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July 7, 2020
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Greetings from your friends at Pastoral Care Inc.
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Breaking Out of the Huddle
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Is Your Church Focused on the
Virus or the Vision?
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The coronavirus pandemic has forced our churches into huddle mode. Many of our programs and routines have been disrupted. Many pastors report that they have been busier than ever
just keeping up with the many changes and adaptations the pandemic has required.
Is your church in
huddle mode right now? Are you swamped providing increased pastoral care to your church members, as they deal with sickness, unemployment, fear, loneliness, or depression?
Some pastors do not even recognize the difference between their relationship with God and their ministry.
We Must Do More Than Huddle Up
I praise God for each church that is managing to hold things together and keep your people from straying during this difficult time. However, pastors also tell me their churches’ outreach efforts
have come to a halt. We are huddled up with the faithful, waiting out the pandemic and hoping to hold on to the people we have. But Jesus has called us to do much more than to merely huddle up. |
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Football is not about 11 players standing in a circle and talking. Football fans don’t pay $75 or more so they can sit in a
stadium and watch the players huddle up. The excitement starts when the team breaks from the huddle, gets back to their positions, faces the opposition, and executes a winning
play.
The shepherd who had
99 sheep grazing safe and sound in open pasture went out to seek and save the one that was lost. In the same way, we must do more than merely maintain the status quo at our churches. We must not
allow this pandemic to rob us of our vision for the lost. We must do everything we can to play “in such a way that you may win” (1 Cor 9:29).
Don’t Give the Virus All Your Attention
Frankly, many
believers and churches are focused more on this virus right now than on our God-given vision to reach the lost. When we gather together as believers, our conversations center more on the coronavirus
than on the Word of God.
I am not a
coronavirus denier. This pandemic is very real, and we need to be safe and use wisdom. But we must not let this virus bind us or blind us. We must place our faith in God, trust Him for our
protection, and seek the victory He wants to give us.
God wants to use you
and your church to bring hope, deliverance, and freedom to the people of your community, setting them free from the many fears of this life and leading them to eternal security. We must focus on the
power and the blessings of God, and share God’s power and blessings with others, not allowing fear to dictate our course.
Make the Most of the Huddle
When football season
starts, the winning teams are the ones that did the best planning and training during the off-season. I encourage you and your church to be using this time to get ready to break from the
huddle.
A winning football
team has a good game plan; churches need good game plans, too. We need to get ready to break out of our huddles with plans that will impact our churches and our communities. We need to be developing
our plans with passion and ambition. With God, all things are possible!
Don't Get Too Comfortable in the Huddle
We are all social
beings. If we get too comfortable huddling together, our churches may settle for less than what God and the community expect of us. We are so blessed as pastors to help our congregations see the
purpose of the church and get our hearts prepared for something greater. It is like a mother bird that encourages her newborn chick to fly.
Set a Date to Break from the Huddle
Planning is
important, but setting a date when you are going to break from the huddle is very important, too. I have seen churches and businesses that developed elaborate plans that were never executed because
they did not have a start date. They talked and planned, talked and planned, but they never said “Go.” The team had no actual expectations of achievement or success. They lacked
excitement.
Sometimes everyone
is waiting on everyone else to take the first step to execute the plan. That’s your job as a leader. We need to encourage others to not settle for just the huddle, but to step out and execute God's
plan for our church.
Look Upon Us as Your Coach
Thank you for all
you do for the Kingdom of God! I pray the Lord will lead you and your team back onto the playing field and into the end zone to win the game!
If you feel defeated
during these tough times, please give us a call so we can encourage you and pray with you. You can reach Pastoral Care Inc. at 918-758-4147 or at jfuller@pastoralcareinc.org. We care about you, and
we want to see you win the victory!
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Pastoral Care Inc.
supporting and strengthening pastors
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| Executive Director |
| Jim Fuller |
| jfuller@pastoralcareinc.org |
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| Communications Director |
| Terry Hull |
| terry.hull@pastoralcareinc.com |
Our mission: Pastoral Care
Inc. supports and strengthens Christian ministers nationwide from all denominations through counseling, immediate caregiving assistance and education, as well as researching the underlying
stressors associated with ministry.
Call us. Email us. Pastor, if you need someone to talk to, Pastoral Care Inc. is always just
a phone call or email away. That’s why we are here!
Pastor, you are
very important in the Kingdom of God -- and you are important to us!
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The PCI App
Get it for your Android smartphone or
iPhone
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* Full list of PCI services for pastors and churches
* Request form for pastors to seek immediate help
* More info about Pastoral Care Inc.
* Videos for pastors, churches and denominations
* Available now at Google Play or the Apple App Store (iTunes) -- enter “Pastoral” in the app search
tool
* Android app compatible with smartphones (tablet version coming later)
* Apple app compatible with iPhone
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Help Us Help
Pastors
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Every month Pastoral Care provides encouragement, assistance, vacation get-a-ways, and many other forms of help to pastors across the country. It is our continuing prayer to
expand our outreach to pastors and their families.
The need is so great! Will you become our partner in encouraging pastors? Will you send a financial gift to make our present and future ministry to ministers
possible?
Please say “Yes” by responding in one of these ways:
* Use our Online Donation
Form.
* Send your gift to: Pastoral Care Inc., 13455 Celia Berryhill Road, Okmulgee, OK74447.
Thank you for partnering with us in
ministering to our nation’s pastors, their families and the congregations they serve!
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