Care Groups
Click Here for Care Group Times and Locations
CARE Groups are a special
part of the Harvester's ministry. They provide family times of
fellowship and Bible study, done during the week, in a small group
setting.
In Our CARE Groups You
Will Find:
- Friendship
- A Small group setting
- Support
- A place to belong
- Encouragement for singles, single parents
- Ways to apply scripture in everyday Life
- Households including teens and children
A Focus of CARE Groups is Strengthening Households.
Why CARE
Groups?
Care Groups are the primary place for pastoral care and discipleship.
Care Groups provide a warm and personal setting where deep relationships
can form. Isnt that what the church is all about
intimate relationship with God and with one another? Shepherding,
personal oversight and guidance within small groups supplements
and reinforces the preaching ministry of our pastor. Care Groups
are not just another program or meeting. We see the Care Groups
as being the heart of the church. Much of the life and growth
of the church body occurs in and through our Care Groups. We are
Christians bonding together and maturing in the power of the Gospel
and working together to impact a lost world, i.e. to disciple
the nations.
What are CARE
Groups?
Care
Groups are comprised of 6-12 adults including all members of their
households. They usually meet once a week in a home. Care Groups
are where we learn to apply biblical principles to all of life.
Those demonstrating the gifts and calling to disciple the flock
are either Elders or other qualified leaders.
More than a bible study, Care Group members actively apply the
Word to grow spiritually so we may be more effective in ministering
to one another. Most Care Groups develop opportunities to carry
the gospel beyond the group in numerous ways into our community.
Our desire is for Care Groups to multiply rather than grow too
large for effective shepherding. Birthing of new Care Groups provides
healthy training for the larger church.
Five Essential Elements of CARE
Groups:
- Praise and Worship
- Applying the Word of God
- Prayer
- Fellowship
- Outreach to those around us
Purpose
of C.A.R.E. Groups
CONNECTING
WITH GOD AND PEOPLE
We
gather together in the name of Christ to experience His presence
and power. We also connect with fellow Christians. God never intended
for the Christian life to be lived in isolation. "
and
breaking bread from house to house
with gladness and sincerity
of heart" [Acts 2:46]. We are to stimulate one another to
love and good deeds. [Heb 10:24]
ACCEPTING
AND LOVING ONE ANOTHER
Romans 15:4 instructs us to "accept one another, just as
Christ also accepted us to the glory of God." We come from
different backgrounds, have different opinions about things, and
have different maturity levels. It is Jesus Christ that unites
us as brothers and sisters. The world will know we are Christians
by our love for one another. [Gal 6:10]
REFLECTING
JESUS CHRIST
Every Christian is called to become more conformed to the image
of Jesus each day. God doesnt leave us the way He found
us. God brings about this change in us by the power of His Spirit
as we apply the Bible to our lives. We speak of the household
of faith being God's church. Care Groups actively minister to
strengthen family relationships. The Care Group is where spiritual
leadership within the family is developed for this and the next
generation(s) [1 Tim 3:1ff]. Our focus includes building a Biblical
World View into children, preparing them for the time when God
will raise them up as future leaders. This household focus provides
unparalleled encouragement to singles, single parents, widows
and widowers, by endeavoring to provide a biblical model of the
household.
EXTENDING
GODS KINGDOM BY SHARING THE GOSPEL
We
are known by the fruit we bear. We are called to be salt and light
in the community, to be ambassadors, holding out hope for those
providentially brought into our paths. Care Groups practice our
readiness to share the gospel, individually and as households.
1 Peter 3:16. Care Group members pool resources for ministry opportunities
that might otherwise be disregarded. Ministry of Mercy is much
needed and is a unique calling of the church through the Care
Group.
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