Resources for Faith-Based Cancer Support Groups
Lots of people will agree that a faith-based cancer support group is needed at their church or in their community. But when it comes to starting one, it can be a little intimidating to get started, because people wonder how to do it, how to keep it going, who or what they will use for support.
On this page are a number of resources to help with those fears. Some are how-to books for small groups, some are materials you can use for cancer support group meetings.
Making Small Groups Work: What Every Small Group Leader Needs to Know
by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend
Twenty years of experience has convinced Drs. Cloud and Townsend of the transformative power of small groups. Making Small Groups Work shows group leaders how to lead the kinds of groups that realize their full, life-changing potential. Whether the small group is a Bible study, support group or a group designed for a specific area of life, you’ll learn skills and biblical processes to help your people grow together.
Simple Small Groups: A User-Friendly Guide for Small Group Leaders
by Bill Search
Connect. Change. Cultivate. These three words can simplify the vital work of a small group leader. Bill Search, small groups pastor for one of the nation’s largest churches, lay out three “patterns” for success that don’t lock you into one approach, the latest fad or complicated procedures. These biblically grounded C’s can make whatever small group model you like best work better. Whether you’re a first-time facilitator or a seasoned veteran, a pastor or a volunteer leader, applying these principles will enrich the spiritual life of any small group.
How to Lead Small Groups
by Neal F. McBride
How to Lead Small Groups covers leadership skills for all kinds of small groups – Bible study, fellowship, task and support groups. And it’s designed to help you hit the ground running, by giving you all the tools and information you need – without making you wade through complicated or time-consuming background information, theory or rationales.
How to Have Great Small-Group Meetings
by Neal F. McBride
Neal McBride gives you dozens of ideas you can implement right away to have successful group meetings. From determining your purpose and learning to plan to getting everyone involved and staying on track, this book will equip you to make your small-group meetings great for everyone involved.
Leading Life-Changing Small Groups
by Bill Donahue
From an individual group to an entire small group ministry, Leading Life-Changing Small Groups gives you the comprehensive guidance you need to cultivate life-changing small groups … and growing, fruitful followers of Christ.
He Cares New Testament with Psalms and Proverbs:
A New Testament with devotional reflections for those facing serious illnesses
He Cares is a specialized version of Scriptures designed to speak to the spiritual and emotional needs of people experiencing life-threatening diseases and chronic illnesses. Everything about the special contents is written in a sensitive tone to minister to hurting people. Special features include book introductions, inspirational commentary, a topical index, hundreds of margin symbols related to strategic topic verses and articles dealing with the physical, emotional and spiritual struggles of illness written by Lynn Eib, a practicing cancer patient advocate and cancer survivor. These features combined with the unequaled clarity of the New Living Translation Bible text will encourage readers to draw close to God because He Cares.
365 Days of Hope
by Dave Dravecky
Sure to become an enduring classic, 365 Days of Hope will provide a daily dose of hope for those living with loss, pain or disappointment. This hardcover book features 365 devotionals by Dave and Jan Dravecky and Joni Eareckson Tada. Each devotional also features inspiring quotes, questions for reflection and action points in response to the devotional. For more on Dave Dravecky, visit http://www.outreachofhope.org/.
Journey of Hope -- DVD/VHS
by Dave Dravecky
With honesty and humility, Dave Dravecky and four friends take you on their journeys through the valley of suffering, journeys that led each of them to the heart of hope. If you or a loved one find yourself in that same valley, Journey of Hope can help you discover the hope you need to overcome fear, pain, loneliness, doubt and despair. This award-winning video comes with a 40-page Discovery Guide for individual or group use. Journey of Hope is also a great tool for support group or church curriculum, church and medical lending libraries, closed circuit television (hospitals), patient education and healthcare training.
Do Not Lose Heart -- Softcover/Audio
by Dave Dravecky
This classic collection of 28 devotions offers a legacy of wisdom and encouragement for those who struggle amidst the adversities of life. Devotions convey the message that yes, life is hard, pain and suffering are real, but there is more -- there is an eternal reality on which we can focus and not lose heart!
Where is God When it Hurts? Coming to Terms with the Tough Times in Your Life
by Philip Yancy
Many suffering people want to love God, but cannot see past their tears, says Philip Yancey. They feel hurt and betrayed. Sadly, the church often responds with more confusion than comfort. This book, possibly Yancey's best-known book, should speak to anyone for whom life sometimes just doesn't make sense. And it should help equip anyone who wants to reach out to someone in pain but just doesn't know what to say.
Reflections on Psalm 23 for People with Cancer -- DVD
by Ken Curtis
Ken Curtis was diagnosed with advanced cancer with little prospect for survival. He pursued a combination of traditional and alternative medicine, undergirded by a strong spiritual dimension and prayer support team.
Psalm 23 was a vital part of his spiritual component, and for this video, Curtis went to Israel, home of King David who wrote the psalm, to be with the shepherds, travel "through the valley of the shadow of death," and explore and enjoy the healing powers of the green pastures and still waters. The resulting meditations provide a combination of candid personal experience on what it means to battle cancer and some of the spiritual resources available through this time-honored psalm.
At times of great fear and uncertainty, and cancer is one of the greatest, the simple yet powerful words of Psalm 23 sustain us like few others can. God's grace is greater than any possible obstacle or concern -- https://www.visionvideo.com/detail.taf?_function=detail&a_product_id=32662
Reflections on The Lord's Prayer for People with Cancer -- DVD
by Ken Curtis
This series of meditations on The Lord's Prayer with Ken Curtis builds upon his previous series, Reflections on Psalm 23 for People with Cancer. Ken was diagnosed with advanced cancer with little prospect for survival. He pursued a combination of traditional and alternative medicine, undergirded by a strong spiritual dimension and prayer support team.
While made particularly for people facing the crisis of cancer, the reflections are relevant for any health crisis. Join Ken on this journey into the world of The Lord's Prayer from original locations important in the life of Jesus. The Lord's Prayer is not just a way of praying. It's a way of "seeing." When the prayer is grasped and uttered from the heart, it can -- and will --change us. We realize how we are not alone, no matter how difficult or seemingly hopeless our situation. Even in our pain, there can come a joy and a feeling of rightness about our world.
A co-production of Vision Video with EO-TV Holland, UCB-TV England and Nazareth Village -- http://www.visionvideo.com
Coping with Cancer
by Dr. John E. Packo
He's heard the diagnosis. He's experienced the nauseating treatments. He's walked the uncertain path to recovery. He's wondering if he would become a statistic. But he was not destroyed by cancer. He fought back, and you can too. Coping with Cancer proposes 12 creative and practical choices for meeting cancer -- or any serious illness -- head on, with God. A pastor for more than four decades, Dr. Packo is founder and president of New Hope Ministries, http://members.aol.com:/jpacko.
What's Good About Feeling Bad? Finding Purpose and a Path through Your Pain
by John C. Thomas and Gary Habermas
Counselor John C. Thomas and renowned philosopher Gary Habermas, no strangers to personal tragedy themselves, thoughtfully explore the impact of pain on our lives and offer scriptural and practical advice to help you walk with God through even the hardest of times. If you are hurting -- or know someone who is -- What's Good About Feeling Bad? is the road map you need to make it through your pain and emerge a stronger, wiser and more complete person than ever before.
Journeys Without Scripts
by Ed Neuenschwander
Crafted for individuals and families facing severe illness or catastrophe, this book provides practical advice on traveling such journeys more securely and arriving on the other side stronger, regardless of the final outcome. Those who come alongside and minister to people with cancer and their families will also find it insighful and helpful in gaining greater insight into the challenges of the journey and the best ways to provide comfort. For more information, visit www.journeyswithoutscripts.com.