Showing posts with label CARD MINISTRY. Show all posts
Showing posts with label CARD MINISTRY. Show all posts

Sunday, December 14, 2008

2008 was New Beginnings...


















This year, our Care Ministry at church had a theme of NEW BEGINNINGS. To each person, we had a new beginning of what the Lord was doing within our lives. It looked different for each of us. For myself, it was reconciling a few relationships in my family that have been broken and learning how to FEEL different emotions without feeling like the world was going to end. I do not have that one mastered yet, but I anticipate 2009 giving me more opportunities! ;)

All year our theme was GATES, so as we closed this year in praising GOD for all that He has done in our lives, I thought this stamp set was fitting, so I made each person on our team one of these cards, there were 10 in all.

I used Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps - Thanksgiving Blessings stamp set and colored the image with Copics. They blend beautifully!

As I am closing out 2008 and heading into 2009, I know I am not the same spiritually as I was at the beginning of the year. God has been chipping away at the scars within me, healing me and molding me like clay into some thing more. I know I have not arrived yet, but I look forward to see what He has in store for our family for the coming year. I pray your New Year will be filled with much happiness, joy and good health!

ENJOY THE SEASON! MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Chrissy D

Friday, October 17, 2008

CARD MINISTRY INFORMATION

I have had several people request information about our Church's Card Ministry so I thought I would share it with you...

This is what we do - we have a fairly large church and have a Care Ministry that over sees the different needs of our Grace Church family.

I have a FABULOUS TEAM of 20 volunteers that consist of Makers and Senders. All are volunteer and most use their own supplies. The makers, make the cards and fill our file cabinet at church. The senders will write notes of encouragement and send them out. Both the makers and the senders pray for over the cards as they make them or send them out.

As a team, we send out approximately 200 cards a month. I send out a weekly and monthly report.

The weekly report is based from the church office - which come from the prayer needs and more of immediate needs of our Grace Church family. On the weekly assignments, I include a short devotional and I include a brief summary of what the person is going through (death, illness, hospitalization, birth, etc.) and the person's name. Those who serve in the military are included on that list too. I "assign" the names to our card senders and they then send cards out according to what they have gone over.

We have a church directory that has everyone's address and phone numbers. All information is kept confidential. Each card will include a Scripture and a note of encouragement based on their specific needs. We pray over the cards that we send out too.

Our monthly reports will have a devotional as well. This report will include staff encouragement, long term illnesses, people going through cancer treatments, Caregivers of special needs family members, people who have a chronic illnesses or who need more encouragement, Homebound,
Bereavement - we send out cards when people first lose a loved one, then send "thinking of you" type cards at 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, a year and Christmas.

Our team gathers a few times a year for different events. I will plan special projects for us to work on. Every year we make around 125 Thanksgiving cards. These cards go to anyone who works within the Care Ministry at our church. We also make around 125 Christmas cards for those who have lost loved ones over the years.

This year we made special Hospital Binders for our Hospital/ Homeboung Visitation Team. This is a binder filled with Scriptures - we decorated with stamps. We made 140 of these this year. I will make another one and share pictures of it for you to see.

That is not everything I do - most of it is the LORD working through me, stretching me, molding me and changing me. That is probably the hardest part! LOL

If you have any other questions, please let me know!

Psalm 73:26 (New King James Version) My flesh and my heart fail; But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Our church's website is www.graceinracine.com . Our pastor has been doing a WONDERFUL series on MORE than CONQUERORS in the book of Joshua. All messages are on the website. If you are going through a difficult time, I would encourage you to listen to them!

Have a nice weekend!