process, you will have the opportunity to submit questions for the presenter(s).

Read below for more information about this quarter’s Open-Door Talk! You will find the registration form at the bottom of the page.

This quarter, Curt and Jan Parsons will be talking about “Parenting When It’s Hard.”

Curt and Jan have been married for 52 years. They have five children, including two adopted biracial children, 12 grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren. They have also served as foster parents many times over the years. As parents they have navigated challenges with their children including ADHD, drug and alcohol addiction, chronic depression and anxiety, and various issues common to adopted children. “We do not claim to be experts,” they say, “but we have read extensively and worked with counselors and are happy to share our experiences.”
 
The Parsons will be discussing parenting strategies they employed with their own children and difficulties they faced. They believe that hard seasons may be due to unique personalities, external circumstances, or a child that is difficult, and they note that these factors can affect the entire family, with each member affected in a different way. There are no “always right” answers for these situations, they say, but the job of parenting requires concern for the welfare of the child even when other pressures are intense.
 
Jan is a member of the Come before Winter board, and Curt serves on the advisory team for our men’s program. Both have traveled with renewal teams to serve ministers around the world.
 
Date and time of live Zoom session: Tuesday, May 11th at 10:00 am CST
 
(To figure out what time that would be locally, you can go to https://www.thetimezoneconverter.com/. Compare the time listed above in Dallas, Texas, to your local time.)