28 June 2017 | Zagreb, Croatia [Darko Kovačević] A two-day parenting seminar based in Zagreb, Croatia, 17 – 18 June attracted not just parents, but others interested in the wellbeing of children and youth. The presentations replaced traditional worship services on the Sabbath, together with added Sunday workshops and were also broadcast live on the Voice of Hope Adventist Internet channel and on the Zagreb 1 church website.
The two-day Parenthood programme, organised by the Family Ministries department of the Adriatic Union Conference (AUC) and the Trans-European Division (TED), offered inspiring lectures by Karen Holford, TED Family Ministries director. Her expertise in the areas of developmental psychology and systemic family psychotherapy was supplemented with spiritual insight and experience.
This was met with great enthusiasm by the seminar participants from the Croatian and Slovenian Conferences who attended the seminar hoping to broaden their knowledge, obtain good advice and find the inspiration and right approach which would enable them to contribute positively to the upbringing and development of children. Branko Bistrović, AUC Family Ministries director, organised the seminar in co-operation with the AUC administration in Zagreb, at the facilities of church Zagreb 1.
The Sabbath morning worship time was dedicated to lectures related to healthy relationships. Karen emphasised ten values, ten biblical gifts, or as she put it, the ‘ten positive commandments’ for the construction of healthy family relationships. It is essentially all about love, such a familiar fundamental value which many are unable to show or live by. This value was expounded into ten key concepts, providing a more detailed description whilst still emphasising practical applications in our daily lives, such as acceptance, affection, appreciation and gratitude, attention, comfort/consolation, encouragement, respect, help and support, making sure the other person feels safe, and showing others how much we value them.
Each of these concepts was elaborated on in great detail, emphasising that the opposite of love is often loneliness which is a consequence of ten concepts defined as: rejection, abuse, fault-finding, humiliation, discouragement, disrespect, condemnation, guilt or shame, neglect and abandonment.
Seminar participants were able to listen to advice and examples that will help them improve their skills in the process of helping children develop, as well as build healthy family relationships.
Later lectures focused on helping children manage their emotions, and the tricky topic of how to discipline a child. Holford called it Love with boundaries, offering numerous interesting and appropriate solutions which can help young parents as they battle strong social and media influences surrounding them and their children.
The Sunday programme included topics such as inclusion of children in family and church worship and how grown-ups should adapt. Another very important lecture was on fostering the character strengths of a child. 
It was a positive and encouraging weekend, with the worship team leading out in collective singing, whilst healthy delicious snacks were prepared for all participants.
Drago Mojzeš, AUC President, together with Bistrović thanked Holford for her wise, insightful and inspired lectures. As a parting gift, she was presented with an authentic Croatian product, a smart umbrella, a gift that may prove very useful given the infamous English weather of her homeland. [tedNEWS]
tedNEWS Staff: Victor Hulbert, editor; Esti Pujic, associate editor
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tedNEWS is an information bulletin issued by the communication department of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Trans-European Division.
