At Urban Family Life Conference, key is hope

The same issues affectfamilies in the city,suburban and rural areas.
By D.A. WILKINSON
VINDICATOR RELIGION EDITOR
YOUNGSTOWN -- Organizers of the Urban Family Life Conference are just getting started.
The first conference is to be Oct. 26 and 27 at Rising Star Baptist Church on the city's East Side.
But the conference's steering committee expects it will spin off into small study groups at individual churches, and a second conference will be held next year.
"We'll make it bigger and better," said Mark Brown, one of the organizers.
The conference is aimed at both blacks and whites and is open to married or engaged couples, singles and divorced parents, said Brown.
Will speak: The speaker will be Dr. Crawford W. Loritts Jr. of Atlanta, an associate director of U.S. ministries for the Campus Crusade for Christ. He founded Legacy, a ministry within Campus Crusade, dedicated to rebuilding and restoring urban families.
Loritts developed a model about 10 years ago aimed at reducing the high number of divorces among blacks, said Brown. That's been broadened to make the program inclusive.
The Mahoning Valley ranges from urban to suburban to rural, but Brown said he sees absolutely no difference in the troubles couples and families in the different areas face.
The Scripturally based program gets people to look at what they must do within the relationship. Singles can learn how to prepare themselves for a relationship. A divorced parent raising children alone can also use the program.
"The key is hope," said Brown.
The conference asks people to consider what sort of legacy they want to leave.
Brown said this is the first conference in this area using the Legacy model. Often it takes the form of a weekend conference that draws hundreds of people.
Costs kept low: The local two-day conference was created to keep costs down. The cost of $20 a person after today includes materials and a lunch.
In His Steps, a Cleveland-based group that funds religious programs, has promised to pay the steering committee $10 for each person who attends the conference, with a maximum of $5,000, said Brown. Funds will go into the continuing program.
Interested people can continue small discussion and study groups at their churches through the Homebuilders program, a continuation of the Legacy ministry.
The conference happened to evolve while planning was under way for The Youngstown HOPE 2001 Crusade Oct. 21 to 24. Crusade officials say they see the conference as a resource for the people who attend the crusade and may want to address issues in their lives.
"HOPE is concerned with the issue of salvation," said Brown. "We want to look at the issue, 'How do we live together.'"
XPeople may register at (800) FL-TODAY or online at www.familylife.com. For more information, call (330) 747-5517.