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Care Groups - Tips and Insights

The Role of Care Groups in God's Plan

The church is God’s first display of the complete unity which He will bring to pass under Christ at the end of the age! (Eph 1:9-10) And our care groups are a part of this amazing plan. It’s sometimes easy to forget that when we’re in the comfort of our weekly meet-ups with the same familiar faces. Here are some practical (and hopefully fun) suggestions for how we in our CGs can live out this unity:

  • Apply what we learn in each week’s CG Bible study, especially in relation to our attitudes and relationships with our CG members, and with the wider church.
  • Get to know the members of another CG! A few months ago our CG had a combined CG BBQ with another CG – it was great fun; we made new friends, and got to enjoy lots of yummy food. More recently we also had a combined CG session and supper with another CG of a different demographic. You can also visit each other’s CGs.
  • Encourage your CG to attend monthly prayer meetings together.
  • Pray through items in the church bulletin, together as a CG.
  • Look out for your CG members’ strengths and talents, and encourage them to use these to serve in the church.
  • Make CGs a topic of conversation in church fellowship! Ask “Do you attend a CG?” and “How’s your CG doing?” when mingling before and after Sunday service.

 

by Clara Tung

 

Unity – The By-product of Flesh Killing

Greg Gilbert explains – “Unity exists when Self-Regard dies, and Self-Regard dies at the foot of the Cross”. It is clear that if we do not slay the ‘flesh’ within us, unity will remain elusive. Gilbert suggests that the only way flesh can be slain is to stand before the Cross and remember who we are.

I am in a Care Group (CG) that is somewhat different from my usual demographic – one that consists mostly of young parents, with burdens and cares very different from my own. I have tried to slay self-regard in the following ways. Perhaps some form of cross-demographic unity has been achieved.

  1. In this CG, I have been praying for things that I would otherwise never pray for. This is largely the result of observing our young parents ‘parent’, which is a joy to watch. In line with the mission of our church, I pray for them to be faithful disciple-makers in their households, and that Christ will reveal Himself to these young kids even at a tender age.
  2. I have found God working in me to be more patient. It was a culture shock to arrive in a CG with eight kids screaming and doing a study at the same time. For this I admire our young parents! I think one year on, I now find this a non-issue and am able to do the study (still with kids screaming).
  3. I am now more aware of the challenges facing young parents when it comes to CG participation. It is difficult to come to CG when kids fall ill. It is something to consider, especially as CG is such a staple of our church in ministering God’s Word to our members.

I hope these perspectives have been useful in some way. :)

 

by Tan Yee Kiat