Mums At The Table, a ministry of Adventist Media, has moved its playgroups online, in response to lockdown measures introduced to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
“Now that we’re all stuck at home, so many mums in the community are feeling the need to connect,” said Melody Tan, project manager of Mums At The Table (MATT).
“These playgroups online work more like mums’ meet-ups, where we have the opportunity to support mums, since it’s not physically possible to provide a space for their children to play together.”
Scheduled for Tuesday and Thursday mornings each week, the online meet-ups are organised through the MATT Facebook group and happen via Zoom. Mums are required to RSVP before they are sent a meeting link, in order to maintain users’ privacy and keep the meet-ups personal and intimate.
“It’s really just a casual catch-up with mums where we chat about anything from babies’ sleep to Thermomixers and other random things,” said Vania Chew, who co-hosts the meet-ups with Julie Laws.
“Some mums are repeat attendees, while others are joining us for the first time. Most of them are mums from the wider community who are looking for new friends.”
Before the coronavirus pandemic hit, MATT was about to launch phase two of its strategy: connecting mums from their Facebook group with playgroups organised by local Seventh-day Adventist churches in Australia and New Zealand. Lockdown measures meant the ministry had to shift the strategy online.
Besides the online mums meet-ups, Mums At The Table has also introduced a special COVID-19 information page on its website, interviewed medical experts on COVID-19 related matters for YouTube and the MATT TV show, and partnered with Christian film distributor Heritage Films to offer half-priced all-access passes to the Hope at Home online film and event festival.
Churches or individuals interested in helping can contact Mums At The Table at hello@MumsAtTheTable.com or visit www.facebook.com/groups/MumsAtTheTable.
