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CARE MINISTRY
A simple handwritten note or telephone call of encouragement can have
a big impact on someone’s day. Desiring to touch the lives of others
with encouragement and support, Gate City Baptist Church recently
launched a new ministry called C.A.R.E. The acrostic C.A.R.E. stands
for Christians Actively Reaching Everyone. The C.A.R.E. Ministry
offers a way for everyone to serve and minister and follow the Great
Commission using their unique talents and gifts.
Since launching the C.A.R.E. Ministry this past March 30th, church
members have come together on Sunday nights before the evening Worship
service and have written hundreds of encouraging notes or made
supportive telephone calls to people within the community and to its
own members and visitors.
People can plug in to five areas of ministry opportunities. First is
UP-reach. We have people committed to intercessory prayer on behalf of
the needs of people within the church and beyond the church. Every
Sunday evening that the C.A.R.E. Ministry takes place, a group of
people pray for one hour for the needs of the church, community and
the world. A second area of ministry is HAND-reach, which is a team of
people who meet to make the cards and notes that are being sent out by
the third and fourth areas of ministry, IN-reach and OUT-reach. The
IN-reach team sends out notes to members for their birthday, get well
notes to the sick, sympathy notes to those who are bereaved,
congratulation notes for newborn babies and graduates, and many other
various notes let people know that someone cares about them. Likewise,
the OUT-reach team is sending out similar notes of encouragement to
recent visitors and the teams also try to call or visit as many
members and visitors as possible. The fifth area is that of
HOST-reach. That team helps set up the working area and prepares the
various assignments as well as serves as host to others who come to
pray, write, call, or visit. During the fall, winter and spring, this
HOST group also prepares and serves a light meal for those who are
serving in C.A.R.E. During the school year, Gate City offers a KidCARE
version of C.A.R.E. for children in grades K-5 that allows them to
experience various ministry projects.
Chan Shaver, Minister of Spiritual Development
and Care at Gate City Baptist, says that this new ministry is an
exciting opportunity that allows every member to be a minister. “When
we launched our C.A.R.E. Ministry, the first Sunday night we had over
60 people show up to serve in the five different areas. We simply
asked church members to give one hour of service each month, and to
choose whichever Sunday night best suited them to serve. After a
couple of sessions, we had people coming to practically every Sunday
night of C.A.R.E. Ministry service. Some members said it was rewarding
to them to encourage others and they (the members) themselves were
finding it therapeutic as well.”
The success of the C.A.R.E. Ministry is that it is “by the people for
the people.” It allows the people the opportunity to use their
God-given talents to serve and minister to others. It saturates the
church and the community with a positive message, and it comes from a
genuine and sincere heart of caring for others.
The C.A.R.E. Ministry concept was developed by Mark Hunnicutt,
Minister of Students/Families/Care at Mud Creek Baptist Church in
Hendersonville, NC. Mark came to Gate City Baptist Church before they
launched C.A.R.E. and was the guest speaker for their Men’s Ministry
Spring Banquet.
“Locally, it is exciting to see God’s people coming together to reach
UP-ward in prayer, and to reach IN-ward and OUT-ward in a caring
ministry of encouragement to others. By giving just one hour per
month, people can be part of a ripple effect of blessing for the
church family and community,” Shaver said. The C.A.R.E. Ministry meets
on Sunday nights at 5 p.m. and concludes before the 6:30 p.m. Sunday
evening worship service.
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Schedule of C.A.R.E.
