Member Care Begins with Me
Pastor Thian Chye shares his heart for the church — that we can love and care for each other as members of this body. There are also many simple and small steps that we can all take to do so!
How are we loving and caring for one another in the ways that we can? You may ask, “Shouldn't we leave this responsibility to the Member Care Ministry?” As members of GBC, we are committed to the Member’s Covenant of “one-anothering” in this local body of Christ. Member care is every member’s responsibility, not just the elders or ministry leaders.
How then, can I care for my fellow members if I don't even know their names? As the Lord has blessed us with many like-minded believers in Christ, many of us struggle to know them, even just by name. Members have told me that sometimes they feel lost in church. Though everyone is friendly and welcoming but they have not been introduced to the people around them and they do not know them well. After service, we are encouraged to fellowship over a cup of coffee but when we reach there, we are so overwhelmed by the crowd in the fellowship hall. I have heard this many times from members, who have been with GBC for many years and also from members who have just joined us recently. Many of our members, new and old alike, have expressed similar concerns.
It is indeed tough to connect on a deeper level on a regular Sunday. It is good that we are able to acknowledge this as it is only the beginning in overcoming the struggles in caring for one another in the church. To remain passive and status quo certainly will not help us move forward as a church together. I would like to encourage us to be proactive and intentional to initiate the first move to reach out to someone on every Sunday.
The following are some practical ways that we can work towards knowing more members and to love and care for them:
1. Be regular for Sunday services.
Being regular in-person on a weekly basis for worship together does give us opportunities to know more people. We can initiate conversations before and after service.
I am an introverted person and struggle to make new friends as well. To overcome my weakness, before coming for service, I would ask God to give me the courage to approach someone that I do not know. In this way, week after week I get to know more and more members, at least one member every week! After service, head down together to fellowship hall for a cup of coffee or tea and continue talking with each other.
2. Participate in the corporate meetings such as Members’ Meetings and Prayer Meetings.
During these meetings, there will always be plenty of time allocated for everyone to share and pray together. This is a good chance to get to know another member, and to uphold them in prayer!
3. Be part of a Care Group (CG) where you can grow in God’s Word and to share your lives together and have accountability with one another.
Care Groups (CG) gives us a platform to know and care for one another more deeply in a smaller community. When my family first came to GBC, though we were regular on Sundays, we hardly knew anyone. We had consumeristic mindset, so we waited and expected members to reach out to us. After six months, nothing happened and so we were thinking of leaving GBC to explore another church.
During this time, a couple reached out to us and connected with us and also invited us to join their CG. Reluctantly we joined because we did not know anyone in that CG. By God’s grace, our CG members helped us to settle in and be plugged into the community. Thank God for the CG ministry in GBC that has blessed many. Do explore and join a CG if you have not already! Find out more here or speak with Pastor Andrew.
4. Lastly, church camp is a great opportunity for us to get to know more members.
May I urge all members to make every effort to sign up for this year's church camp that is happening from 4 to 7 June. During the 4D3N, you will have the chance to talk and interact with others in close proximity, get to know one another better. We have received comments that after the end of previous church camps, many of the campers still keep in contact and have forged closer bonds with each other. Looking back, my family were thankful to have been invited by that same couple to our very first church camp in GBC, we were so blessed by the teachings of God’s Word and the fellowship of the people and it was certainly a very good start point for us to know the church community! Do not miss out on the deadline to sign up for church camp. Registration closes on 30 April — sign up here!
As a church, let us be proactive in reaching out to one another. Let us not wait for others to reach out to us, instead ask God for the boldness and wisdom to help other members participate actively in the body life of the church. Let us join our hearts together that we may grow and serve together as part of this body of Christ!