By Greg Dill
Simplicity means the achievement of maximum effect with minimal means. In the digital and information age we live, things are to be more simple. And, practically speaking perhaps they are. But, in the big scheme of things it seems life has become much more complicated. When given a simple task or a project, committees are formed, multiple documents are created, and strategies are outlined. Budget plans are drafted, polls are taken, and branding packages are visualized. It seems this carries over into ministry and church too. Not to discount these things, but I wonder if we tend to over-complicate things that don’t really need complicating. Are churches and ministries any better off today than they were during the early church years? We go to conferences, read books, and learn how to become better equipped. But, what Christianity needs are less conferences on how to become better equipped and more action with what we’re already equipped with.
There really is no right way or wrong way of doing ministry if we truly walk in the Spirit and let the Lord take the lead. Written almost like a Psalm, God declares through the prophet Isaiah, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.” (Isaiah 55:8) We may think we know how to do things, but may find ourselves wallowing in many failed attempts if we do it our way. Sometimes we just need to dive into the trenches, get our hands dirty, and do as the Spirit may lead.
In the seven months that I have lived in Albania and do ministry amongst the Roma, I have found that the most effective way of doing ministry is… get ready for it… grab a pen and paper… steady yourself… are you ready? Developing relationships. That’s it. Nothing more. Nothing less. Simple. Getting to know people, entering into their world, and being real and transparent with them. Sure, some are guarded and others may thumb their nose at me. But, most are not and are actually excited about this new relationship that may or may not lead them into an even greater relationship with God.
Looking back through the Gospels, it seems this is how Jesus’ ministry was most effective… developing relationships. Simple. He didn’t have committees, daily planners, and proven methods and strategies. He didn’t hang pretty brochures on doorknobs or iPhones to resort to for His next plan of action. Sure, He was God… He didn’t need these things. But, He was also a man… in many ways like you and me restricted by time and place. And yet, He managed to bring thousands of people near to Him, healing them, feeding them, and expounding deep spiritual truths upon them that transformed their lives forever. How? By engaging people, talking to them, dining with them, holding them, and loving them.
I’ve argued that evangelism is much more than mere proclamation of the Gospel. Evangelism is what we do in both word AND deed. People will respond to the Gospel by hearing it and others by seeing it in action. If we truly emulate Jesus in all things we do, people will certainly inquire. Joseph Aldrich in his book, “Lifestyle Evangelism” says, “People don’t care how much we proclaim to know until they know how much we care.” Sure, I tell people about Jesus. But, sometimes I don’t. Sometimes the Lord may lead me to simply help them with something. Sometimes this may involve having a cup of coffee with someone at a local cafe and just listen. Other times it may involve driving someone to a nearby clinic. Or, handing an apple to a malnourished child. Getting rid of a hornets nest from a single mother’s home. Raking a neighbor’s leaves or trash pile. Little things like these tell a lot about Christ. And, they’re simple.
I’ll close with another one of my favorite quotes that I believe hammers this point home: “Preach the gospel always, if necessary use words.” (St. Francis of Assisi)
Do we substitute telling people about Jesus by always meeting a need? No. But, what I am saying is that not every moment may call for a presentation of the Gospel. Instead, it may just require getting to know someone and see where a need is. You may or may not meet the need, but at least you’re showing you care… and that alone speaks volumes. Simplicity.
—-
Greg Dill, along with his wife and three kids are missionaries serving amongst the Roma (Gypsies) in the country of Albania. Their mission is twofold: to introduce the Good News of Jesus Christ and to help move them from abject poverty into productive and self-sustainable lifestyles through education and the development of simple business skills.
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Priority #1 Knexions!
There are at least 59 references in the New Testament where we are commanded to love, encourage, forgive, bear with, carry burdens, and provide mutual support for one another that imply gathering in small groups. Jesus knew and stressed that importance and the effectiveness of meeting in small groups that Midpark calls Knexions. He choose twelve disciples to live three years with while on earth. He ate, taught, rested, travelled, and “Lived Life Together”. All as an example of how we are to order our lives today as believers and to model what the church was to look like. In order to accomplish this and fulfill the intention of what the church is ideally suppose to be, HOSTs are vital. In this issue we want to outline five essential things that must be done by HOSTs that will accelerate the journey toward a healthy fully functional biblical Christian experience.
1. Accept responsibility for your group. As a HOST you are motivated and committed to exercise the gift of leadership in your life. But we all have distractions and issues that come up that take the energy out of us and out of working to ensure that our Knexions Group is successful. Responsibility is rooted in being “response-able” or the “ability to respond”. This means taking the initiative and making sure we follow up even when we don’t feel like it. Doing this will reap great rewards, communicate to others our support, and lead to great satisfaction.
2. Establish goals for your group. Nothing creates motion in an individual like having goals. They are the fuel to accomplish those things we want to do. When as a HOST you are feeling bogged down and lacking motivation, sit down and prayerfully begin to write down some very simple and practical goals. Goals must be S.M.A.R.T. Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time sensitive.
3. Be available for individual and group mentoring. Lance Armstrong wrote a book about his achievements in bike racing. His title for the book was appropriately called, “Its not about the bike”. Sometimes our passion is focused on precisely what we think we need to do. That is lead a Bible study, facilitate a prayer meeting, organize an outdoor adventure, assist in a self-help group, etc. But God’s bigger picture is that He wants to work through a HOST beyond what we do but the time and attention we give to those he has entrusted us with. So a HOST pays attention to the needs of individuals in a group that may need a part of yourself more that the work of the Knexions Group.
4. Join in the coaching and training being provided by Midpark. As a HOST you are doing more than doing a Knexions Group. You are addressing an even bigger picture than the small group. You are extending yourself as a servant to other people’s spiritual development. This can be taxing and challenging as all care giving is. Midpark has developed a comprehensive strategy to ensure that HOSTs are properly taken care of. Each HOST has a Section Leader and a Zone leader. They are a HOSTs life line to confidentially confide in and draw encouragement and guidance.
This is the first place a HOST should go. If you don’t know who that person is call the church office and find out who you are to go to. Midpark also conducts training of all sorts to enhance personal growth, train in how to’s, and create a safe place. Remember Midpark is a place of community and commitment. Regular attendance to the Sunday Celebrations, participation in the HOST training sessions, and registration to the CCN seminars and the like are vital to your success.
5. Become an accountable HOST. Midpark is a “permission granting” organization and not a “permission withholding” one. This means our intention as leaders and pastors is to help HOSTs discover their spiritual gift and find a place to serve others with it. Midpark’s way of saying this is that we want to “remove obstacles” in your way to do what God has called you to do. God believes in you and we do to! Accountability is a key biblical concept that allows us, through respect for leadership and submission to supervision, that ensures a strong learning community. Midpark has established some very small and minimal requirements for HOSTs of Knexions Groups. It is important to be aware of them and to adhere them.
Remember, “We get to do this!”
Thursday, August 25, 2011
The Role of Knexions @Midpark Church
Knexions is church! After the Day of Pentecost thousands of people placed their faith in Jesus and a plan unfolded where God’s ideal began to take shape. The new believers gathered in two venues one being the Temple where large crowds could join to celebrate their new found faith and the other was going from house to house to participate in teaching, praying, taking communion, and building relationships with one another. The Temple meetings were for expression of worship and hearing motivating messages that encourage the heart. The house meetings were for fulfilling what Jesus came to accomplish which was to bring people together around faith. Along with the elements mentioned above the house meetings also became a place where faith was shared and expressed by good works. Good works were taking care of the poor, hurting, marginalized, sick, etc.
So this is a small picture of what a biblically functioning and healthy church is. It is one that meets for Celebration and gathers in small groups to grow, build relationships, and share the Good News. Midpark through Knexions Groups (through you!) makes it possible for us to be that biblically functioning and healthy church.
Your place in the big picture God has is vital. That weekly meeting you HOST whether it be an outdoor adventure group, prayer group, Bible study, support group, etc is God’s dream unfolding in you and for those who are part of your group. Midpark serves 65-70 Knexions Groups each semester.
Imagine one day hundreds of such groups with hundreds of HOSTs operating out of Midpark and thousands of people in those groups benefiting from the relationships, Bible teaching, prayer, and genuine community building. Also imagine people who do not know Jesus being befriended by others and coming into Knexions Groups where strong relationships are developed and opportunities to come to Jesus are created. We get to do this!
Join One-Start One! Today admin@midpark.ca or visit http://www.midpark.ca
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Workplace Influence
By Michael Steward
30 Ways To Bless Your Workplace
A few weeks ago I posted some very practical ideas for engaging your neighborhood with the Gospel. To follow that up I have compiled 30 ideas for engaging people in your workplace. The workplace is an everyday context where many people spend the majority of their time. It is important for us to know what it looks like to bring gospel intentionality to our jobs. Hopefully this will help spark a few ideas for connecting with and blessing your coworkers.
1. Instead of eating lunch alone, intentionally eat with other co-workers and learn their story.
2. Get to work early so you can spend some time praying for your co-workers and the day ahead.
3. Make it a daily priority to speak or write encouragement when someone does good work.
4. Bring extra snacks when you make your lunch to give away to others.
5. Bring breakfast (donuts, burritos, cereal, etc.) once a month for everyone in your department.
6. Organize a running/walking group in the before or after work.
7. Have your missional community/small group bring lunch to your workplace once a month.
8. Create a regular time to invite coworkers over or out for drinks.
9. Make a list of your co-workers birthdays and find a way to bless everyone on their birthday.
10. Organize and throw office parties as appropriate to your job.
11. Make every effort to avoid gossip in the office. Be a voice of thanksgiving not complaining.
12. Find others that live near you and create a car pool.
13. Offer to throw a shower for a co-worker who is having a baby.
14. Offer to cover for a co-worker who needs off for something.
15. Start a regular lunch out with co-workers (don’t be selective on the invites).
16. Organize a weekly/monthly pot luck to make lunch a bit more exciting.
17. Ask someone who others typically ignore if you can grab them a soda/coffee while you’re out.
18. Be the first person to greet and welcome new people.
19. Make every effort to know the names of co-workers and clients along with their families.
20. Visit coworkers when they are in the hospital.
21. Bring sodas or work appropriate drinks to keep in your break room for coworkers to enjoy. Know what your co-workers like.
22. Go out of your way to talk to your janitors and cleaning people who most people overlook.
23. Find out your co-workers favorite music and make a playlist that includes as much as you can (if suitable for work).
24. Invite your co-workers in to the service projects you are already involved in.
25. Start/join a city league team with your co-workers.
26. Organize a weekly co-working group for local entrepreneurs at a local coffee shop.
27. Start a small business that will bless your community and create space for mission.
28. Work hard to reconcile co-workers who are fighting with one another.
29. Keep small candy, gum, or little snacks around to offer to others during a long day.
30. Lead the charge in organizing others to help co-workers in need.
Would love to hear other ways you have connected with the people you work with.
These are very practical ideas for what to do but we also need to consider how and why we do it. Here is a helpful sermon from Jonathan Dodson on this subject - LINK: EXISTING TO WORK
1 week ago
30 Ways To Bless Your Workplace
A few weeks ago I posted some very practical ideas for engaging your neighborhood with the Gospel. To follow that up I have compiled 30 ideas for engaging people in your workplace. The workplace is an everyday context where many people spend the majority of their time. It is important for us to know what it looks like to bring gospel intentionality to our jobs. Hopefully this will help spark a few ideas for connecting with and blessing your coworkers.
1. Instead of eating lunch alone, intentionally eat with other co-workers and learn their story.
2. Get to work early so you can spend some time praying for your co-workers and the day ahead.
3. Make it a daily priority to speak or write encouragement when someone does good work.
4. Bring extra snacks when you make your lunch to give away to others.
5. Bring breakfast (donuts, burritos, cereal, etc.) once a month for everyone in your department.
6. Organize a running/walking group in the before or after work.
7. Have your missional community/small group bring lunch to your workplace once a month.
8. Create a regular time to invite coworkers over or out for drinks.
9. Make a list of your co-workers birthdays and find a way to bless everyone on their birthday.
10. Organize and throw office parties as appropriate to your job.
11. Make every effort to avoid gossip in the office. Be a voice of thanksgiving not complaining.
12. Find others that live near you and create a car pool.
13. Offer to throw a shower for a co-worker who is having a baby.
14. Offer to cover for a co-worker who needs off for something.
15. Start a regular lunch out with co-workers (don’t be selective on the invites).
16. Organize a weekly/monthly pot luck to make lunch a bit more exciting.
17. Ask someone who others typically ignore if you can grab them a soda/coffee while you’re out.
18. Be the first person to greet and welcome new people.
19. Make every effort to know the names of co-workers and clients along with their families.
20. Visit coworkers when they are in the hospital.
21. Bring sodas or work appropriate drinks to keep in your break room for coworkers to enjoy. Know what your co-workers like.
22. Go out of your way to talk to your janitors and cleaning people who most people overlook.
23. Find out your co-workers favorite music and make a playlist that includes as much as you can (if suitable for work).
24. Invite your co-workers in to the service projects you are already involved in.
25. Start/join a city league team with your co-workers.
26. Organize a weekly co-working group for local entrepreneurs at a local coffee shop.
27. Start a small business that will bless your community and create space for mission.
28. Work hard to reconcile co-workers who are fighting with one another.
29. Keep small candy, gum, or little snacks around to offer to others during a long day.
30. Lead the charge in organizing others to help co-workers in need.
Would love to hear other ways you have connected with the people you work with.
These are very practical ideas for what to do but we also need to consider how and why we do it. Here is a helpful sermon from Jonathan Dodson on this subject - LINK: EXISTING TO WORK
1 week ago
Friday, July 15, 2011
Strategic Stopping
Want off the treadmill? Can't seem to get it quite right? Here are some strategic ways to really stop.
1. Remind yourself that in this stressed out world full of demands that are unrealistic rest is not a luxury! It's a necessity. If you want longevity, creativity, productivity and effectiveness to be sustained in your life you must STOP!
2. Reframe what stopping is. It's not an abandonment of our lot in life. It's not a quitting. And it's not an end. Stopping is the beginning of something! Stopping is loading up on recreation to be as prepared as you can be to enter the next leg of your race in life. You lose if you got into it without having stopped.
Stopping Killers: The Work of Stopping
1. That agitated feeling you get where you can't sit still. Your mind constantly goes to phone calls, to do lists, social media posts, etc.work it through. Invite those triggers to be a part of the shutting down to stopping process. Eventually they leave till it's time to get going again.
2. A 'landing bump'. This is where all your issues that have been suppressed surface or disciplines that have been ignored begin to become evident. The temptation is to get busy again to control, ignore or maintain them at a distance. This is a season to journey through! To resolve issues or to get back to some basics or to re-prioritize things in your life. Facing head on these things makes you better and stronger going into the next leg. To run mounts up the EQ work to be done then you are at a wall.
3. Extreme fatigue leading to a sense of laziness, unproductively, frustration, even builder generation guilt. Again this is both necessary and temporal! We need a re-charge! As my wife often challenges me with by saying, 'Get off the cross...we need the wood.' no matter how divinely empowered we think we are with boundless energy our created beings can only go so far and take so much.
'I would not take a fig for simplicity on this side of complexity, but I would give my life for simplicity on the other side of complexity.'
Oliver Wendell Holmes
1. Remind yourself that in this stressed out world full of demands that are unrealistic rest is not a luxury! It's a necessity. If you want longevity, creativity, productivity and effectiveness to be sustained in your life you must STOP!
2. Reframe what stopping is. It's not an abandonment of our lot in life. It's not a quitting. And it's not an end. Stopping is the beginning of something! Stopping is loading up on recreation to be as prepared as you can be to enter the next leg of your race in life. You lose if you got into it without having stopped.
Stopping Killers: The Work of Stopping
1. That agitated feeling you get where you can't sit still. Your mind constantly goes to phone calls, to do lists, social media posts, etc.work it through. Invite those triggers to be a part of the shutting down to stopping process. Eventually they leave till it's time to get going again.
2. A 'landing bump'. This is where all your issues that have been suppressed surface or disciplines that have been ignored begin to become evident. The temptation is to get busy again to control, ignore or maintain them at a distance. This is a season to journey through! To resolve issues or to get back to some basics or to re-prioritize things in your life. Facing head on these things makes you better and stronger going into the next leg. To run mounts up the EQ work to be done then you are at a wall.
3. Extreme fatigue leading to a sense of laziness, unproductively, frustration, even builder generation guilt. Again this is both necessary and temporal! We need a re-charge! As my wife often challenges me with by saying, 'Get off the cross...we need the wood.' no matter how divinely empowered we think we are with boundless energy our created beings can only go so far and take so much.
'I would not take a fig for simplicity on this side of complexity, but I would give my life for simplicity on the other side of complexity.'
Oliver Wendell Holmes
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Jesus Chronicles#1
One of the biggest challenges followers of Jesus express on a constant basis is hearing God's voice. I can relate at times.
I cannot imagine the context and implications to passionate people of God who lived in the era of 400 years of God's silence. This was the period of history between the Old Testament and the emerging of John the Baptist in the New Testament.
Scholars have called this time when God did not speak to His people 'the echo of God'. Try as they may all that came back in response to their calls out to God was the sound of their own petitions. What replaced it was a sterile attempt to follow God's teachings or a flimsy hope that one day in the distant future God would 'show up'!
What was lost was the covering and protection of a loving, gracious, forgiving God whose sole aspiration was (and is) to restore broken relationships, heal broken people, reinstate His dream for His creation. The Old Testament reveals an active and involved God in His creation and people. When lost He directed, when disobedient He brought to our attention the self destructive inclination, when off the right path He called for a national turning around, when obstinate He disciplined, and when discouraged He reminded of His promises.
A far cry from the options we tend to default to! Religion that doesn't fulfill and idealism that doesn't bring resolution here and now. The Jesus Chronicles reveal another option. Jesus came that we might have life. He offers not a sterile teaching that with gut retching effort makes us 'o.k.' or a distance hope that doesn't address our present circumstances. But a presence that brings joy, peace, and place of rightness with him, others and ourselves.
With John the Baptist's emergence the Jesus Chronicles begin in the New Testament. His message was that God was taking action, His voice was once again fresh, that He was going go protect us, and our aspirations He placed in us can be realized.
I cannot imagine the context and implications to passionate people of God who lived in the era of 400 years of God's silence. This was the period of history between the Old Testament and the emerging of John the Baptist in the New Testament.
Scholars have called this time when God did not speak to His people 'the echo of God'. Try as they may all that came back in response to their calls out to God was the sound of their own petitions. What replaced it was a sterile attempt to follow God's teachings or a flimsy hope that one day in the distant future God would 'show up'!
What was lost was the covering and protection of a loving, gracious, forgiving God whose sole aspiration was (and is) to restore broken relationships, heal broken people, reinstate His dream for His creation. The Old Testament reveals an active and involved God in His creation and people. When lost He directed, when disobedient He brought to our attention the self destructive inclination, when off the right path He called for a national turning around, when obstinate He disciplined, and when discouraged He reminded of His promises.
A far cry from the options we tend to default to! Religion that doesn't fulfill and idealism that doesn't bring resolution here and now. The Jesus Chronicles reveal another option. Jesus came that we might have life. He offers not a sterile teaching that with gut retching effort makes us 'o.k.' or a distance hope that doesn't address our present circumstances. But a presence that brings joy, peace, and place of rightness with him, others and ourselves.
With John the Baptist's emergence the Jesus Chronicles begin in the New Testament. His message was that God was taking action, His voice was once again fresh, that He was going go protect us, and our aspirations He placed in us can be realized.
Friday, March 11, 2011
The Volunteer Effect
Dave Hall, PAOC Alberta District Office, wrote the following article on an @Midpark Church area of service. In 2005 Randy Johnson, Sheila Muirhead and myself committed ourselves to address the need to, a) provide a truly effective support system in the local church, b) train volunteers to rise to the level of competency, and c) enmesh the ministry into @Midpark's Mission Statement.
After meetings and presentations to the @Midpark leadership, plans got under way. Today under the leadership of Danell McSween, Jacqueline Mueller, Susan Tam and Derek Sheahan @Midpark's CareNet ministry has benefitted countless people both inside and outside the congregation. CarNet has also make inroads to a host of various organizations and community resources creating true partnerships.
Much thanks goes to a movement of volunteers of 50 plus who have engaged in a Missional Christianity.
By Dave Hall
As I meet with our District Credential Holders and go to the places they minister, I often hear some great ideas for ministry in local churches and their communities. After hearing some of these ideas, I have often thought, “I wish I’d heard of that when I was pastoring. That’s a great ministry plan!” Over the past 3 plus years of hearing about great ministries that our District churches and ministries are doing, I have decided to share some of them in our District Update as a regular feature. As you read them, you might just catch something that you can do in your sphere of God’s Kingdom. It may not be exactly what is being reported but you may begin to see something you had never thought of before. So in this regular feature, if a seed gets planted in your mind, my prayer is that it will grow to be a blessing wherever you minister.
In this first feature, here is an idea for providing care in the local Church and community. Derek Sheahan is on the Pastoral team at Midpark Christian Assembly in Calgary with Lee Primeau. Here is a brief description from Derek on “CareNet”…
CareNet
CareNet is a support ministry aimed at meeting practical and spiritual needs of people at Midpark and beyond. It is a network that links one person’s gifting to another’s need. In its most basic definition, CareNet facilitates CARE.
CareNet is a community of people who demonstrate compassion, caring and serving. There are two main roles -- the first is the practical response to and care of those in need. We commit to provide an unconditional caring response to the emotionally distraught, the struggling, the lonely, the shut-ins, the sick and the dying. The second is to establish partnerships with external resources to more efficiently and productively care for those in need.
As CareNet has grown, we have implemented different teams to accommodate the regular patterns of need we have seen. The teams are:
PrayerNet: they are the prayer chain team and also are the ones we call upon in church services if prayer is needed for individuals.
MMM-Midpark Meals Ministry: this team regularly meets to cook and stock our freezer so we can give food to families in need for all occasions.
Emergency Meals Team: this team is called if we have funerals or last minute food needs
Transportation Team: this team is called if people are needing rides to church, hospital, doctors, etc....
Moving Team: this team is called upon if someone in the community is moving and needs helpers or trucks.
Miscellaneous Team: this team covers all the rest of the requests from helping someone fix a household item, to donating furniture, to whatever comes our way...no need is rejected.
In addition to these teams, CareNet oversees our support groups which are now GriefShare, Divorce Care, Surviving the Holidays, Anger Management, Dealing with Depression, Caregivers of Alzheimer/Dementia, A Trusted Friend (a facilitators course), Financial Management. Benevolence, HomeStart, and OIL (operating in love) are also under our CareNet umbrella.
Not every need can be met in-house, and so CareNet has endeavored to partner with other ministries and resources outside our church. We have a vast array of resources that we can direct for individuals from counselors, to financial aid, to shelters, to medical assistance. No need is refused.
We believe CareNet represents what the church is already supposed to be doing... making an impact in people’s lives for the kingdom of God and His glory.
After meetings and presentations to the @Midpark leadership, plans got under way. Today under the leadership of Danell McSween, Jacqueline Mueller, Susan Tam and Derek Sheahan @Midpark's CareNet ministry has benefitted countless people both inside and outside the congregation. CarNet has also make inroads to a host of various organizations and community resources creating true partnerships.
Much thanks goes to a movement of volunteers of 50 plus who have engaged in a Missional Christianity.
By Dave Hall
As I meet with our District Credential Holders and go to the places they minister, I often hear some great ideas for ministry in local churches and their communities. After hearing some of these ideas, I have often thought, “I wish I’d heard of that when I was pastoring. That’s a great ministry plan!” Over the past 3 plus years of hearing about great ministries that our District churches and ministries are doing, I have decided to share some of them in our District Update as a regular feature. As you read them, you might just catch something that you can do in your sphere of God’s Kingdom. It may not be exactly what is being reported but you may begin to see something you had never thought of before. So in this regular feature, if a seed gets planted in your mind, my prayer is that it will grow to be a blessing wherever you minister.
In this first feature, here is an idea for providing care in the local Church and community. Derek Sheahan is on the Pastoral team at Midpark Christian Assembly in Calgary with Lee Primeau. Here is a brief description from Derek on “CareNet”…
CareNet
CareNet is a support ministry aimed at meeting practical and spiritual needs of people at Midpark and beyond. It is a network that links one person’s gifting to another’s need. In its most basic definition, CareNet facilitates CARE.
CareNet is a community of people who demonstrate compassion, caring and serving. There are two main roles -- the first is the practical response to and care of those in need. We commit to provide an unconditional caring response to the emotionally distraught, the struggling, the lonely, the shut-ins, the sick and the dying. The second is to establish partnerships with external resources to more efficiently and productively care for those in need.
As CareNet has grown, we have implemented different teams to accommodate the regular patterns of need we have seen. The teams are:
PrayerNet: they are the prayer chain team and also are the ones we call upon in church services if prayer is needed for individuals.
MMM-Midpark Meals Ministry: this team regularly meets to cook and stock our freezer so we can give food to families in need for all occasions.
Emergency Meals Team: this team is called if we have funerals or last minute food needs
Transportation Team: this team is called if people are needing rides to church, hospital, doctors, etc....
Moving Team: this team is called upon if someone in the community is moving and needs helpers or trucks.
Miscellaneous Team: this team covers all the rest of the requests from helping someone fix a household item, to donating furniture, to whatever comes our way...no need is rejected.
In addition to these teams, CareNet oversees our support groups which are now GriefShare, Divorce Care, Surviving the Holidays, Anger Management, Dealing with Depression, Caregivers of Alzheimer/Dementia, A Trusted Friend (a facilitators course), Financial Management. Benevolence, HomeStart, and OIL (operating in love) are also under our CareNet umbrella.
Not every need can be met in-house, and so CareNet has endeavored to partner with other ministries and resources outside our church. We have a vast array of resources that we can direct for individuals from counselors, to financial aid, to shelters, to medical assistance. No need is refused.
We believe CareNet represents what the church is already supposed to be doing... making an impact in people’s lives for the kingdom of God and His glory.
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