Hello dear friends,
During a season that is typically filled with hurry and pressure for so many people, we wanted to take a moment to pause and reflect on God’s incredible provision of His Son, Jesus.
Without Jesus, all the work and ministry of Living Free would be fruitless.
Without Jesus, all the small groups and curriculum would hold no power over bondage and shame.
Without Jesus, all the donations and hours and service would be pointless.
But thankfully, we have Immanuel — God WITH US — who equips, empowers, and sets captive FREE. This is why we rejoice this Christmas season!
We are thankful for you, our friends and partners, as well. Thank you for allowing Immanuel to fill you and work through you in the lives of others.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
— The Living Free Team
Here are steps you can follow as an individual to encourage your congregation or group to begin Living Free groups in your church or ministry.
The first step you should take is to learn as much as you can about Living Free. Study the the website. Order the training series, or if that is impossible, watch the training series online so that you can experience first-hand what you want to encourage the church to enjoy. After you review the materials, you may want to encourage some others to join you and look at them. Test the interest level and see if there is a group of people who might like to work together to make this ministry a reality in your church. Remember, studying the materials as an individual is never as effective as experiencing them is a small group. We need the eyes of others to see ourselves as we really are and the encouragement of others to apply the wisdom of God’s word to the difficult areas of our lives.
As you consider taking this information to your church leaders, be sure to pray. When you meet with them, tell them about your own experience and how you think that these materials could help many others. Always keep a good attitude, even if the leaders are not receptive to you. Remember, it is God that opens and closes doors, and he has his own perfect timing for everything.
Try to see things from the perspective of ministry leaders. Most church leaders are overworked and underpaid and experience many demands competing for their time. Sometimes they will see a ministry like this as just another activity that they will have to staff and manage. So if you want to see this ministry in your church, be sure that you’re volunteering to make it happen and not just handing it off for someone else to do. When leaders see such a commitment, it will eliminate some of the barriers to beginning a new ministry.
