We're giving away 3 copies of this new book by Lisa Copen! If you are even thinking about starting an illness support group, you won't want to miss this book. It's packed full of 320-pages of all the answers RM Director Lisa has given group leaders in emails for over 10 years. It also includes a chapters on Suffering, Healing, & How Churches Can Make a Difference. Here are some of the other things you will find in this new book! What a chronic illness is & does it matter if it's invisible A brief history of illness ministry in the medical community Benefits of small group ministry for the individual & the church How to lead when you are ill Steps to formulate the purpose of your small group, the logistics, … [Read more...]
Tell Us About Your HopeKeepers Group
January 5, 2010 By Leave a Comment
We love to hear about your HopeKeepers Groups! People who are looking to start a group or who are also leading groups are always interested & encouraged by what other groups are doing. And many of them have not led a small group before, or perhaps it's been a long time. Writing up a flyer or calling the newspaper can seem a bit intimidating, so we encourage you to add us to your mailing list or invite us to your groups. Send us brochures, inserts, announcements about your group that we can post to share with others. Send us articles about your group. What are you doing? How have you grown? What special things do peole do for one another? Is HopeKeepers listed on your church website? Does … [Read more...]
How Does RM Help Me With My HK Group
October 15, 2009 By 1 Comment
Rest Ministries provide ongoing communication between HopeKeeper groups, resources, & by providing HopeKeeper leaders with resources to be a good advocate for those with illness or invisible disabilities for their church & community. We rely on our volunteer staff to support the entire ministry, so to be best informed we recommend that you sign up for the Sunroom & our weekly newsletter HopeNotes so you don't miss out on anything important! Through our HopeKeepers Leaders Group at the Rest Ministries Sunroom Through our weekly Hope Endures Podcasts Through our weekly HopeNotes emailed newsletter Through articles that our founder writes on a weekly basis, many of which can be shared with those in your group, or with your … [Read more...]
HopeKeeper Lesson Plan Ideas
October 5, 2009 By 3 Comments
Needing some fresh ideas for lesson plans for your HopeKeepers group? Here are some that leadders have told us they have used with success! Pass out a devotional or two from Rest Ministries website (you are allowed to photocopy them, just keep the author/copyright information on it too.) Have people read a paragraph out loud & discuss it. Have they ever felt this way? How did they cope with these feelings? Would they have done something differently had they read this first? If they had written this, what verse would they have chosen? What do they think of the way the writer responded to the circumstances or feelings that s/he encountered. Go through a Bible study & discuss the various … [Read more...]
FAQ About HopeKeepers Groups
October 4, 2009 By Leave a Comment
>send us your questions What are your requirements to be called "HopeKeepers"? We request that during your HopeKeepers meeting you do not discuss treatments, alternative medicines, etc. without letting everyone know in advance that this will be the topic for that particular meeting. As groups grow together people may want to discuss these subjects but oftentimes they become sessions of "you should try..." & people grow uncomfortable. We recommend having a separate evening every 6 mos. or so & call it something like "information exchange night." Allow everyone to bring anything that they wish to share, but no "you shoulds" & no asking people the next week if they "followed up with your suggestion." There is no shortage of … [Read more...]
Organizing a HopeKeepers Welcome Packet for New Members
September 10, 2009 By 1 Comment
"God loves the pure-hearted & well-spoken; good leaders also delight in their friendship." Proverbs 22:11, The Message When people first start to attend a HopeKeepers group, it can be a nice touch to have a welcome packet for them. Here are some ideas of things to put inside! A lot of our group leaders put together a folder so people have a wealth of information which can offer some encouragement & also introduce them to what HopeKeepers is all about a particular church. Most leaders just purchased folders at their local office supply store for around $.25 apiece. Ideas of things to put in your folder: An introductory letter from you. If you have set up an online group for your members to share with … [Read more...]
Community HopeKeepers Groups
August 30, 2009 By Leave a Comment
HopeKeepers groups don't have to be in a church. They can also meet in your community. Here is one email we received from someone who began a HopeKeepers group in her community. We had our first meeting today for a neighborhood HopeKeepers group & I'm pleased to tell you that it went well! All the ladies were enthusiastic about taking a spiritual/Biblical approach to dealing with chronic pain & illness--it's an answer to prayer! Thank you so much for all the hard work you've done in organizing Rest Ministries--you are being used by the Lord for a much-needed ministry. Your beautiful & sensitive writing has been an encouragement to me. It has taken me a year of praying (& procrastinating) to get going with this group. I have not … [Read more...]
A 2nd Vision Statement Example to My Church for HopeKeepers
August 30, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Presenting to the Church of _____ committee concerning: Rest Ministries and HopeKeepers Chronic Illness/Pain Support Group Background of Rest Ministries Rest Ministries, Inc. is a non-profit Christian organization that serves people who live with chronic illness or pain by providing spiritual, emotional and practical support. They are based in San Diego, CA, founded in 1997, by Lisa Copen, who lives with rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia. Lisa has been active in illness outreach since she began this ministry at the age of 27 in a variety of ways including serving on the Board of Directors of the Christian Council on Persons with Disabilities. Rest Ministries is an affiliate of Joni and Friends, the international disability outreach … [Read more...]
