ANECDOTAL EPILOGUE
John, a retired pastor, is the principal facilitator of the
group meetings. During his tenure as pastor of a Louisiana
church, he realized the need to minister more effectively to
members of the congregation that were cancer patients. He and
his wife asked the cancer patients in his church to meet in their
home. He prepared an agenda for the first meeting. After his
introductory remarks, the group took over and discussed their
needs and joys and the challenges they had met, how they were
affected by the challenges and what they were doing about them.
At the next meeting he carefully prepared an agenda again and
after short introductory remarks the attendees again took charge
of the meeting and discussed their needs according to their
perceptions. At the third meeting there was no prepared agenda,
and none since, except on rare occasions. The facilitator is
just that, a facilitator.
For about twenty years the group has grown and shrunk
according to the deaths, the moves from the locality and other
reasons. It has been a successful ministering group to a large
number of people.
James, is a lawyer who was diagnosed with cancer in 1988
and has been an attendee of the group since that time. He serves
as facilitator when needed. He also keeps up the group's "Cancer
Support Book", the notes of meetings and the list of attendees,
telephone numbers, and addresses.
Our experience has been one of joy as we meet and try to
help meet some of the needs of people with cancer. One of our
common realizations is that cancer affects not only the patient
but the whole family.
Our wives have been staunch supporters and providers for our
local cancer support group. Without their courage and
assistance, our efforts would have been less joyous and more
difficult.
John's perspective comes from the experience of pastoral
care and counseling. He had been a Baptist pastor for twenty
seven years at the time that group started. However he had only
minimal training in group dynamics. As a caring pastor, with
limited time, he wanted these people together, in one place, in
order to minister to them and help them care for each other. He
learned that people with similar pain can encourage each other in
ways an outsider to that pain can not. Thus the change in
perception of how to best assist changed from provider of
pastoral care, to facilitator of a group that was giving care to
each other.
James' perspective comes from his faith in God's ultimate
goodness in his ongoing cancer journey, and his desire to help
other patients and care givers through his experiences.
It is our desire that these suggestions will provide a
starting place for you to develop, or become a part of, a local
cancer support group from which you can draw strength and through
which your strength will benefit others.
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