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Community Care Groups How do I get to know other families in JAHE? Who are the leaders of this group? Should I join a small group? If I go on this field trip, will my kids know anyone else in the group? We asked many of these questions before joining JAHE and have often been asked them as board members of JAHE. We recognize that within our various small groups there is a sense of community or belonging, but if you are not a participant of a small group, you are often on the outside looking in. After much prayer, we have decided to try a new endeavor this year. It is our desire to develop geographically based "community care groups". The goals of these groups include: providing a person who can answer your home school questions (or help find someone who can); having contact with other homeschoolers who live in your area 3-4 times a year; offering a sense of encouragement; and fellowship. We have contacted a number of families who have been members of JAHE for some time and asked them to lead these groups. Soon we will meet with them to give them the names of other home school families that live near them. They will then have the privilege of contacting member families to see if they would like to participate in their local care group. Whether or not a particular family decides to be part of the group, they will have a person they can ask questions to and connect with. We believe that the reason some people hesitate to participate in JAHE-wide events is they aren’t aware of what’s being planned, they don’t have time, or they are nervous to jump in among strangers. Our hope is that these groups will help open the lines of communication and help the organization meet the needs of our members as well as help members feel included and cared for. As these groups develop, each group can decide for themselves whether they want to focus on moms, whole families, prayer, fellowship, or a little of each. During the year, the board would like to host events that would bring all these groups together for spiritual feeding and fellowship. The annual mom’s brunch or a JAHE wide field trip could provide these types of opportunities. We would ask you to prayerfully consider becoming part of one of these groups. We know that home school families have many commitments but God is able to provide us with the necessary strength and resources to make a huge difference in one another's lives. Before the fall kickoff picnic, you should receive a note from your care group leader giving you the opportunity to meet with them at the picnic. After that each group can begin to develop in whatever way meets the needs of those involved. Homeschoolers are unique people with unique family needs; we hope that by working together we can encourage and challenge each other to do our very best to meet the goals we have set. In the words of the writer of Hebrews, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching... Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” If interested in participating in or helping to lead a community care group (existing or new), please contact your friendly neighborhood care group leader. You can also contact the JAHE Board by either sending an email to the organization's Secretary, leaving a voice message at (517) 783-9378 or sending a letter requesting information about Community Care Groups to: Jackson Area Home Educators A list of care groups and contact information for care group leaders are available in the members-only section. |