At Impact of Huntsville we have seen some incredible healings in what seemed to
be impossible family situations. Although we don’t talk about "family" a lot, we
do teach and equip people to have effective relationships. After all, that is
what makes families work…loving relationships.
Telling two hurting people what they "should" do to have a happy marriage
doesn’t work. People who are angry, fearful or hurting inwardly are incapable of
making the people around them feel loved. As a matter of fact, studies indicate
that the attempt to make hurting people "do the right thing" may actually make
the relationship worse.
Studies conducted by Barna Research, a Christian based research organization,
shows that the divorce rate among Christians is slightly higher than divorce
rates among atheists and non-believers. It indicates that churches that tend to
have a strong, stereotypical concept of family may have an even higher divorce
rate.
We believe that "religious people"1 have created a stereotype for relationships
that is not really based on scriptural teaching. Rather than building
relationships around love, communication and individual development, "religious
people" try to force marriages to work through fear, guilt and obligation.
Additionally, there is a strong pressure to force husbands and wives into a
predetermined role, therefore, leaving no room for individual growth and
expression. Forcing these false roles and demands on people creates an
impossible situation. Rather than strengthening relationships it adds
unacceptable pressures. False religious stereotypes actually prohibit the growth
of loving relationships.
The number one testimony that we receive from people who are influenced by the
ministry is "I have fallen in love with God and I have fallen in love with the
people in my life." The following are some of the reasons we build strong
families.
If you don’t feel loved, you won’t give love.
The Bible says, everyone that loves is born of God and is experiencing God.2 We
tend to give what we experience. Because we establish people in the love of God
they not only grow spiritually, they grow relationally. In other words, they
express to others what they are feeling inside.
We build a strong, Bible-based sense of self-worth.
God desires for man to live in a sense of dignity and worth.3 People who have
self-worth that comes from knowing the value that God has for them tend to have
a higher value for others. If you don’t have dignity, you can’t give dignity.
Our entire church focuses on making people whole through the love of God. Many
people who have been hurt are still carrying the "baggage" from the past. As we
help people get whole through the love of God, they find healing from the pain
of the past. Jesus was so committed to this that it was recorded in scripture.
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the
gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted." Luke 4:18. We
will only have a new future when we are no longer controlled by the pain of the
past.
We believe that true spirituality is measured by the quality of our loving
relationships. We reflect the fact that we know and are experiencing God based
on our ability to walk in love and build meaningful relationships. "Dear
friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves
has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God,
because God is love." 1 John 4:7-8, NIV. We tend to find what we look for. When
meaningful relationships become a major goal in our walk with God, we tend to
find them.
We only have one service per week so that you can have time for a family life.
Church should not replace real life; it should support it. We keep the number of
meetings to a minimum so that you can spend quality time with your family.
We have specialized programs for teens and children. Besides having wonderfully
effective children’s and teen’s ministry, we are trained and equipped to deal
with substance abuse, sexual abuse and other problems that face families. We
have an outpatient treatment center and personal counseling. We periodically run
a nine-week program for youth and teens that are at high risk for substance
abuse.
We have specialized programs for adults. Our treatment center takes parents from
a place of substance abuse to a place of freedom through a Christ-centered, drug
free program.
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1 The term "religious" is used to describe a person who follows a religious
tradition rather than the Word of God.
2 In 1 John 4:7-8 the English phrase "knoweth God" comes from a Greek word which
means to be experiencing God.
3 Hebrews 2:7 says God crowned man with glory and honor i.e., dignity and worth.
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