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Cancer
And Faith Experience - CAFÉ
and CARE, for caregivers
CAFÉ (acronym for Cancer And Faith Experience) is the name of the cancer support group at CPC
Who is this group for?
If you have been touched by cancer in some way--diagnosed with cancer, either currently receiving treatment or have completed it, or is the spouse, widow/widower or family member of a cancer patient --this group is for you.
What’s the rationale for this group?
Cancer patients reach out for support for a variety of reasons, looking for individual needs to be met through the warmth and caring of others. Those reasons range anywhere from needing another person to help them emotionally to needing advice on financial decisions for end of life issues and everything inbetween. Support groups offer people many things: the ability to meet others in similar circumstances, to share resources and experiences, to share methods of pain management and coping, and develop new relationships at a time of isolation.
Groups have been shown to improve adjustment, mood, coping ability, and quality of life for people with cancer. CPC-CAFÉ will offer an additional component –a spiritual element. When we share our experiences, we inspire each other by sharing our struggles with treatment, loneliness, as well as our doubts and our strengthening of faith along this journey with cancer.
Who will lead this group?
Each person facilitating the discussion group is a trained Stephen Minister and has had personal experience with cancer.
How long will the group meetings last?
Each meeting will be one hour. During the “school year,” we meet on the first and third Mondays of each month at 10 am in the CPC library. During the summertime, we meet between services as 10 am on the first and third Sundays in the Courtyard room. The longevity of the group will depend on how the group defines itself. It is expected that people will come and go, depending on their individual needs and situations.
W hat’s the format of the meeting?
We begin each meeting with a devotional and prayer. We generally ask each participant how he/she is doing (brief “check-in” statements) and then the discussion flows pertaining to the needs of an individual or the group. There may be educational components or special speakers sometimes that may extend the meeting time to an hour and a half; occasionally, we go out to lunch afterwards. Each meeting closes with prayer.
There have been so many people in our CPC congregation and the community who have been affected by cancer. We know that there are other cancer support groups “out there” that are available through the American Cancer Association, Cancer Care and various hospitals. We encourage people to take advantage of these wonderful resources. We also feel that it is important for folks to know that faith is a powerful resource in dealing with cancer.
We welcome you to Cancer And Faith Experience --CAFÉ at CPC.
If you have any questions, contact the church office or Misty Dunn (916-484-6631 or by email mistylllcs@gmail.com).
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Last updated March 30, 2010