The Ministry of Lisa Copen
Lisa Copen, Founder of Rest Ministries which serves the chronically ill, shares about mothering, illness, ministry and more.Archive for Chronic
Beyond Casseroles: How to Start a Chronic Illness/Pain Ministry
Does your church know how to reach out to people who live with chronic illness?
How should you react when God doesn’t choose to heal?
When are casseroles and get-well cards not appropriate? If you’ve ever wondered about the do’s and don’t’s of witnessing to someone with a chronic illness, you won’t want to miss this!
- Lisa will lead you through how your church can more effectively outreach to people who live daily with illness and pain through her own experiences and stories of others.
- You will be given an opportunity to see “church” through the eyes of someone in pain, and recognize the small changes that your church can make to have a more effective illness/pain ministry to hurting individuals.
Appropriate for churches, church leadership or conferences. 50 minutes, but can be adapted.
How to Help a Hurting Friend
Have you ever had a friend who was hurting and you didn’t know what to say? How do you know when to quote the Scriptures and when to just listen? If someone you care about lives with chronic illness, grief, or emotional pain, you won’t want to miss the opportunity to learn how to be a good friend. If you live with illness or disability, you will smile in understanding as Lisa shares her experiences and the stories of others who live with chronic illness. The time spent will give you a sense of relief and comfort, as you learn how to express your sincerity to hurting friends.
Appropriate for Christian and secular audiences. 45 minutes, but can be adapted.
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Invisible Disabilities: Effective Tools Every Church Should Have
As presented at the Joni and Friends Disability Ministry Summit, 2007
With nearly one in two people having a chronic illness, it impacts most families; the invisibility of it, however, often inhibits the church from realizing its prevalence and how many people are suffering silently. It’s easy for hurt feelings to abound and for ill people to feel like a burden, not a blessing. Awareness and simple tools to increase your outreach to both members and non-members will make your church a shelter from life’s storms.
YOU WILL LEARN…
- Why the church needs to know that half their audience on Sunday may look a lot better than how they feel. For example, 75% of marriages that include an illness end in divorce. Learn why illness ministry needs to be understood by all church staff and how to get their attention when they already have too much to do.
- How to uncover the needs people with illness have if they don’t speak up until they’ve decided to leave the church. How to avoid hurt feelings and increase communication.
- Practical ways to get your church body more enthusiastic about meeting the needs of church members who live with illness, how to approach your church about it, and set ministry priorities. How to teach them about the blessings the chronically ill will bring, not burdens.
- How to respond when the church leadership says, “But he’s not a member… so we can’t help him.” Reaching beyond our church walls is vital because New Age religions do it very well and people in pain follow whoever shows them love.
- How to create a welcoming environment for the chronically ill members and visitors in ten inexpensive, fast ways.
Appropriate for Christian audiences. 60 minutes, but can be adapted.
The Ministry of Lisa Copen 