Support Groups
Lean Not On Your Own Understanding
Tuesdays, 6:30-8:30 p.m., E212, Contact Diane at 480.703.2885 or dianelaut@gmail.com
Dr. Henry Cloud’s DVD Series, 9 Things You Simply MUST DO, will be the next study for the Tuesday evening Lean Not women’s support group beginning January 17 through April 3. Years of counseling have enabled Dr. Cloud to observe people trying to work out the most important issues of life – issues like relationships, career, fulfillment, meaning, pain, hurt, loss, despair, and addictions. And here is what he learned: There are some universal principles, which are always at work in life. Dr. Cloud provides the practical guidance needed to live life to its fullest – every moment. Want to “get life right?” Join this class any time. Women from the church and the community are welcome.
Wednesdays, 9–11 a.m., E214, Contact Kari at 480.990.8999 or leannot.wed@gmail.com
Safe People, a Cloud & Townsend DVD series, will be the study for the Wednesday morning Lean Not women’s support group beginning January 18 through April 4. If you have made the same mistakes about relationships over and over again, then Safe People will lead you through the steps to find relationships that are good for you and avoid those that are not. Solid guidance is offered for making safe choices in relationships from friendships to romance. This study will walk you through frank, soul-searching questions into active changes and practical steps for growth. Women from the church and the community are welcome to join the group at any time.
This is a place where women meet to share questions, hopes, struggles and yes, even failures. These women come from all walks of life, with varied backgrounds, who bring their knowledge and experiences to a place of shared confidence.
Lean Not helps women discover that victory can be theirs as they choose to embrace the principles that are shared from the studies which are offered. These studies challenge women to make wise choices that will move them through and beyond the circumstances of life, both past and present.
“What bonds all women together is their mutual experiences of loving and learning. It has encouraged me to be the woman I know I should and can be and has helped me understand more clearly what it is God expects of me and how I can please Him.”
Proverbs 3 reminds us to “trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding”—YET most of us handle our relationships by using our own experience. We feel more confident if another person agrees with us; we feel more secure if a loved one praises us; we feel worthy when we do well in our jobs.
“As a man thinks in his heart so is he.” Since we were all raised in human families, we have learned to lean on our family’s ways and views. What you live with you learn, what you learn you practice, what you practice you become and what you become has consequences.
Becoming aware of our thinking and feelings opens the door for us to see where we have trusted ourselves and others rather than God. If your relationships are confusing, one-sided or painful, consider visiting this group. For many this is the healing community where acceptance, confidentiality, grace and hope lead to change and growth.
Mending the Soul
Mending the Soul small groups are specifically for women who were abused as children and have left an abusive adult relationship. These groups provide support and a biblically-guided theology of healing in a safe and confidential group environment.
Mending the Soul is a ministry started by Dr. Steve and Celestia Tracy. Created to serve the church and community, Mending the Soul is an educational and equipping ministry which exemplifies:
- God’s justice by prophetically standing against abuse
- God’s mercy by protecting the vulnerable and helping to heal the broken
- God’s goodness by loving the broken and helping to restore the exquisite male and female design for healthy relationships
Confronting past abuse is never easy; therefore we want to ensure that Mending the Soul groups will be helpful for those interested in participating. Call the Counseling Center at 480.824.7239 to schedule a 30-minute meeting with Nonie Maupin, who oversees the groups. Please bring the downloadable, completed “Group Participant Intake Form” to your appointment. After it has been determined that Mending the Soul support group will be helpful, you will be placed on the list for classes beginning in September 2012. Appointments with Nonie will begin in June. For an overview of the Mending the Soul ministry, visit the website www.mendingthesoul.org
Download the Intake Form, used by permission, for potential group participants.
Parents of Addicted Loved Ones (PALS)
Sundays, 3:30–5 p.m., E113, Contact Joyce at 480.518.4371 or joycepage1@cox.net
This is an on-going support group, meeting Sundays at 3:30 p.m. in E113. This group is for parents or spouses who have a child or loved one suffering from problems with drugs, alcohol or gambling.
Joyce Page, RN, is the facilitator for this group which gives support to, and receives support from, others facing the same challenges regarding their loved ones. No registration is necessary; come for confidential education and support.
Men’s Purity in Christ Group
Jesus set the bar high with His call to sexual purity. “You have heard it said ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTRY’: but I say to you, that everyone who looks on a woman to lust for her has committed adultery with her already in his heart.” Matthew 5:27–28
Then Jesus let His hearers know the remedy for this situation. “And if your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out, and throw it from you; for it is better for you that one of the parts of your body perish, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.” Matthew 5:29
Jesus is likely using a literary device known as hyperbole in this verse. However, the point should be very clear: lust should be dealt with drastically and speedily. Before you rip your eye out however, try using other biblical provisions for healing. Talk to other believers struggling with this issue for the purposes of accountability and healing. You may do so in a confidential manner in groups offered through the counseling ministry. Call David Walther at 480.824.7203 for confidential information.
