Congregational Growth and Care Committee John W. Garnett
The Growth and Care committee is responsible for implementing the I. P. C. Care Groups, and also providing general oversight of several special events during the year to nurture the growth and fellowship of our congregation.
Care Groups
During 2016 Care Groups at I. P. C. served the needs of our congregation through such tangible acts as taking meals to members, assisting with physical needs of members, sending cards of encouragement, calling on the sick and elderly, gathering for social fellowship and events, and then providing clean-up assistance at Sunday evening meals. While these visible actions are how we witness the body of Christ in action, there are many, many acts of kindness that occur without being recognized which demonstrate how members of our church express the love of Christ, as we fulfill His command to " bear one another ' s burdens "( Gal. 6:2). As a committee, we are truly gratified to see and hear of those who have been blessed by the often unknown acts of kindness of an I. P. C. member.
One of the most visible opportunities of assisting our members during 2016 was the clean-up in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew, which struck Savannah on Friday, October 7. Several work teams of I. P. C. members and staff were mobilized by Josh Espinosa and traveled as needed to assist church members with cutting and clearing downed trees, and hauling limbs to curbs for pickup both in the Savannah and Bluffton / Hilton Head areas. During the immediate days after the hurricane struck, and over several weekends afterwards, the homes of about 20 families were assisted with debris removal; 150 brown-bag lunches were assembled by the youth and adult volunteers and distributed to SCAD students, church families, our community and utility workers; and many gallons of water were distributed as needs were encountered. The positive, energetic and servant attitude of those who participated on the teams left an indelible impression on both church members and others, providing a strong witness to those in the community of the body of Christ working in action to meet the needs of its people.
The Care Group ministry continues to be a vital and integral part of our church and provides an organizational method of caring for the members of our congregation. Led by an Elder and several Deacons assigned to each group, the Care Groups operate under the following core values below, which serve as a constant reminder to our church leaders and serve as the impetus for their actions. To provide accountability, each month a Care Group is reviewed during the joint portion of the Diaconate and Session meeting by discussing any specific needs or on-going prayer requests, while a picture of each individual / family is displayed in that Care Group.
C: Comprehensive – where every member should know that they are cared for at I. P. C. A: Accountable – we are responsible for caring for our members. R: Relational- there should be regular member contact thru the elders and deacons. E: Energetic – church leaders should be engaged and pro-active in shepherding our flock.
As in the previous year, the Deacons and Elders of I. P. C. gathered on January for an Officers’ Retreat to focus on shepherding the flock that we have been given and to spend time in prayer and to review the needs of members of our church. Rev. Dr. Neil Stewart was the guest speaker and spoke on several passages from Titus on the role of leaders in the church. Part of the time was spent in prayer, reviewing the needs of the individual groups as well.
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