Care Groups & Resources
We value seeing God’s body thriving, growing, and being conformed to the image of Christ. Sometimes life circumstances and sin can get in the way of our sanctification, so we want to walk alongside you on your journey of maturing. We would love to support and care for you in whatever stage of life you are in, whether you are working through marital strengthening, loss of a loved one, or any other challenges.
Need more info? Send us a message.
Celebrate Recovery
A biblically-based, Christ-centered ministry of recovery not only serving our church family, but also reaching out to our community, offering real help and hope.
The purpose of Good Shepherd Community Church’s “Celebrate Recovery” is to fellowship and celebrate God’s healing power in our lives through the 12 steps and 8 Recovery Principles. This experience allows us to be changed. We open the door by sharing our experiences, strengths and hopes with one another. In addition, we become willing to accept God’s grace in solving our lives’ problems.
By working and applying these Biblical principles, we begin to grow spiritually. We become free from our addictive, compulsive, and dysfunctional behaviors. This freedom creates peace, serenity, joy and most importantly, a strong personal relationship with God and others. As we progress through the program, we discover our personal, loving and forgiving Higher Power – Jesus Christ.
Welcome to an Amazing Spiritual Adventure!
On Friday evenings, dinner starts at 6:15 p.m. (see meal schedule below) in the North Auditorium, our large group follows at 7 p.m. and the small groups start at 8 p.m.
Each weekly large group meeting begins with praise and worship, followed by either a lesson, personal testimony, or a special guest speaker. Then small groups gather that are gender and topic specific.
General Celebrate Recovery is for adults 18+.
The monthly meal schedule:
- 1st, 2nd & 5th week – bring your own dinner
- 3rd week – dinner will be provided for $4.00/person
- 4th week – potluck (bring something to share)
Childcare is available for ages 2 through grade 5, with a maximum cost per family of $8 ($4/child).
How to get involved? No sign up necessary, just show up. We can’t wait to meet you!
Prayer Ministry
We know that sometimes life is challenging, but we also know that God cares about us and wants to hear about our struggles. We would love to partner with you in praying for both the hard things and the joyful things happening in your life!
Physical Needs
If you have physical needs, we have a team of dedicated deacons who are available to assist you. Whether your needs are yardwork, moving, or assistance in paying bills, Good Shepherd would like to come alongside you.
It may be hard for you to feel optimistic about the future right now. If you’ve lost a spouse, child, family member, or friend, you’ve probably found there are not many people who understand the deep hurt you feel.
This can be a confusing time when you feel isolated and have many questions about things you’ve never faced before. “Going to GriefShare feels like having warm arms wrapped around you when you’re shivering.”
GriefShare meets weekly on Sundays in the Spring and Fall to help you face these challenges and move toward rebuilding your life. Cost for class materials are $25. You can pay when you come to the class.
Upcoming Dates:
- Next Loss of Spouse Seminar: August 27, 2023
- Next GriefShare Class: Sept. 10 – Dec. 10, 2023
- Surviving The Holidays Seminar: November 2023
Mending the Soul
This 12-15 week small group provides a path to recovery and wholeness for those affected by abuse and neglect, promoting healing within safe and nurturing relationships.
In a sensitive and artistic manner the MTS small group process carefully guides the participant in the critical process of integrating one’s history of pain with the present. This allows each one to find his or her redemptive story to tell, and if they wish, in time, share it to encourage others.
MTS small groups don’t direct survivors, but instead empower participants to own their story and voice as they work through the exercises.
If you are interested in participating in a MTS small group at Good Shepherd Community Church please contact Cindy Hubert at (503) 680-5399.
Memorials
If you have recently lost a loved one, we want to be there to support you. Good Shepherd has a trained team that offers assistance and guidance in the process of honoring your loved one through a memorial service.
Sexual Integrity Groups
Have you struggled to get free from sexual sin? Are you tired of feeling the shame that it brings, or seeing the hurt it causes your loved ones? If you want to make a change in your life, Sexual Integrity 101 offers an easy, judgement-free first step into a life of recovery. Let us walk with you on your journey toward healing.
DivorceCare
Divorce Care is a caring group of people who will walk alongside you through one of life’s most difficult experiences. This support group meets weekly and includes dynamic and information-packed videos featuring top divorce recovery experts along with time for facilitated group discussion.
Registration cost is $20. You will receive a workbook for journaling and personal study exercises that reinforce each week’s topic.
This 13-week class meets several times throughout the year.
Contact Doug Henkle for more info.
One-To-One Discipleship
This is a great opportunity to deepen your relationship with God in a casual one to one discipleship atmosphere. Get to know a discipler in this short term series of studies designed to help you take some next steps in your journey with Jesus.
Contact Larry VanTuyl for more information or let us know you’re interested by filling out a Connect Card!
Marriage Resources
Marriage is good gift from God, and as such we want to steward that gift well. Whether you and your significant other are considering marriage, engaged, or married, we want to come alongside your relationship to help prepare, strengthen, or restore your relationship.
You can contact our Marriage Ministry Leaders, Tom and Racky Souter, below to get more information, be connected to mentors, or meet with a pastor.
Premarital Resources
Premarital Coaching: Trained couples at church spend eight sessions with engaged couples to develop tools for building a marriage that thrives and lasts a lifetime. This program uses the book and workbook Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts by Les and Leslie Parrott. To request a mentor couple and learn more, contact the church office, or contact us here.
Pastoral contact: Meeting with a pastor is an integral part of planning for a thriving marriage. To request a pastoral contact or information about your upcoming wedding plans with a pastor from Good Shepherd, please contact the church office at (503)663-5050
Quarterly Marriage Classes
To support and guide couples on their journey together, our Marriage Ministry offers quarterly marriage classes. These classes provide a safe and encouraging space for couples of all backgrounds and stages of their relationship to come together and learn valuable skills for building a strong and lasting marriage.
The quarterly nature of the classes ensures that couples can continuously invest in their relationship, building upon their knowledge and strengthening their bond over time. Classes are offered in the fall, winter, and spring.
Our next marriage class offering will be Love Like You Mean It.
FamilyLife Today co-host and renowned author Bob Lepine pulls us back from the Top 40, dreamy novels, and rom-coms. Instead, he’ll help you and your group dive into how God defines and displays true love: the love your soul craves.
We will meet for 10 weeks during the Sunday morning first service (9:00-10:15am), starting October 1 and finishing on December 3. Cost per couple is $24, which provides you with 2 workbooks.
Pre-register today!
Marriage Mentors
Whether you are engaged, in a satisfying season of marriage, on a bit of a plateau, or in a time of marital discouragement and distress, Good Shepherd has resources for strengthening your relationship. Our church offers a wonderful experience to engaged couples preparing for marriage. But did you know we also have trained, seasoned mentor couples to come alongside of you as a couple to help you when your marriage journey is difficult and needs a glimmer of hope? Or your marriage relationship just needs a few tools to move from good to great?
Please connect with the Marriage and Family Department at the church or call Tom and Racky Souter at (503) 380-9575. They’d love to share a bit about our mentoring ministry and answer any questions you may have!
Marriage Book Recommendations
Boundaries in Marriage book and workbook offer helpful insights in how to establish healthy and biblical boundaries to navigate some of the more stressful areas of marriage.
Non Violent Communication by Marshall Rosenberg. This is not a book especially designed for marriage, but is an excellent discussion about communication. Especially helpful is his discussion about “feeling” words and how to use them.
Eight Dates: Essential Conversations for a Lifetime of Love by John Gottman. Gottman remains the premier expert providing researched based communication insights and training.
Family Life offers high quality resources for marriage. Couples can find support and insight on a host of topics.
The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman. Understanding your own love language and that of your spouse can enhance communication and relationship fulfillment.
A Celebration of Sex by Dr. Douglass E. Rosenau. This resource offers couples insights and practical tools for enhancing the richness in their sexual intimacy.
Created for Connection by Dr. Sue Johnson. This book will help enrich a healthy relationship, revitalize a tired one, or rescue one gone awry. A focus is on growing closer to God and to further incorporate Him and His teachings into your marriage.
Fighting Fair: Winning at Conflict Without Losing at Love by Tim and Joy Downs. This resources offers insights and tools for handling conflict in a way that creates solutions, love, and fairness.
The Meaning of Marriage by Timothy Keller. This resource outlines a vision of what biblical marriage should be like.
Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey. Dave will guide a couple into reaching financial goals and finding financial “peace” in their home. This book and livestream are helpful for financial planning. Couples can also attend Financial Peace University, a series of training events which help a couple get on the same page with their financial goals and skills.
After the Affair: Rebuilding Trust and Recovering Sanity by Shirley Glass. She is probably the most informed researcher on repair following affairs. While not specifically written from a Christian worldview, it is not inconsistent in any major way.