This past weekend I drove down to Portland to be a part of the first ever Father-Shift Conference. Fatherlessness in America is a major, major problem... and various groups in Portland are very aware of it not only across the country but also in their own city. The goal was to raise awareness and equip the community to bring healing and change the landscape of fatherlessness in Portland. The conference was described as for you if:
-You have experienced or are experiencing the pain of fatherlessness
-You are raising your child/children alone
-You desire to impact the lives of people in your church/school/city
-You want to become a better father, you want to learn practical ways to show Jesus' love to hurting people
-You want to unite with believers throughout the city to make a difference
-You value the biblical mandate to care for the fatherless.
I was completely sold, and registered quickly (and found it funny that I was the only one out of hundreds who signed up for a vegetarian lunch option). Since I was having a friend in town, and he works in the schools, I made him sign up too. If you work with or are around children, youth, families, adults, parents, or any other human beings, you are feeling the far reach of this issue. We are all, weather explicitly or not, confronted with fatherlessness...
Most of all I went so that I could listen to and meet with Dr. John Sowers of The Mentoring Project. He's the president of TMP, a non-profit (founded by Donald Miller) that is "re-writing the fatherless story through mentoring." John is at the forefront of the field, as being recognized by the White House, and has a book titled Fatherless Generation. I was able to schedule some time with him to connect, get to know each other a bit, and ask questions. Loved hearing his heart through our conversation- he's a really genuine man doing an awesome work.
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It was a big win to get in on the conference, be around like-minded people, and make some great connections.
-j
