B.A.S.I.C.S.

A Ministry to Shut-Ins

Purpose of the Ministry

The purpose of B.A.S.I.C.S. (Brothers And Sisters In Christian Service) is to involve persons unable to attend church in a service of worship, prayer and praise with live participation of other church members.  This interactive model of ministry enhances an aspect of Body-life which is an essential element of Jesus' teaching concerning the Church (see, for example, Matthew 25:36-40).  It provides for mutual fellowship, encouragement, strength, and accountability both to those making the visit and those receiving the visit.  Since many who receive a visit are widows, it also assures that the Church does not fail its responsibility to minister to the widows in our midst (see Acts 6:1, 1 Timothy 5:3, 16; James 1:27).

Description of the Ministry

B.A.S.I.C.S. is designed to minister to persons who are unable to attend church for an extended period of time.  Targeted persons are those who call First Baptist Church "my" church (both members, regular attenders, or immediate relatives of a member or regular attender) and who are shut-in due to age, infirmity, continuing illness, or during a recovery/rehabilitation period following an injury, hospital stay, or other illness.  The nature of the ministry is to have a team of at least 3 and no more than 8 persons visit in the home of a targeted person and to lead in a 30-minute prayer and praise service.  The targeted time is Wednesday night during the regular praise and prayer service at the church building.  Periodically, the teams, under the leadership of a deacon or other ordained minister of the gospel, will administer the Lord's Supper to those persons so wishing this type of ministerial visit.

Plan of the Ministry

In order for this ministry to function effectively, the following elements are necessary:

1.  The Lay Coordinator to enlist the team members and make team assignments.

2.  An established schedule of visitation which complements other church ministries.

3.  A list of targeted homes to visit.

4.  An orderly process for making contacts with each host or hostess prior to making a visit.

5.  Devotional guide sheets and copies of related songs prepared in advance for each team member.

6.  A central meeting place for prayer and organization of teams prior to making the in-home visits.

7.  A mechanism for reporting victories, praises, problems, or prayer requests and for evaluating the effectiveness of the

     ministry on a periodic basis.