Community of Hope

What is a Caring Conquerors Support Group?
Caring Conquerors™ is a biblically-based support group for anyone facing a chronic, disabling or life-threatening physical health challenge whether personally or through the life of a loved one.

How does it work?
Caring Conquerors meets the participants at their emotional, physical and spiritual point of need and together, through caring, sharing, and understanding their "pain" in the light of God's Word, they are strengthened in body, mind, and spirit…becoming conquerors!

How will Caring Conquerors help me respond to pain and suffering?
Are you struggling with a difficult health issue? Are you afraid of its possible outcome? Are you having trouble accepting what it's doing to you or your loved ones? Is it affecting the quality of life you've always known? Are you faced with making a tremendous change in your life? Do you experience unsettling and often hurtful feelings?

The Caring Conquerors support group is designed to help you understand the surging emotions you experience during a life-changing illness or disability and to adapt your life to minimize any negative effects.

By becoming more aware of your feelings and adopting new methods of coping.
By gaining a better understanding of your pain in the light of God's Word.
By receiving God's comfort and expressing that same comfort to others.
By accepting the victory, the way through that our Lord provides.

It provides a personally responsible and safe environment for releasing any pent-up feelings. We need "to get things off our chest"; but at the same time, we need to take responsibility for the way we do it. In Caring Conquerors, we learn how to properly express the way we feel, rather than suffer further harm to our relationships through the improper expression of our feelings or to our bodies by continuing to hold our feelings inside.

Getting Involved-

How may I join a Caring Conquerors support group?
Caring Conquerors support groups are maintained as "open" groups, meaning that you may join a group at any time. Click on Locations and find an available group near you. Then, contact the leader for meeting day, time and location. If there isn't a group located in your area, give this web-site information to your pastor or administrator as a possible ministry opportunity for your church, facility or campus. Click Start-Up for how to add your church, skilled nursing facility or college to this list

How often does a Caring Conquerors support group meet?
The individual groups decide when and how often they meet-- based on the need of its members. Weekly or twice monthly meetings are recommended.

How long does a meeting last?
The length of the meeting will be determined by the individual group's members--usually from 1 ½ to 2 hours.

What is the format of a Caring Conquerors support group meeting?

Prime-time Fellowship--a time for building relationships through getting to know one another and to share what's been happening since the group last met.
Worship and Praise--a time for taking our eyes off ourselves and focusing them on God: worshipping God for who He is, and praising Him for what He is doing in our lives.
Group Study/Discussion--a time to reflect upon and make practical applications of God's Word for life's challenges, to bring about spiritual growth.
Share and Prayer--a time to meet in smaller groups to share individual needs and concerns for prayer, and to offer praise and thanksgiving for answered prayers.

Is there a designated time for meeting one-on-one with the group leader?
One-On-One Time is designed for participants who have something to share but not in a group setting; who need more time for further dialogue on subjects generated by the group's discussion; or who require additional support with ongoing problems or needs. It is held at a time other than the regular meeting time.

How long does it take to go through the study materials?
This is not a typical 12-week study. It's not how fast the study materials can be completed, but what is accomplished in the lives of the individual participants as they go through them--and that takes time. Each group determines the speed by which they cover the study material, depending on the need of the group's members and the amount of discussion the study generates.

Are there any group requirements?
As a participant in Caring Conquerors, it is our hope that you will feel comfortable in the group. We do not expect you to tell of the reason for your attendance nor do we expect you to enter into the discussion and prayer time until it is your desire to do so. Our only aim is for you to receive God's abundant hope and comfort to help you overcome the "hurts" in your life.

Rules to be observed by all Caring Conquerors participants--

Respect a person's right to privacy regarding the nature of their particular physical health challenge; refrain from asking personal questions about information not forthcoming from any group member.
Be courteous to one another: treat each other with respect, accept each other unconditionally, be considerate of each other's feelings.
Keep confidential all things that are shared by the group's members.

Keys to a successful support group--

An encouraging and supportive environment, one that instills hope in the participants by offering positive emotional and spiritual help for their lives.
A high level of personal commitment to each other.
Honest interaction among the group members, a willingness to share feelings within a support group setting.
The risk of sharing eliminated, all verbal interaction held in strictest confidence.
Genuine care and concern for the well-being of each other.

How can I start a Caring Conquerors support group at my church? Skilled nursing facility? College?

Make it a matter of prayer.
Assess the needs of people in your congregation, skilled nursing facility, or college; those suffering from chronic, disabling or life-threatening physical health challenges.
Contact the appropriate leadership about the need for a group; acquainting them with the Caring Conquerors ministry through our brochure and web-site.
Learn if other ministries within your church or facility, in addition to Caring Conquerors, are presently available to form a support structure for people with needs-- pastoral counseling offering one-on-one, in-depth, short-term help; a lay counseling program like Stephen Ministries which is designed for short-term needs. Caring Conquerors is a lay support group ministry designed for the on-going, long-term felt needs of hurting individuals.
Receive the approval of those in authority to begin the ministry at your church, facility or college.