Ridgecrest, NC
August 23-26, 2006

Our fellowship gathering began about 4PM on Wednesday, August 23, 2006.  We met at Ridgecrest Retreat Center, Ridgecrest, NC for a time of fellowship, dinner and a brief introduction to each other and our ministries.  This included a time of sharing ministry resource materials, prayer and worship.  We ended the evening by watching a portion of a video on the life of Mother Teresa.

The following 14 ministries were represented by 22 people.
Christian Concourse………………………….. Jerry & Dar Johnson
Dayton Care Teams……………………………Rod Thorpe
Elder Source………………………………… …Stan Means
God Cares Ministry………………………… ….Bill & Mary Ann Goodrich &                                                                           Doug Feller
Home Free Ministries……………………… ….Jerry & Lin Fagerlandspan>
Faithful Friends…………………………………Larry Wasserman
Gentle Shepherd Ministries………… …… …  Jerry David
Love Your Neighbor……………………… ……Andy Martin
Mountaineer Ministries……………………… …Patrick Ballard
Outreach for Christ to the Nursing Home… …Doug Lee
Phoenix First Special  People Ministry…… … Sharon & Don Henning
Sharing the Care………………………… … …Bill & Lyn Roche
Sounds of Joy……………………………… … .Dave & Pat Tack
We Care Ministries………………………… ….Gary & Carol Barnes  

Thursday morning:
After breakfast, Bill shared a devotional regarding God’s calling in the nursing home mission field.  We also spent some time in worship and prayer.

The rest of the morning and much of the afternoon was devoted to open discussion regarding How to get churches involved in care center ministry.

Many great points were shared that we hope to consolidate into one report.  You are welcome to EMAIL your notes to be included.

Three points where highlighted:

* Nursing home ministry is a compassionate work of God.  We are joining Him in His great plan to minister to His children in care centers.

* It is easy for God to “grow” a ministry, the issue is, are we willing to join Him in the sacrifices necessary to do the work.

* It is not how much we give, it is how much we love in our giving.

Our discussion lasted till about 4:00 pm, and then we broke off into small prayer groups.

After dinner we watched more of the video about Mother Teresa and spent time in prayer.  This was a very moving biography.  After much searching, I have finally found where the video is available. http://www.motherteresafilm.com/order.aspx.  The video we watched is “Mother Teresa”, Ann & Jeanette Petrie’s 1986 biography. You can also contact them by calling 888.923.1919. There are other Mother Teresa videos that are pretty good, but of the ones I’ve seen, I think this is the best one.

After a short break, we hiked up into the woods for a bon fire.  Patrick brought his banjo and picked some good ‘ol southern tunes while we interspersed with amusing stories and jokes.  It was a fun time!!!

Friday morning:
Don shared a devotional, focusing on God’s wisdom.  After a time of worship and prayer, we began our second topical discussion “What Works best in the Nursing Home”, which included: effective devotional resources and message preparation, giving alter calls, resident participation in prayer, the use of rituals and visual aids and establishing relationships with residents.

After lunch, the discussion focused on Chaplaincy; highlighting their responsibilities, training, credentialing, sources of income and connections to the local church.

Between the three topics, our plates were filled with many great ideas and information to fuel each of our ministries.  After a time of small-group prayer, we went to dinner.

Friday Afternoon:
The advisory team met prior to and immediately after dinner.  Then at 7:00 PM, the whole group reassembled as a group to report and discuss the following administrative point:

* We reaffirmed the intake process that was initiated last year.  After using this approach for the past year, we sense it is principally solid and we will continue forward with it.

* We are happy to report that we currently have 23 participating ministries and 5 others in the intake process.

* The Advisory Team will be considering the development of a CFCCM seal or logo that could be used by participants to place on their letterhead, website or brochures.  This would allow those of us who desire, an opportunity to express connectedness with like-minded care center ministries.  We are trusting that a seal/crest/logo will give a visible sign of viable connectivity in our mission field.

* Each year we nominate our Fellowship Facilitator and Advisory Team.  After some discussion and a vote on Saturday, Bill Goodrich will continue to be the facilitator, and his advisory team will be:  Paul Falkowski, Jerry & Dar Johnson, Jerry Fagerland and Bill Roche

* The website is one step away from completion.  Terrance Wilson, Roger McFall and Jerry Johnson have done an excellent job!!!  Each year, participating ministries will be required to review (update if necessary) their profile and pay a $10.00 maintenance fee.  Checks will be made out to the facilitator’s ministry with CFCCM in memo.  The funds will be used for domain, hosting and minor webmaster expenses.  Website location will be at www.CFCCM.net by October 1^st.

* We think it’s important that all of us get on the same page regarding care center statistics. A research team was established to find viable sources for accurate numbers regarding common statistical questions.  The team is:  Lyn Roach, Patrick Ballard and Jerry David.

Saturday morning:
After breakfast, we drove up to the top of the mountain and shared in a great time of communion facilitated by Jerry David, Jerry Johnson and Patrick Ballard.

Patrick Ballard                      Jerry Johnson

Just before lunch we finalized some of the above administrative issues,

* Jerry and Lin Fagerland will look into hosting our next retreat in the Twin-Cities area.

* We have targeted August 15-18 or 22-27 as dates.

* Each ministry will be encouraged to give toward the cost of the retreat center expenses.  However, scholarships are anticipated to be available as in the past.

Respectfully submitted

Bill Goodrich, CFCCM Facilitator