Thriving Conference: Equipping You to Care For Tweens & Teens

Saturday, February 1, 9am - 3:30pm, Bethany Green Lake

Navigating the tween and teen years can be tough. Gather in community at the Thriving Conference to gain insights from expert speakers, participate in discussions, and learn skills that lead to flourishing. This event is especially for parents, caregivers, and those who work with tweens and teens.

Keynote Speaker

Deana Thayer is a podcaster, speaker, and author with over two decades of experience in the marriage and parenting sphere. She served as a doula, childbirth educator, and infant sleep consultant before moving into podcasting and parent coaching. For the past decade, Deana and her husband Scott have drawn on their stepfamily experience to lead blended family ministry through premarital coaching, mentoring, and small groups. Deana and Scott are newly minted empty nesters with five young adult children between them.

Main Session: Proactive Tools for Guiding Youth:
The Developmental Assets Framework
Learn all about the Search Institute's Developmental Assets and how this framework can provide actionable strategies for walking alongside tweens and teens. Discover how the customizable, dynamic Asset model can offer encouragement, hope, and practical tools to help both parent and ministry leaders support the youth in their lives.



Keynote Speaker

Thane Erickson is a clinical psychologist and professor at Seattle Pacific University, where he studies anxiety disorders, interpersonal processes, and the science of character. He is humbled and awed by the ongoing adventure of parenting three amazing teens/emerging adults.

Keynote 2: Anxiety as Opportunity: How Parenting Anxious Kids Creates Opportunities for Cultivating Virtues
Parenting or mentoring anxious kids is no joke! This session overviews the nature of anxiety and introduces Christian virtues as strengths that parents/mentors can cultivate in youth and ourselves amidst the stress and messiness of parenting.



Breakout Sessions

Prepare to be encouraged and equipped from a curated lineup of experts at the Thriving Conference breakout sessions. Our speakers represent a wide range of fields, bringing unique insights and expertise to the table, covering a variety of topics, such as:

  • Navigating crisis
  • Marriage support
  • Suicide awareness/prevention
  • Reading Scripture with your kids
  • Support for LGBTQIA+ students, families
  • Stepfamily strategies for parents and ministry leaders
  • Multiethnic families
  • Navigating divorce



FAQ'S
The Thriving Conference is on Saturday, February 1 from 9am - 3pm (with check-in starting at 8:15am). There will be time and space for an “afterparty” for more conversation and connection until 4:30pm.
  • 8:15am: Check-In Opens
  • 9:00am: Opening & Keynote Session Begins
  • 10:30am: Breakout Session #1
  • 11:35am: Breakout Session #2 / First Lunch
  • 12:40pm: Breakout Session #2 / Second Lunch
  • 1:45pm: Breakout Session #3
  • 2:50pm: Closing Session & Next Steps
  • 3:30pm: After Party Begins
The event will be held at
Bethany Community Church Green Lake
8023 Green Lake Dr N, Seattle, WA 98103
Where can I park?
There is a parking lot to the west of the Sanctuary building at Bethany Community Church and open parking at Bagley Elementary (across 80th Ave.) Beyond this, street parking is also available.
How do I register?
Register Here
Is there a fee?
Yes, the cost is $35 per participant which covers hospitality, lunch, snacks, materials, and the honorariums for the presenters.

*We want everyone who wants to come to be there! Partial or full scholarships available. Prior to registration, email Pastor Chris Lyons for more information on a scholarship or to contribute to the scholarship fund.
Breakouts are selected during registration. We are hoping to honor everyone’s top choices, but recognize that some rooms and breakouts might fill up quickly. You will get an email confirmation of your breakout session a week prior to the event.
Unfortunately, there will not be childcare for this event.
Yes, there will be a “grab and go” lunch option (vegetarian and gluten free options will also be available). Let us know of dietary needs on your registration. A variety of snacks and beverages will be provided as well.
We're here to help. For questions beyond this FAQ, please email Pastor Chris Lyons.

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