SUPPORT GROUPS

Areas of care and compassionate support include celebrating the birth of a baby as well as response to persons facing health concerns or times of loss. For more information involving any of the areas of ministry listed below, please call the church office or email Rev. Pam Jackson,  pjackson@jwumc.org, pastor to Caring Ministries. 

At John Wesley we also recognize that professional counseling can bring about the healing love of God. Therefore, as a part of our ministry to our congregation and community, we provide a local office for The Krist Samaritan Center for Counseling and Education. Carrie Cole, M.Ed., LPC staffs the office and is available on Thursdays at John Wesley by appointment. Counseling for children, families, and adults is available. To arrange an appointment with Carrie, call the Samaritan Center at 281-480-7554, ext. 20. For more information and/or to inquire about the sliding financial scale, visit www.samaritanctr.org. 

AGAPE GROUP (Adults Gathered for Affirmation, Prayer, and Encouragement)

A sharing group for those experiencing mental disorders or family members of those with disorders. Based on the definition of Agape: God’s unconditional love, this group offers mutual support to those with situations in common. The group meets at 4:00 p.m. each first and third Sundays of the month in Room A105.

CAREGIVER'S SUPPORT

GRIEF CARE

In addition to team members responding with notes, calls, and other caring acts related to the loss of a loved one, Caring Ministries, during the course of the year, hosts Houston Hospice in facilitating seminars such as “Life After Loss” and “An Empty Place at the Table” (typically held in November).

JWUMC also partners with Houston Hospice to offer Wings, a seven-week bereavement support program for children and teens ages 5-18. Wings provides emotional support and education to anyone in the community who has experienced a loss through the death of someone significant in their lives. Groups offer peer support with adult facilitation. A concurrent group for parents/guardians is also available. Although there is no charge to participants of Wings, registration is required. The next session which begins January 2006.

JOB SEARCH SUPPORT

Based on the proven methods found in “Job Search – The Total System,” you will learn the success philosophy, marketing techniques, and practical applications that have helped others get the right job for them. Using this system and the resources available through the Job Search Support team will help you be prepared, help you stand out from the competition, and help you be successful.

Within the context of a Christian environment, the program equips persons, through a seven-session program, to further develop specific skills, with emphasis given to the following topics: support, resume, references, networking, marketing you, interviews, and negotiating the offer. Here are some comments from former participants: 

“The program provides comprehensive training in job search.”

“relevant material and proven techniques.” 

“excellent feedback and encouragement.” 

“adapts very well to individuals’ needs.” 

“ministers to other job loss issues such as self esteem,

spousal reassurance, spiritual growth, and seeking God’s will.” 

“My interviewer said he had never seen anyone so well prepared.”

Job Search Support resumes September 2 and meets Tuesday mornings, from 9 a.m. until noon in Room A103. There is no charge. Click here for more information.

MEMORY LOSS CARE

Mission Statement - The Memory Loss Care Team of JWUMC is a group of God’s people bound together and empowered by Christ’s Spirit to serve in faith, love, and joy those who need help because of memory loss, and to assist primary caregivers in meeting their own needs.

The Memory Loss Care Teamoffers a ministry of hope, healing, warm friendship, and respite care to people suffering memory loss and to their caregivers. Provides emotional, spiritual, and practical support to persons afflicted with memory loss whether due to Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease, stroke, or other causes.

The Memory Loss Care Team wants to interrupt the cycle of stress and fatigue of caregivers by assuming the supervision of the impaired loved one for brief and regular periods. These respite breaks offer an opportunity to rest, attend to personal needs, enjoy the company of friends, attend worship, have quality time alone, or engage in other activities free for the constant demands of caregiving. The sustaining presence an emotional support of team members help caregivers to fell less alone and hopeful that they can lovingly bear the responsibility of care.

In order to carry out this ministry, John Wesley United Methodist Church partners with Interfaith CarePartners, an ecumenical Houston-based, non-profit organization, helping congregations with caring ministries since 1985. Click here for the Interfaith CarePartners website.

ASSISTED LIVING/ NURSING HOME CARE  

LIMITED MOBILITY/ HOMEBOUND CARE

Team members offer a caring presence while ministering to the needs of church members or their immediate family. Visitation, celebration, the sacrament of Communion, cards, supportive friendship, and other expressions of care are extended.

SACRED WORTH

Support group for family and friends of homosexual persons.

Beloved, let us love one another because love is of God; everyone who loves is begotten of God and has knowledge of God. Those who do not love have known nothing of God for God is love. 1 John 4:7-8 

A MINISTRY OF CARE - Realizing that no two people will hear or feel the same about the disclosure of a loved one’s homosexuality, John Wesley United Methodist Church is offering the following opportunity. It is the goal of JWUMC to provide a safe and affirming atmosphere for those who seek understanding and support as they come to grips with a reality that may never have been anticipated. Knowing that friends as well as family, can be challenged by this news, they are included in this invitation.

As confidentiality is essential, we request that participants respect the need of others to tell their own stories without fear of being repeated outside the group.

During these sessions, we will address issues of pain, guilt, anger, fear, and doubt. It is our sincere hope and prayer that, in these times together, you will discover a level of support and understanding that will inform and strengthen you to face the future with confidence and without fear.

The purpose of this support group is to provide a safe place within the faith community where people can tell their stories, receive non-judgmental support, and begin to learn that they are not alone in their efforts to cope with the sexual orientation of a friend or family member. Presentations are intended to provide information and education in an atmosphere that is non-threatening, welcoming, and encouraging.

The next meetings of Sacred Worth are September 8, 2008, January 12, 2009, and May 11, 2009.

Topics to be presented include:

Grief and Loss - All losses in the human experience must be grieved, including living losses, and no two people will do so in exactly the same way. We will discuss our living losses as family members and friends, and will explore how a healthy grief process looks and feels.

Family Dynamics - Many families experience great stress and even disintegration in the face of one member’s sharing the fact of their homosexuality. A professional counselor will guide our discussion of this during one session. In another session, persons will share personal stories that address the issues around their own reactions, both as individuals and as families, as they came to grips with this new reality in their lives.

Spiritual and Religious Issues - Many persons have a need for information on religious and spiritual issues related to the subject of homosexuality. A minister will spend one session with us discussing these concerns.

Presentations are informal, flexible, and tailored to the needs of the group. Time for personal sharing and discussion will always be included, though persons may always “pass” rather than share. Each series of sessions will be concluded with a fellowship meal at a time and place to be determined by the group.

For additional information, contact Adele Bennett at 281-893-9034(ahb@sbcglobal.net).

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- from the United Methodist Church Social Principles (paragraph 161G)

"Homosexual persons no less than heterosexual persons are individuals of sacred worth."

"All persons need the ministry and guidance of the church in their struggles for human fulfillment, as well as the spiritual and emotional care of a fellowship that enables reconciling relationships with God, with others, and with self."

"We implore families and churches not to reject or condemn their lesbian and gay members and friends. We commit ourselves to be in ministry for and with all persons."