Potential New Leader

[revjohn]

Hi there,
I'm a Church of Ireland (Same as Episcopal) minister in Northern Ireland and I am exploring starting a First Place group in my area which I would need to lead. I certainly need to loose weight and there are some others in my churches and in other local churches who may well show interest.:rolleyes:

Basically, I wonder if, at this very early stage before even receiving the First Place materials, would any other leaders out there with lots of experience have any tips, advice and guidance which would be helpful to me as I prayerfully seek to start this off.:)

Any and all help would be appreciated. :D

God Bless,

revjohn

[Pat/TX]

Revjohn,

How wonderful that you are making plans to start a First Place group in Ireland! You are in for some very special blessings....as are your members when they truly choose to put Christ in First Place in their lives.

My suggestion to you as you prepare to lead this group is that you become very familiar with the Nine Commitments in First Place and start following them yourself faithfully before your class begins. We have found that anyone who faithfully keeps all nine commitments will, indeed, lose weight. Those of us who try to slide by and not keep them all will find ourselves struggling to lose.

Also adopt the mindset that when we "feed on God's Word," we have the Bread of Life. We don't need to overeat or eat foods with no nutrition. We have the perfect food for our souls in God's Word. And when we turn our choices over to Him, we'll start making healthy ones when it comes to food.We need to feed our minds the Word of God daily....with no exception. Bible reading and scripture memory are vital parts to this program. They put the very words of God on our hearts and minds, and we can draw on them for guidance when we need to make choices.

Another thing is to study the Live-It and become familiar with how the exchange system works. It's really not hard, but you do need to be comfortable with it before you try to teach it to others. Leaders here on the forum boards will be glad to help you as you have questions about how to determine exchanges. This website message board will be very helpful to you as a new leader.

Then there is the commitment of exercise. Most people will fight this one because we just don't like to exercise as a rule. However, it might help to have something in mind to focus your group on how they might exercise and enjoy it. Perhaps setting up an early morning walking club would make meeting and walking together enjoyable, or maybe having someone lead an aerobics class would be fun. First Place has some good exercise DVDs that you could get to use. Controlling our calorie intake and increasing our calorie output (through exercise) is a sure way to see those scales start dropping.

There are also other things that you may need as a new leader, and all you have to do is ask. We are here to help you any way we can.

Pat
Houston, Texas

[revjohn]

Hi Pat,

I tried to post this last night but nothing seemed to happen so here goes again......

Thanks for all the encouragement and info. I will get into the materials when they arrive to give me a better understanding but I am certain I'll be back again to the message boards for help.

Can you recommend any of the books on offer as particularly helpful to a potential new leader?

God bless,
revjohn

[Pat/TX]

Revjohn,

Everything you will need to get a successful First Place group started will come in your Leader Kit materials. The books you need to read are also in the kit. Carole Lewis has written one called Choosing to Change that should come in your kit. We all know that as humans we probably won't change our habits unless we make the personal choice to change them. No one can make us lose the weight, but we can choose to make better choices and lose it. I'd suggest you start with that book. Next I'd listen to the Leadership CD and any other motivational CDs that they are now including in the kit. Finally, but certainly not leastly, read and study the member guide so that you can lead your class through it. There are a lot of wonderful helps for you there.

Another book that comes in your kit is called Health4Life. It has many things in it you can use as nutrition lessons for your First Place class. We try to present a Health Spotlight lesson for about 15 minutes of each class. Then we try to devote 30 minutes to solid Bible study and at least 15 minutes for prayer and sharing. You may find that some of your class members will help you teach those wellness lessons. Many of our classes have nutritionists and/or nurses enrolled as members. They are quite helpful in sharing health information with us.

I hope your kit arrives very soon! Don't forget we are here for you when you need us!

Pat/TX
Houston

[revjohn]

Pat,

Thank you so much for all that useful info and guidance, I shall keep you posted on developments and its good to know you will be praying.

God bless,

revjohn

[Pat/TX]

revjohn,

You can count on lots of prayers. We'll be anxious to hear how things go as you get started. After you get your Leader Kit, let me know, and we'll talk about your orientation classes. Members will need to order member kits unless your church will front the cost and let them buy the kits from you. If you decide not to do it that way, I'd try to collect the money for the member kits and have one person order them all so that they arrive at the same time. Then it will be possible to determine when to start the class and everyone will have his/her materials. If you leave it up to them to order them individually, some will procrastinate, and they won't be able to start the class with the rest of you. You can order these kits directly from Gospel Light (the publisher) right here on the website under Resources on the main page. However, if money is a problem for some members, you sometimes can also find the kits at www.amazon.com or www.ebay.com. The ones on ebay may be used kits with some things missing, so keep that in mind.

Let us know when you are ready to get started and we'll help you from there!

Pat/TX
Houston