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Hopefully you’ve looked at the article this month by our evangelism team, if not click here. What busy beavers they have been, not only taking and tabulating this congregational survey last fall but also hosting the FLC Starlighting booth at our local Castle Rock Starlighting festival.
I wanted to piggy back on what the Evangelism team has uncovered as a pertinent need of our congregation through their “Faith with Vision” survey. The request for more topical small groups like our cancer support group, along with an emphasis on strengthening community and improving pastoral care within the community has led me to trying to establish a Divorce recovery support group and a Grief recovery support group.
Our cancer support group has been a Christ centered, dynamic, life changing group for some time now. This group has grown in participants to as many as 25 with 10 of those participants being nonmembers. Where as in the past we’ve had trouble keeping our small groups going beyond one six week session this group has been going for two years now. It appears that ministry done well; meeting a very present need with a Christ centered focus can have a wide appeal and a lasting presence.
That is why we’ve decided to arrange offering a Grief Recovery support group and a Divorce Recovery support group for members and non members starting this February. These support groups will meet once a month between services (9:15am to 10:15 am) in the Preschool Director’s office. The Divorce Recovery group will meet on the 3rd Sunday of the month and the Grief Recovery group will meet on the 4th Sunday of the month. We have enlisted the aid of Rev. Craig Lanning, a bivocational LCMC pastor who lives in Highlands Ranch, to facilitate these groups for their first 6 months.
If you would benefit from participating in one of these groups please join us on the appropriate Sunday. If you know of someone who might benefit from one of these support groups please extend an invitation to them, and offer to accompany them. Faith wants to fulfill its mission to “Reach, Teach and Heal all with God’s Love.” We feel this new ministry offering helps us reach out to a hurting community, and hopefully by drawing them to Christ’s love provided healing for their life.
A second item I’d like to make our members aware of is my upcoming sabbatical. When council first approved an 8 week sabbatical for me to “renew and retool,” we thought it could be during Jan and Feb. After more consideration the June/July time frame works better not only for myself and my family but also for the church as well. Current plans have me spending 2 weeks in Germany visiting the sites of Martin Luther, then coming back to Denver to repack for spending 2 weeks in Telluride, CO and then 2 weeks at a Cabin on a lake in Tennessee. These are just the general plans and not yet set in stone (except for the June/July time frame).
I’m very thankful for a congregation that is willing to invest in their pastor’s spiritual and mental health by providing this opportunity for a Sabbatical. What a very caring and gifted community we have here at Faith Lutheran. May God continue to bless and lead us this coming year.
Pastor Mike
Pastor Mike
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