A Congregation of the Presbyterian Church in America

Shepherding Center

Who We Are

The Shepherding Center is part of CPC’s Congregational Care Ministry, overseeing the ministries listed within brochure. We are located in the Hope House on campus, along the East Drive at the Chickering Road traffic light. All ministries are open not only to church members but also to the community.

Our History & Purpose

The Shepherding Center was established at CPC on August 18, 1997. Its purpose is twofold:

to provide resources and means for individuals seeking help and healing

to offer opportunities for individuals to be trained and to serve in these ministries

Our Anchor: Sacrificial Love

The center finds its roots in John 13:34-35,

"A new commandment I give you: love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

In His summation of the moral law, Jesus said, "You are to love your neighbor as yourself." (Mark 12:31) The new commandment was to the church. The words "one another" were substituted for "neighbor," and "as I have loved you" for "as yourself." Christian love has Christ’s sacrificial love as its model, and the community of believers as the primary, but not exclusive, place in which it is expressed.

Opportunities to Give and Receive Care

We invite you to prayerfully ask God to show you your unique role in heeding the biblical call of James 1:27.

HEART FOR CHILDREN

CPC’s adoption and orphan-care ministry:

  • Gathers and provides information to those who are considering adoption
  • Serves as advocates for the adoption process
  • Provides an arena for fellowship among adult adoptees, adopting parents and their children
  • Offers prayer and emotional support
  • Links couples and individuals who have previously adopted or have been adopted to serve as mentors for persons considering adoption.

Some are called to adoption, but all are called to care for orphans.

BETHANY CHRISTIAN SERVICES and Safe Families for Children help parents experiencing a temporary crisis by providing a loving Christian family with whom their children may stay until the crisis has passed. These families are volunteers willing to open their home to a child in need. Children enter Safe Families for a number of reasons, e.g. their parents are homeless, need hospitalization, need to attend drug rehabilitation, etc. The simple need for these children remains the same: a safe place to go. Will you open your heart and home?
Online: bethany.org

SHOW HOPE is a non-profit organization that mobilizes individuals and communities to meet the most pressing needs of orphans in distress by providing:

  • Homes for children awaiting adoption
  • Life-saving medical care for orphans with special needs.

Online: showhope.org

H.E.A.L. (Hands Embracing All Lands) Changing the World One Heart at a Time!

The mission of H.E.A.L. Ministries is the fulfillment of James 1:27: "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure andfaultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." (NIV)

Online: heal-ministries.org

147 MILLION ORPHANS exists to:

  • Create awareness of the orphan crisis,
  • Provide food, water and meds totargeted areas, and
  • Assist families in raising funds to adopt
  • Children, both domestically and
  • Internationally.

Online: 147millionorphans.com

　

GROUPS

GRIEFSHARE

If you have lost a loved one or know someone in the community who could benefit from this ministry of hope and healing, please contact the Shepherding Center. The classes are held on Tuesday evenings at 7 p.m. Cost is $10 for a workbook which follows the video presentation.

STEPHEN MINISTRY

Classes resume with the other Wednesday evening classes at 6:30 p.m., concluding at the end of February.

LOVING IN DEED

CPC offers a ministry of encouragement to our elderly and shut-ins. If you have a heart for these who have served us well in the past, and would like to visit or send cards, please contact the Shepherding Center for a list with names, addreses and birthdays. Let them know that they are not forgotten.

CAREGIVER SUPPORT GROUP 

This group meets every second Saturday at 10 a.m. in the Shepherding Center in the Hope House. If you are caring for a loved one in your home, in a facility, or in another city, you are welcome to come and be supported and encouraged. The group is facilitated by Lauren Kelley, LCSW.

 

Want to Learn More?

For more information about any of these ministries or to register for a group or class, call Mary Sue at 301-3507 or e-mail by clicking .