This morning a group gathered at my home to once again shape the vision for a ministry of care.
I began our time with a reminder from the apostle Paul in his letter to the Ephesians. "He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ." Yes, we are his children, "chosen before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love." Yet, we continue to have places within each of us that impede our growth to wholeness and reflecting the image of God. M. Robert Mulholland, in his book Invitation to a Journey, calls these "points of unlikeness to Christ." This morning the group was challenged to consider their own points of unlikeness and the importance of staying on their own journey of being conformed to Christ's image as we help others do the same.
After devotions, each group member was invited to share what God was doing in his or her life through "prayer planning." (See earlier blog, Anatomy of a Care Ministry: Prayer Planning.)
We sat out on my deck, enjoying the long awaited sunshine while the birds sang out to each other in the trees. Three women shared their personal stories and sang their own songs of how God was using them to bless people and the church. A bond was quickly created for they shared the same spiritual gifts and holy calling: discernment and intercession.
I think God brought these women together at this point in time so they wouldn't be alone in their calling. For no one truly understands what it is like to experience what one woman called the heartache and joy of the gift of intercession.
I love when God puts ministry together. As the leader of this small group time this morning, my job instantly became easy. Here is what quickly unfolded:
1. Each month, these intercessors, along with others that desire to become part of the team, will pray together for the church, the pastoral staff, for the new formational and healing care ministry and each other. (We haven't landed on a name for the ministry yet, but I think we might be close.)
2. Once a week, individual intercessors will pray in the two worship areas of the church and in other areas of the church as well.
3. The intercession team will come together in July to view a video on prayer, spiritual warfare and healing.
4. The women borrowed several of my books to help enrich their understanding of intercession and healing prayer. Authors Jim Cymbala, Dutch Sheets and Francis MacNutt will be perused and new concepts will be grasped.
5. We will communicate our plans to the Spiritual Health Team, the group to whom we are accountable.
6. We will begin to develop ways to educate the congregation on spiritual and emotional healing.
The anatomy of a care ministry at Park Street is becoming clearer.
Prayer serves as the endoskeleton and intercession is positioned in the body as the heartbeat of it all.
Coming next: while we are training people for a future formational and healing ministry, what do we do with people's needs in the Now?
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