Outlook Leadership Team: Together Encourage All Members
Please read the information below and register to serve...
Matthew 6:33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
I am so glad you are here!
Thank you for using your gift of leadership in Outlook Ministry! I pray God receives much honor and glory as you use the gifts He has given you. Together we do our best to build up His people and serve Him. I pray that you receive joy as you serve the Lord. God is using you as He is changing lives and I am so very thankful. Let's give Him praise, honor and glory, amen.
I want to thank you for your support. You are my support team. I am here to serve you. I believe with all my heart God has great things in store for Outlook Ministry and that we are getting ready to go to a new and exciting level reaching many people.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
First things First
Your main role and responsibilities are to pray for and encourage your members to do their part. Focus on positive feedback to their Outlook Weekly Reports (OWR) they submit to you. Reply to your care group members first and the others in your small group as time allows. Send a weekly personal message to your small group. As moderator for your group’s section on the message board, this board will need checked most days (no less than 3 days a week). Your members need to see new posts from you often and reply to all new posts. If they ask a question, post the answer. When someone asks a question - most of the time others have the same question. You may post a brief answer and email them a detailed personal answer. Just a private email reply looks like to others unanswered. Be available to answer questions and encourage them to contact you, let them know you are open to them. People need to feel comfortable coming to you. This is an important part of the small group. You do not have to know every answer but you do need to know where to go to get the answer. You will be their main contact person.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Leaders Focus and Make a Priority
You will notice a change in the priority list.
Priority one is now follow the program personally as a leader including sending a completed OWR.
1. FOLLOW THE PROGRAM: Most of all, follow the program and send a OWR in each week. You will send your OWR to your Co-Leaders. Please include a reply to all co-leader OWR you receive. Send an OWR online including your weight and personal prayer requests to share with the leaders to pray as well as last week’s (factsheet/cr/tracker) results by online report, snail-mail or email.
LEADERS NOT SUBMITTING AN OWR FOR THREE WEEKS WILL BE REMOVED FROM THE ROSTER WITHOUT NOTICE AND THEIR CARE MEMBERS WILL BE MOVED TO THE OTHER CARE GROUPS WITH IN THAT SMALL GROUP. DO NOT LET THIS HAPPEN!!!
2. REPLY TO “OUTLOOK WEEKLY REPORTS”: Make sure each week to reply to those that are sent. Your responsibility is to reply to your care-group members first. Then to others in the small group as time allows. A good rule is to make sure they are replied to by the end of the day on Tuesday. Most members will send them on Monday.
A quick reply is a very important. The reason is: When a member sends last week’s results and do not receive a reply, feels like they are not receiving accountably, then they quit sending it, and then quit following the program. This is the area you can make the most personal difference in the lives of your members. Members want a reply. They need to know you are looking!!! Focus on a positive reply to the Outlook Weekly Report submitted. Reply to all reports submitted to your Care Group first. This is priority one.
COPY OWR REPLIES TO YOUR CO-LEADERS: When you reply to an OWR - cc/ your co-leaders by using the group leadership email. This will help your team work together making sure all members get a reply and an accountability tool for our leaders.
KNOW WHO IS MISSING: If you haven’t received a report by email by Tuesday, send an email to the missing members in your care-group. TIP: Let them know that their OWR was undelivered ( not “you didn’t send your report” – this is offensive ). “Undelivered” is a soft statement and doesn’t put them on the defensive. The goal is to remind them to send it and/or to encourage them to get back on track. By replying softly, this keep you open to talk to.
3. CHECK THE BOARDS: Check the message board most days and reply to “all” new posts since your last visit on the Small Group Message Board. Each time you post a reply, you tell that person they are important. The reply doesn’t need to be long or even real creative. The goal is to let them know that you read their post and care. This will keep them coming back. If they keep coming back, they are most likely to follow the program closer! Now that is exciting! You make a difference!!! With each reply add a memory verse or quote a page number from the First Place Materials if possible.
4. COMMUNICATE WITH CO-LEADERS: If you will be off line for more than 3 or 4 days, contact your co-leaders and let them know. Never become MIA - communicate!
6. USE YOUR LEADERSHIP EMAILS: Each leader is assigned an email @outlookministry.org. Please use this email with all your interaction with your Small Group. This will be on the roster and on the message board members list. Check this email daily. If for example you only have access at work M-F for example, share that with your group as part of your intro. This will let them know to contact one of your co-leaders for a quick reply. If possible use Outlook Express, but you can also just use the webmail with no problem ( https://email.secureserver.net/login.php?domain=email.outlookministry.org ) or (http://mail2web.com) if that is easier. IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH SETTING IT UP – CONTACT ME ASAP. I can walk you through it over the phone. All leaders are asked to use this. Use your personal email only if there is a problem.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Thank you for your support. I am always listening to feedback from members and try to take action when there is something we can do on our end to improve this ministry. You are a very important part of this ministry and are the "personal" touch that makes Outlook so successful.
The saddest feedback I can get from a member is that they never get a reply or feedback on the OWR they send in. I believe if we are able to make sure that every member gets at least one reply to their OWR, that it will encourage the member to follow the program closer and post more on the boards, too.
How do you feel when you send in an OWR and get NO reply? How do you feel when you send in a CR and get a reply? How do you want your members to feel?
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Each small group has 2-4 small group co-leaders with one leader assigned to a care group of 5-6 members. This will provide back up for when one leader is unavailable, due to vacation, overtime, sickness, computer-challenges and such. Please make a commitment for the full session.
If you are unable to continue and need to step down mid-session, DO NOT TELL YOUR MEMBERS. Tell me and let me handle this. This is very discouraging to the group as a whole when a leader to step down or become inactive (MIA). Thank you for your support, this is very important to me.
Your Group Roster… You are a part of building your group. Those that you get to enroll will be assigned to your group the following session. Every chance you get share that you are a Small Group Leader for Outlook and invite them to join YOUR group. Outlook is YOUR ministry when you are on the Outlook Ministry Team.
FOCUS ON THOSE THAT SHOW UP
Work with whom you have and focus on them, they are the ones needing the support in this area. We have some in our group, their main goal in joining Outlook is to have accountability to someone by sending in their weight and OWR, and this is OK. These are people with no time to attend a class and the very main thing with First Place 4 Health is following the program daily, at home.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Answering Questions
If you do not know the answer, email me and ask and I will reply back to you so you will be able to deliver the answer. You can also direct questions to the other leaders on our team. It’s OK to say, “I don’t know the answer but I will check it out and get back to you.” This is much better than no reply. You are not expected to know everything or to be perfect. When answering questions, try to direct them to their materials stating what page number and what book it is in. This will help them become self-sufficient. As often as you can, add one of the memory verses in part or in whole to your messages.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Asking Questions
Leaders stimulate conversation by asking questions. Open-ended questions are the best to facilitate a discussion. Open-ended questions are: What, how, tell me, please share with me… any thing that gets more than a yes or no answer. TIP: Each week try to ask one question about a different commitment.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Our message boards
Our message boards are open forum. With this in mind members post all kinds of topics on their heart. Our ministry is both program support and building relationships. As leaders we cannot support them in their program unless we have been there as a friend to listen. As a Small Group Leader you are their main contact person and the one that takes Outlook from an online support group to a personal support group. You are the "real" person that is there to support them and encourage them.
In my opinion, the “LARGE GROUP” board is the best place to post a message board for those that do have extra time to get encouraged to read all kinds of topics. This allows those with more time online to come, read, post and be encouraged though building relationships with other Outlook/First Place 4 Health members. Even the topics that are not "directly" First Place 4 Health or Outlook Ministry some place in the conversation it is "best" to identify why this is important to my journey when posting. This is also the best place to copy and paste those pass-on emails that touch your heart and share with others that have the time to read them.
In my opinion, it's best to keep the "SMALL GROUP" boards focused on First Place 4 Health and pull the ongoing support back to program. Send personal conversations by email interaction by using the small group roster. This allows those with little time online to come quickly read for program support and return back to their day.
A good example is our First Place 4 Health Bible Studies, not all lessons are on weight loss but most of them identify with the topic.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Bible Study boards
Encourage your group to post what stood out to them in their Bible Study. When one of your group members post, reply a “thank you” to them… this will affirm them and they will feel good about posting the next time. You will want to post here too at least weekly. It can be simple and just a few words, but they will follow your leadership. The disadvantage to Outlook is no classroom discussion. With you leading a small group this will become more personal. Don’t expect everyone to participate. But be an encouragement.
Please close you posts with Your First Place Leader (Z1*) your name and state. [*Your small group letter and care group number].
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
OUTLOOK MINISTRY RULES!!!!
There are only 4 but I have found them to be very important.
1) Keep ROSTER information private and for your eyes only. This list is provided for a list to pray for and a list to encourage as you go through this First Place 4 Health journey together.
2) DO NOT SEND BATCH LETTERS! CHAIN LETTERS! PASS ON EMAILS!!!
3) Please keep conversation positive and uplifting by private emails and message board posts.
4) Close all emails and posts with your name and state/country code.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
IT’S NOT ALL ABOUT YOU
Don’t take it personal if someone drops from your group, gets upset, or doesn’t like the way you lead the group. You cannot please everyone! Keep your eyes on the Father; pleasing Christ in what you do is the very most important thing. Weight loss is very personal and emotional. Sometimes is not the right time for people to follow through. You can encourage them in their decision, but it is their decision. This is the reason I let people join in mid-session if needed. I can’t tell someone it is time for him or her to change, … but if they come to me and say I am ready for a change and ask for help, they have made a decision, they are in search for support. I feel God has crossed their path with mine in His perfect timing. Do you remember the day you joined First Place 4 Health? How did you feel knowing you could start right away? How would you have felt if you had to wait months for the next session to start?
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
SERVE THE LORD WITH ALL YOUR HEART
Well we’ve talked about expectations, directions and warnings… now let praise God for what He is about to do. Are you excited yet?! If not get that way… we are about to enter a new door, an exciting journey. First Place 4 Health is a wonderful God given program for a way out, a gift from God. Come let’s seek Him first in all we do. Outlook Ministry takes the program to the next level in support. God is using you as HE is changing lives. Thank you so much for being a very important part of our Outlook Ministry Team!
Romans 8:28 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
You make a difference and are appreciated. Thank you for giving to the Lord.
Jesus changes lives…
Karen Rhodus,
Founder of Outlook Ministry Est. 2001
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully. Romans 12:7-8
"Providing online support groups for those following the First Place/4 Health Program."
"I have been a First Place Leader since 1993 where I started a group in my home around the dining room table with 5 friends. My role now is developing an on-line support group called Outlook Ministry for those with no local group to attend. In 2001 God crossed my path with 300 people losing 2000 pounds. He has now crossed my path with over 3000 different members. Outlook Ministry began our 9th year online in January 2009. God is at work!"
Karen Rhodus, Founder
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
NOTE(1): When I refer to “Outlook Weekly Report” includes their “program accountability report” submitted to their leaders. This can be called Fact Sheet, Awareness Sheet, Commitment Record (CR), Tracker or Food Journal.
NOTE(2): The name First Place and First Place 4 Health are considered one in the same. The only difference is the publication revisions. First Place Est. 1981 changed the name to First Place 4 Health in 2008.
NOTE(3): Leaders my choose to use the 1984 First Place Teal Notebook, 2001 First Place Member's Guide or 2008 First Place 4 Health Member's Guide in any Outlook Group.
NOTE(4): Leaders may use the food plan taught in any version (1984 First Place Teal Notebook, 2001 First Place Member's Guide or 2008 First Place 4 Health Member's Guide) and/or if prescribed a diet by their doctor. A leader may choose to use the Weight Watcher® food plan if they track their food choices and amount consumed on the fact sheet/cr/tracker and summit it to their Small Group Co-Leaders and Regional Directors.