Mothers’ Meeting

Since we’re called a community center for a reason, we want to be truly available to the neighborhood—not just for the children and teens. That’s why we organized a mothers’ gathering at both community centers for International Women’s Day.

While it was quite difficult at first to get in touch with the mothers or fathers, we’ve noticed two years later that they’re becoming more involved. And that’s valuable. That way, we can also make a difference in their lives, and getting to know them better sometimes helps us understand the children’s behavior better.

March 8 was International Women’s Day. In Romania, it’s called “ziua femeii” and is celebrated in a big way. People buy flowers for women and mothers, along with chocolate and sweet notes.

That was a good reason for us to focus on this as well and invite the mothers. So we organized two evenings for the mothers: at both community centers.

These were meaningful gatherings. The theme “You Are Valuable in God’s Eyes” was central. We started with a brief round of introductions, and then all the mothers were given a card. On this card, they were asked to write down what they’re proud of, what they’re grateful for, and one positive thing they’d done for themselves that day. Next, we discussed various statements, and they raised a red or green thumb.

It’s moving to see how insecure most women are—how they struggle with so many worries and problems. Some of them can’t read or write. That makes it all the more wonderful that we were able to encourage them with the passage from Jeremiah: “You are precious in God’s eyes.”

Next, it was time for a creative activity. We had made little plaster signs that they could paint. There was a little bowl with some candy and a colorful flower for everyone.

These were valuable meetings. We plan to expand these meetings to four times a year with the mothers.