Spring Community Care Groups Starting!

Spring Community Care Groups

Starting!

We are so excited that our Community Care groups are starting the end of this month! 
See below for the upcoming schedule:

Celebrate Recovery 

(every Wednesday night!)

Compassionate Ministries Meeting 

(February 19th)

Life's Healing Choices 

 (February 20th)

Sacred Marriage 

(February 20th)

DivorceCare 

(February 21st)

DivorceCare for Kids  

(February 21st)

Marriage Prep Class   

(February 21st)

Surrendering the Secret   

(February 21st)

One Thousand Gifts

(February 27th)

Prayer Team

(every Saturday!)

Editor's Note:  The Community Care ministry provides emotional and spiritual support. There is a pastor or community care leader available to speak with you today.  If you have questions regarding the Community Care ministries please contact communitycare@mecklenburg.org or 704.598.9800 x 121.  You may also learn more at the Community Care website and our upcoming events page.

What to do with Suffering

 I have permission to share this story, read below:

I recently experienced some of the worst suffering I had ever experienced before in my life.  It was so bad, at one time I was crying so hard someone had to help me to set down so I would not fall.  I do not believe I could even put into words the thoughts and feelings I experienced so I will not even try.  Through this suffering a very interesting thing happened.  Many prayers I have prayed (some for years and some only for months) were answered.  Some of these included a restored relationship and a person growing closer to Christ.  This experience was the most painful and amazing experience.

This person saw before their eyes the story of the cross coming to life.  They saw deep suffering, death and destruction and then resurrection and a new life.  Someone may ask, "So God allowed this person to go through so much suffering to answer their prayers?".  Some may say, "Why would God allow such things?".

The truth is the same truth as with the story of Jesus Christ's death and resurrection.  The death and destruction was caused by sin by humans and the resurrection and new life was from God's miraculous power of grace, healing and salvation.  Pay attention to your life.  Give God your sufferings and God will show you and allow you to experience the grace, healing and wonder of a new life.   

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.  Romans 8:1, NIV

Give God Your Story

Sometimes the hardest thing to do is to give God your story.

To give God your past, present and future.

To do this many times we have to look at things we want to ignore and trust God with all the hurts.....

with all the questions...

with what we want for ourselves...

and make peace with knowing God's path may be different.

For a Christ follower that may be having a difficult time with this I would remind them that it is not about you...it is all about Christ.  We truly find ourselves when we give ourselves completely to Christ. 

We find the greatest joy and longest lasting peace.

For a person still trying to decide whether to be a Christ follower or not I would say give your story to Christ.  I promise you will not regret the decision. 

God always does amazing things with what we give to Him.  Turns mourning into joy, heartache into peace, boredom into excitement, hopelessness into a life time of purpose.


Editor's Note:  The Community Care ministry provides emotional and spiritual support. There is a pastor or community care leader available to speak with you today.  If you have questions regarding the Community Care ministries please contact communitycare@mecklenburg.org or 704.598.9800 x 121.  You may also learn more at the Community Care website and our upcoming events page.

Surrendering the Secret

 

This spring we will be having a new group move into the Community Care department of Mecklenburg Community Church called, "Surrendering the Secret:  Healing the Heartbreak of Abortion".  This is a support group that helps women who have had past abortions receive emotional and spiritual healing.  This group will start on February 23rd and you can go to our upcoming events page to learn all the details.  Be sure to watch the above video to learn more!  

We are very thankful to have this group and our prayer is that this will help bring healing into many lives!

If you have any questions about this group or any of the Community Care resources call 704.598.9800 x 121 or email communitycare@mecklenburg.org

Who are you BECOMING?

Forget "what" you are doing today. "Who" are you becoming?

I read this from a “tweet” from @SoulCare today.

I love this question so much, one that led me to some serious thinking.

• Who am I becoming?
• Is this the direction I want to go?
• If not, what needs to change?
• What needs to stay the same?

I thought…I want to be a wonderful, encouraging wife, physically fit human being, great evangelistic Christian, supportive daughter and sister, reliable friend, prolific counselor, and overall a fun person to be around…

I actually did laugh out loud after typing that sentence. I believe the picture of a perfect human being was starting to form in my head and we all know that role has already been cast and filled:  Jesus Christ.

In reality WHO am I becoming?

• I am becoming a quieter person with each year that passes (learning more and more the wisdom of listening and hearing what others have to say) [Eph. 4:29; Pro. 12:18].

• I am becoming a person who is realizing how time really does pass by so quickly and if you do not make effort to capture each moment to its fullest life becomes out of balance….[Psalm 90:12].

• Lastly, I am becoming a person who is being challenged through life circumstances to show more and more trust and faith in God [Hebrews 11:6].

So there it is, that is who I am becoming…

So, please tell me….WHO are you BECOMING?