WHAT IS PARENT UNIVERSITY?
Join us for Parent University, a unique opportunity to deepen your understanding of the challenges today’s youth face and learn how to guide them with wisdom and faith as Orthodox Christian parents. This transformative program is thoughtfully organized into three engaging sessions, each addressing critical issues that impact our children and teens in the modern world.
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Through these sessions, we will explore topics such as the effects of technology and social media on spiritual growth, the pressures of secular culture, and the importance of fostering authentic relationships and meaningful faith practices at home. Each session is designed to provide practical tools, proven strategies, and a supportive community of fellow parents who are committed to raising resilient, grounded, and faithful Orthodox Christians.
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Whether you are seeking guidance, encouragement, or new insights, Parent University will empower you to navigate today’s challenges with confidence, helping you nurture your children’s faith and values in a world that often pulls them in the opposite direction. Don’t miss this chance to strengthen your parenting journey and ensure your family grows in Christ-centered love and understanding.
WHAT IS PARENT UNIVERSITY?
A Parent University program is crucial in a church setting because it equips parents with the spiritual, emotional, and practical tools needed to raise children in a Christ-centered way amid the challenges of modern life. Parents are the primary role models and educators of faith for their children, and a church-led initiative can strengthen their ability to fulfill this role effectively. Here are some reasons why such a program is essential:
1. Strengthening the Domestic Church
In Orthodox Christianity, the family is often referred to as the “domestic church.” A Parent University program helps parents understand their role as spiritual leaders in the home, guiding their children in prayer, Scripture, and the sacraments. It fosters stronger family bonds rooted in faith.
2. Navigating Modern Challenges
Today’s children face unique challenges, from navigating digital technology and peer pressure to dealing with secular worldviews. Parents often feel ill-equipped to address these issues. Parent University provides practical strategies and Orthodox perspectives to help parents lead their children through these difficulties with wisdom and the Orthodox faith.
3. Building a Faithful Community
A Parent University program creates a sense of community among parents, offering them a supportive space to share experiences, challenges, and solutions. This shared journey fosters stronger relationships within the parish and a collective effort to raise children in the Orthodox faith.
4. Promoting Lifelong Faith Formation
Faith formation doesn’t end with Sunday School or youth programs—it’s a lifelong journey. Parent University emphasizes the importance of parents actively engaging in their own spiritual growth to model Christ-centered living for their children.
5. Partnering with Church Ministries
Church ministries, from Sunday School to youth programs, thrive when parents are actively involved and aligned with their goals. A Parent University bridges the gap between the home and church, ensuring consistency in the messages and values children receive.
6. Fostering Future Leaders of Faith
Children who grow up with strong spiritual foundations are more likely to stay connected to their faith as adults and become active leaders within the church. By empowering parents, the church invests in the future of its community.
children in the Orthodox faith.
Orthodox Youth & Young Adult Ministries (OYM) is here to empower, partner, and walk with parents as well as lay and ordained ministry leaders – at a jurisdictional, regional, and local level – as they seek to bring young people into an ever-deepening sense of who they are in Christ. Our Why: To bring young people into the fullness of Christian Community so they may be transfigured in Christ. How: We help prepare the Orthodox faithful guide young people into personal encounters with God where He reveals His truth.
The Family Synaxis of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago is a ministry committed to strengthening the bond of families through Orthodox praxis, or practice. Through workshops and discussions, fellowship and, above all, our assembly as the worshipping Body of Christ, the Family Synaxis seeks to fulfill its mission instilling “The Church in the Home.”
The Family Synaxis organizes the following events each ecclesiastical year:
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A family retreat over Labor Day weekend with an Orthodox speaker, small group discussions, children’s sessions, family activities, and worship, held at the St. Iakovos Retreat Center (SIRC);
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A couples’ weekend retreats, and men’s and women’s weekend retreats, with Orthodox speakers, group discussion, private reflection, prayer, and worship, held at the SIRC;
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A family Lenten retreat on the third Saturday of Lent with an Orthodox speaker, group discussion, children’s sessions, and worship, hosted by a different parish each year; and
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“Parenting University,” a series of Friday evening adult-only sessions with Orthodox speakers on topics relevant to parents, hosted by different parishes.
The Family Synaxis began its ministry in 2001 and has ministered to hundreds of families throughout the years. All Family Synaxis events are open to the entire Orthodox Christian community of the Metropolis of Chicago.
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NOTES/SUMMARIES FROM PREVIOUS PARENT UNIVERSITY SESSIONS
SESSION ONE: DIRECTION OF YOUTH MINISTRIES AT SAINT ATHANASIOS
Our inaugural Parent University session delved into the youth ministries at Saint Athanasios, emphasizing the importance of establishing a clear direction for these programs. We explored the challenges facing church youth ministries and outlined the changes we aim to implement to fulfill our mission: “That all, including and especially youth and young adults, should be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.” Additionally, we highlighted the vital role parents play in nurturing their children’s faith. Together, we discussed how we can collaborate to instill and uphold strong Orthodox Christian values in our youth and young adults.
SESSION TWO: AN ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN HOUSEHOLD
This session will explore how to establish and sustain an Orthodox Christian household. Through a panel discussion featuring three sets of parents with children at different life stages, we’ll gain insights into how they prioritized the Orthodox faith in their homes. They will share how they incorporated practices such as fasting, prayer, and almsgiving into family life and how they addressed the challenges their children encountered while growing in the faith. Join us for a meaningful conversation filled with practical advice and inspiration for nurturing a Christ-centered family.
SESSION THREE: TACKLING CHALLENGES IN TODAY'S ORTHODOX YOUTH
This session will delve into the challenges that today’s Orthodox youth face. Guest speaker Dr. Randa Anderson will lead an engaging discussion, offering parents valuable insights into issues such as anxiety, technology addiction, and depression. Participants will explore practical strategies to address these challenges while grounding their approach in the principles and teachings of the Orthodox Christian faith.