SHEPHERDING
Shepherding is simply "caring" for the sheep. It involves several aspects such as feeding, protecting, grooming (growing), and perhaps most important of all, watching.
At FMCC we do this in several ways. First there is the Connection Group setting where those in the connection groups watch out for each other. Most connection groups contact a minister or the church office if there is a specific need (such as hospital visit) by another member of their group. This is probably the best way since FMCC is as large as it is.
Another way of shepherding comes through Friends or Family contacting either a minister, Sunday school teacher or the church office telling them of needs or concerns they have about other families or friends.
Email is also a great way to find out needs. A person can contact the church office, April Streeval (Women's Ministry), or Scott Graham (Men's Ministry) and the request will go out via email. Sometimes even "Facebook" can be a resource. This is an especially good way to meet physical needs of those in our congregation. Job listings are also posted via email from time to time.
Mrs. Terry Bright is the head of the Prayer Chain which goes out via phone and email messages. This is probably the most used method of finding needs and then trying to meet them. Most of these requests deal with illness.
Most hospital and nursing home visits are made by ministers. There is a need for regular visitation of those who are shut-in and this is being taken care of to some degree by many who are in our church family. I am in the process of finding someone to be responsible for home communion and also regular visitation for those in the nursing homes.
Growing the flock is taking place through preaching, ABF's (Sunday school and other classes at various times), connection groups and with the youth D-Groups. Discipleship classes for adults will begin in March of 2010.