Traditionally the church was the primary source of ‘soul care’ for believers. Today, care for struggling people is available from many places, but not all of those places make the connection with scripture and faith. In the ‘Soul Care’ stream, we look at becoming better equipped to walk godly, wisely and side-by-side, with those facing the struggles of life.
Resources from previous meet-ups
On Saturday 16th February, the Christian Soul Care network hosted a morning with Catherine Haddow, looking at Anxiety in the Christian Life.
Ninety nine of us were there in total, from several different churches and with different backgrounds and experiences.
In two sessions Catherine, a chartered psychologist, helped us apply the Goldilocks principle in this area. That is, sometimes we can be too hot and leave care entirely up to medical professionals, or too cold and just trot out bible verses which don’t help much at all. In two sessions we considered what a ‘just right’ approach might look like.
She helped us understand more of what emotional disorders are, along with the labels that go with them and how medication and talking therapies work, and then how to help us apply the word of God to the emotions behind these categories with some examples from case studies.
It was so helpful to hear wisdom from someone with a wealth of experience in this area, and to be encouraged that as Christian people we can help others who suffer from emotional disorders like anxiety. Both sessions were recorded and are available to listen to below, along with the handout notes and PowerPoint slides.
- Hand-out notes – download the PDF file here
- PowerPoint slides – download the PPT file here
- Session 1 – download the MP3 file here
- Session 2 – download the MP3 file here
- Questions & Answers session – download the MP3 file here
The stream’s three sessions at EQUIP 2018 were:
- Being Human
It seems everyone has a go at this theme at some time, so why should EQUIP be left out? ‘Who do you think you are?’ is such a profound question and is fundamental in every aspect of our daily walk with Christ. In this session we will consider how our understanding of identity is being increasingly eroded (especially by the social media phenomenon) and the impact this has on our thoughts, behaviours, emotions and our understanding of people. - Dynamics of biblical change
When we face trials in life, James 1 tells us that God has a specific purpose; to draw us into closer communion with Him and to conform us into the likeness of His Son. In this session we will look at how the sanctifying change process happens, not through a ‘technique’ but through a person – Jesus Christ. Let’s become more equipped to be ‘Instruments in the Redeemer’s hands’ as we biblically counsel, connecting life to scripture, bringing sanctifying heart change. - Anxiety
Do you suffer from anxiety, or support someone who does? Do you understand not just the emotional and physical realities of anxiety, but the spiritual dimension too? We are complex combinations of body and soul so let’s dig deeper, into the heart of anxiety and see how God can use anxiety as an unlikely means of drawing us closer to Himself and transforming us into the likeness of His Son.
EQUIP 2018 Network Speaker
Catherine Haddow is a Chartered Psychologist and uses her training, aligned with Scripture, to offer biblical counselling ministry to struggling believers at The Cornerstone based in Trowbridge, Wiltshire. She is passionate about equipping individuals and churches to be used as God’s instruments to point people more clearly to Christ, connect life to scripture and bring lasting change in peoples’ lives.
Network Facilitators
Elspeth Pitt grew up in West Wales and originally trained as a teacher, but has now been in church work for more than twenty years, working in a large city centre church in London and a medium sized suburban church in the Wirral. She loves to help women become more confident in handling the bible for themselves and growing in their personal walk with the Lord Jesus and has a heart for those on the edges of church life. After thirty years working in England, she is delighted to be back in Wales and working on the staff of Highfields Church in Cardiff.
Phil Swann began ministry in West Yorkshire in 1990 after leaving his career in Cardiff as a Physiotherapist. He now the Pastor at Llanelli Free Evangelical Church in West Wales. He also teaches Pastoral Theology, for the Evangelical Movement of Wales, on their Theological Training Course.
