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Start A HK Group
If you are starting to feel the calling to begin a HopeKeepers group, congratulations. It’s an exciting way to reach out to people who live with illness or pain, and not only will you find that they need encouragement and support, but they are oftentimes desiring to encourage others and pass along how God has worked in their life!
Starting a support group doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Here are the first steps to helping you get a HopeKeepers group off the ground. For additional resources and information in getting your HopeKeepers group started, click on the category of blog posts that feature HopeKeepers Start Up Resources.
RESOURCES
- Podcast - Listen to a 1-hour podcast by Rest Ministries founder, Lisa Copen, about starting a HopeKeepers Group.
- Information Packet – Download this free HK Info Packet (pdf) to print out and read.
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NEXT STEPS
STEP 1
Think about it – Pray about it. Pain is never fun, but pain with purpose is so much easier to live with. We encourage you to consider starting a group in your church or community and becoming a “wounded-healer.” We encourage you to pray about it and talk it over with your family.
STEP 2
Get to know Rest Ministries and HopeKeepers a little better. Order our quarterly HopeKeepers Magazine, as it will get you thinking about how God could use your pain to do His work. It is a 64-page digital magazine and just $5 to access. It also includes profiles of HopeKeepers groups in each issue!
Visit our social network here at Rest Ministries, called “The Sunroom.” There is a message board there (a group) just for HopeKeepers leaders or those who are interested in learning more. You don’t even have to join to read.
> Click here for other things to sign up for at
our web site that can give you some familiarity with who
we are and the audience you will be reaching.
Step 3
Get specific information on leading a group. If you haven’t yet, download our free HopeKeepers Info Packet ; it is a zipped .pdf file. If you have any troubles, let us know and we will drop a hard copy in the mail to you.
Print off a copy of Lisa’s article A Checklist of 36 Steps to Starting a Support Group – invaluable!
Step 4
Decide if you want this group to be a part of the church that you are attending. A group doesn’t have to be a part of a church. You can read more about this here.STEP 5
Order the materials. Read about our complete HopeKeepers Start-Up Kit for churches. This kit will provide you with Bible studies, a training manual on the specifics of chronic illness ministry, drama skits for your church, and much more, including books, an audio CD, and a huge binder of resources for the leader to feel well-prepared.
them know how valuable such a ministry will be in the church and use your
personal experiences as examples.If your church chooses not to order the
HopeKeepers Start Up Kit, you can order materials individually. We recommend the following materials:
- When Chronic Illness Enters Your Life Bible Study (You can order more later if you decided to start a group.)
- How to Lead Small Groups by Neil McBride
- We also have a number of helpful books available about Christians and chronic illness. A great one to use for devotional time is Mosaic Moments, by Rest Ministries founder and friends.
- Beyond Casseroles: 505 Ways to Encourage a Chronically Ill Friend is a must!
These materials and the HopeKeepers’ Info Packet will lead you through the “Am I really prepared to do this?” questions, the practical things to keep in mind when organizing such a group, and the theological issues that you may encounter and how to address them. (People are often hesitant to lead such a group, feeling, “What would I say if someone say, ‘Why is
God doing this to me? Why aren’t some people healed?’ etc.”)
Lisa Copen, our founder, wrote a few of the above books because she was unable to find any resources that directly addressed chronic illness ministry within the church. We highly recommend them. You will feel prepared to lead such a group after reading these materials.
materials. Although we are non-profit, we have not received enough funding
to distribute these resources free of charge. Thanks for understanding.
Step 6
Contact Rest Ministries to register as a HopeKeepers group. We
like to keep in touch with you so that we can better understand the needs
of the chronically ill, and what other programs and resources you desire.
We will follow up in time to see if you have noticed changes in your church
since you began the ministry and outreach. [Registration
form - .pdf file]
for them. As our ministry grows, you’ll be glad to be a part of the HopeKeepers ministry, a large network of churches, dedicated to addressing the personal needs of those dealing with illness, which is nearly half of your congregation (Chronic Care in American study).
