How to find info about groups/services offered by churches

[ChemGal]

I've heard of a chronic support group meeting in a UCCan church before. Now that I'm seeking out support, I can't find this, or better yet a group I would fit in better with.

Is there any way to search groups/services/etc. within a particular denomination? Or is this all just space-sharing and the churches rarely have much to do with it.

@Seeler when your church offered the food, how did people find out about it?

 

[Jae]

Is there any way to search groups/services/etc. within a particular denomination? Or is this all just space-sharing and the churches rarely have much to do with it.

[The best way to find out about Fellowship Baptist groups/services/etc. is to visit the websites of our individual congregations.]

Hope you find the group you're looking for ChemGal.

 

[ChemGal]

Thanks Jae. That's what I'm finding, I have to go to the individual church sites. It's not very convenient when looking for something specific, especially when it isn't a common offering.
If a Baptist church was offering something that was a better fit than the fibro support group, I would be there, regardless of whether it was a church I wouldn't typically attend.

 

[Seeler]

I've heard of a chronic support group meeting in a UCCan church before. Now that I'm seeking out support, I can't find this, or better yet a group I would fit in better with.

Is there any way to search groups/services/etc. within a particular denomination? Or is this all just space-sharing and the churches rarely have much to do with it.

@Seeler when your church offered the food, how did people find out about it?

I'm presuming it is either by some connection with the church, chance, or word-of-mouth. If someone attends church she will see notices in our bulletin or on our bulletin board or hear them from the pulpit, or it might be mentioned during coffee hour after the service. Or, since our church building is on a busy street corner in the downtown, across from an inner-city bus stop, it is visible and approachable. I think people down on their luck tend to look to churches for help. And there is a great deal of information sharing among our clients.

 

[Jae]

Thanks Jae. That's what I'm finding, I have to go to the individual church sites. It's not very convenient when looking for something specific, especially when it isn't a common offering.

It would be great if to support the needs of a large-enough city like Toronto or Edmonton there was a central databank of church services and activities - wouldn't it.

 

[ChemGal]

It would be great if to support the needs of a large-enough city like Toronto or Edmonton there was a central databank of church services and activities - wouldn't it.

Yes!

 

[Mendalla]

Information London used to provide something like that here for all community services regardless of the provider. Not sure where they are at these days.

 

[KayTheCurler]

In the area where I live it is very difficult to find out what, if any, support groups are available. It seems (from an online search some time ago) that the Health folks run several. Chronic illness, Alzheimers, and group rehab for arthritis, lung disease and post heart attack. The online info is outdated and inaccurate. Local docs don't get the info out to patients - some don't even know what is available and how to get patients into it!

The various churches don't appear to run anything that is easily accessed - I heard that one has support groups for people in the congregation - one has a group that operates purely by invitation from the cleric.

I think this entire area is vital to ongoing health outcomes - but it is badly organised and underfunded. I have watched friends from elsewhere make huge improvements in their daily lives because of the support groups they attend in their cities (heart attack victim and lung disease victim). I keep pushing for improvements to this part of health care. I'm convinced it is cheaper for the 'system' and more useful for the patients, to have group activities for people facing similar difficulties.

 

[ChemGal]

Local docs don't get the info out to patients - some don't even know what is available and how to get patients into it!

My PCN has a chronic health nurse. I had an appointment with her and while she was really nice, the main goal of that appointment was to help me find supports. Anything she knew about, I was already aware of and had looked into it. I was aware of some cancellations that she didn't, because I had already called. She checked around for me, but hadn't found anything when she followed up with a call. I found a few things she wasn't aware of.

If someone was diabetic she would have had a ton of resources for them. For some reason, the government has numerous programs for that particular disease, but few for others.

 

[BetteTheRed]

In my small city, I'd rely on the information compiled by the public library over anything else. They actually have a service called "Information Barrie", that seems pretty comprehensive.

 

[Carolla]

I think many of the diabetes related groups are pharma subsidized. Diabetes is epidemic in numbers, and rising - hugely expensive to the health care system so in Ontario there are many more initiatives in recent years.

Re programmes at churches - I think in some cases, the groups are not 'run by' the church, but rather the group is free-standing and uses the church as a location to meet. I believe that's the situation with an IVF group that meets at my church. Like AA - freestanding but may meet in churches. So I think any info will likely be found on disease related or health related sites, rather than church sites.

Also in Ontario there is a central phone # - 211 - that one can call to get assistance in locating 'social services' throughout the province. It covers a really wide scope of stuff that people might be looking for - is there anything like that in your province?

On our Halton Presbytery website, we do have a specialized restricted google search option - enter the key words & it will restrict search results to those on our UCCan church sites in the Presbytery. It's quite handy!

 

[ChemGal]

Also in Ontario there is a central phone # - 211 - that one can call to get assistance in locating 'social services' throughout the province. It covers a really wide scope of stuff that people might be looking for - is there anything like that in your province?

I've called AHS, 211 and 311.

 

[Seeler]

The Parkinson's support group I joined last spring meets in a large recreation room in a seniors' complex. I first found out about them from a notice on the bulletin board at my Coop store. You know, the type of notice with the phone numbers in strips at the bottom for you to tear off.

 

[Carolla]

Well then ChemGal - if what you're looking for doesn't seem to exist ... maybe you're meant to be starting one up yourself

 

[ChemGal]

Maybe someday, not right now. I'm just surprised there is so little out there, or at least little that is easy enough to find!

Of course there is cancer - diabetes and cancer are the big 2.

 

[Seeler]

I am also aware that there is a Crohns and IBD support group that meets at the hospital.
I don't remember how I first found out about it - perhaps from literature in my doctor's office. I never felt interested enough to join.

 

[Jae]

We now have two groups who meet at our church who are not directly related to religion [that's a big change for us]. One is a group of occupational therapists who meet together to discuss issues. The other -now get this - is a group of mothers whose children are "sensitive eaters." [Yes - you heard that right. Back in my day those children would just be called picky kids]. The mothers get together to encourage one another and exchange recipes.

 

[KayTheCurler]

Words are funny things eh. I read the words "sensitive eaters" and understood that they were dealing with food sensitivities and allergies. I wonder which interpretation is closest to what is meant. Maybe Jae, you could ask them about it?

 

[ChemGal]

I would guess it's mostly for families dealing with a child that has a sensory processing disorder that affects eating. It is much more than just being picky. Some of these kids are willing to try foods but end up throwing up even if they have a tiny amount of almost all new foods. Some of them no longer want to try out new foods, and who can blame them?

 

[Jae]

Maybe someday, not right now. I'm just surprised there is so little out there, or at least little that is easy enough to find!

Of course there is cancer - diabetes and cancer are the big 2.

As I understand the situation Kay - and I'm on the leadership team at my church - it isn't the case that the children are allergic to the foods - but rather that they find them psychologically unpleasant.