Care Group Launch • Fall 2025

January 12- April 17 | WFC Lenexa

Care groups offer a place of healing for those who need extra support and resources to overcome the barriers in their relationship with God and others. Westside is committed to engaging with people in their healing journey so they can find the fullness of the freedom available through a relationship with Jesus. Care Groups are supportive environments designed to help you find encouragement and accountability in addressing emotional, behavioral, and spiritual challenges.

Care Groups are supportive environments designed to help you find encouragement and accountability in addressing emotional, behavioral, and spiritual challenges.

Care Group Launch • Fall 2024
September 8 - December 12 | WFC Lenexa

Care groups offer a place of healing for those who need extra support and resources to overcome the barriers in their relationship with God and others. Westside is committed to engaging with people in their healing journey so they can find the fullness of the freedom available through a relationship with Jesus. Care Groups are supportive environments designed to help you find encouragement and accountability in addressing emotional, behavioral, and spiritual challenges.

Care Groups are supportive environments designed to help you find encouragement and accountability in addressing emotional, behavioral, and spiritual challenges.

Keeping Kids Safe Online provides resources and awareness surrounding e-safety. The content covers electronic safety concepts, including gaming systems, music devices, and other wireless internet communications.

No software is 100% effective at protecting our kids, so this class teaches you how to have age-appropriate conversations with your child.

This presentation was designed by Sunflower House, Overland Park Police Department, and FBI Cyber Crime Task Force. Adults only (18+)

Lunch is provided, and childcare is available for a small fee.

Stephen Ministers are compassionate and dedicated Westside members who undergo specialized training to bring the love and care of Christ to those facing life's challenges. With a heart for helping others, they offer one-to-one confidential support during transitional periods such as divorce, job loss, grief, illness, relocation, or separation due to military deployment.

If you are interested in serving in this ministry, attend our upcoming informational meeting. After a brief presentation about the ministry, our team will gladly answer any additional questions you have and help you determine if this is a good fit for you. Our next Stephen Minister training begins January 9, 2024.

At Westside, we are committed to meeting people in their place of pain, and because we know that trauma impacts so many, we offer a one-day Trauma Competent Caregiver course. This training is for anyone who wants to demonstrate compassion, love, and empathy to their community.

This one-day training offers insight into the impact of trauma on individuals and how it manifests in attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors. You will leave this workshop with helpful techniques and approaches to care for individuals who have experienced trauma.

Engage in art as a way to strengthen your family relationships.

No need to attend all 6 sessions, jump in anytime. Projects will include: 

• Jackson Pollock Inspired - Lean into the uncontrollable and see the beauty of working together to create something you couldn’t do on your own.

• Gesture Drawing - Loosen your grip on perfection and let your creative side out.

• Portraits - Look at the face of someone who loves you.  Draw what you see.

• Mixed-Media artwork - Step out of familiar and create something new from this unfamiliar media.

• Upside-Down tree - Things are not always as they seem.  Using this technique you will see something beautiful being created that you may not have recognized before.

• Teacher Pick - We are better together - we will create a group project.

Mondays, 6:30p

Location: WFC Lenexa, Kids West 

Leaders: Derek, Elise & Katie

Cost: $30 per family (covers the cost of supplies)

Engage in art as a way to strengthen your family relationships.

No need to attend all 6 sessions, jump in anytime. Projects will include: 

• Jackson Pollock Inspired - Lean into the uncontrollable and see the beauty of working together to create something you couldn’t do on your own.

• Gesture Drawing - Loosen your grip on perfection and let your creative side out.

• Portraits - Look at the face of someone who loves you.  Draw what you see.

• Mixed-Media artwork - Step out of familiar and create something new from this unfamiliar media.

• Upside-Down tree - Things are not always as they seem.  Using this technique you will see something beautiful being created that you may not have recognized before.

• Teacher Pick - We are better together - we will create a group project.

Mondays, 6:30p

Location: WFC Lenexa, Kids West 

Leaders: Derek, Elise & Katie

Cost: $30 per family (covers the cost of supplies)

Don't underestimate the battle for our kids. Be ready for it! Join Westside's 4-week series that's designed to strengthen family connections, support your child's development, and make wise online safety choices.

• Creating Secure Relationships | September 13

• Maximizing Your Parenting Gifts | September 20

• Keeping Kids Safe Online | September 27

• Understanding Family Patterns | October 4

Care Groups are supportive environments designed to help you find encouragement and accountability in addressing emotional, behavioral, and spiritual challenges.

At Westside, we are committed to meeting people in their place of pain, and because we know that trauma impacts so many, we offer a one-day Trauma Competent Caregiver course. This training is for anyone who wants to demonstrate compassion, love, and empathy to their community.

This one-day training offers insight into the impact of trauma on individuals and how it manifests in attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors. You will leave this workshop with helpful techniques and approaches to care for individuals who have experienced trauma.

Mentor couples have the privilege of supporting engaged or newly married couples as they build a healthy foundation for their marriage by providing guidance, accountability, and encouragement.

Care Groups are supportive environments designed to help you find encouragement and accountability in addressing emotional, behavioral, and spiritual challenges.

Complex trauma impacts so much that traditional parenting, teaching, and interaction methods often don’t work. However, specific interventions and approaches, known as trauma-informed care, can change an individual's life. This one-day training offers insight into the impact trauma has on individuals and how that manifests in attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors. You will leave this workshop equipped with helpful techniques and approaches to care for individuals who have experienced trauma.

Join us on the second Wednesday of each month to enrich your parenting knowledge! Family Ministry will be partnering with Care Ministry this year to bring you relevant, topical conversations about Christian parenting.

May 10 | Preparing for Summer

Spiritual and developmental growth can take a backseat to the busyness of summer. Creative engagement and novel experiences are part of what your kids need to thrive. In this class you will be resourced to create an intentional plan for guiding your kids and families toward a deeper faith plus identify ways to strengthen your connection by having fun.

Complex trauma impacts so much that traditional parenting, teaching, and interaction methods often don’t work. However, specific interventions and approaches, known as trauma-informed care, can change an individual's life. This one-day training offers insight into the impact trauma has on individuals and how that manifests in attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors. You will leave this workshop equipped with helpful techniques and approaches to care for individuals who have experienced trauma.

Join us on the second Wednesday of each month to enrich your parenting knowledge! Family Ministry will be partnering with Care Ministry this year to bring you relevant, topical conversations about Christian parenting.

April 12 | Unity in Families

Disruptions to unity in relationships can leave us feeling overwhelmed and defeated. To protect our relationships, it's important for each family member to feel listened to and understood. In this class you will learn ways create opportunities for each person in your family to understand their value and worth. You will also learn reconnection and repair strategies that are essential for building unity. With the right skills in place, your family can thrive.

Join us on the second Wednesday of each month to enrich your parenting knowledge! Family Ministry will be partnering with Care Ministry this year to bring you relevant, topical conversations about Christian parenting.

March 8 | Parenting through the Developmental Stages

Parenting can be tough, and just when we think we've got it figured out, they grow and change! Come learn what to expect as your kids grow through the developmental stages, so you can stay one step ahead. You will leave equipped to build connection with your child throughout their stages of development.

There are SO many opportunities at Westside to get involved in Community or Global Impact, but sometimes we need more information before taking the leap! Gather together for lunch on February 19 to find out some simple ways you can make an impact here in Kansas City and around the world.

Lunch will be provided on a first-come, first-serve basis.

There are SO many opportunities at Westside to get involved in Community or Global Impact, but sometimes we need more information before taking the leap! Gather together for lunch on February 19 to find out some simple ways you can make an impact here in Kansas City and around the world.

Lunch will be provided on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Join us on the second Wednesday of each month to enrich your parenting knowledge! Family Ministry will be partnering with Care Ministry this year to bring you relevant, topical conversations about Christian parenting.

February 8 | Communication and Conflict Resolution

Misunderstandings and disagreements can create unhealthy tension in families. Being equipped to teach our kids how to handle conflict begins with modeling healthy communication and conflict patterns. Join us to learn the underlying causes of conflict, ways to resolve differences, how to forgive others, and the value of repairing relationships.

Stephen Ministers are trained Westside members with a passion for bringing Christ’s love and care to people experiencing a life challenge. They provide one-to-one care to people in a transitional time in life, such as divorce, job loss, grief, illness, relocation, or separation due to military deployment.

Start Date | January 24, 2023
Time | 6-8:30p
Location | WFC Lenexa Room 201 (Upstairs)
Leaders | Shirley Painton & Jeannie Alden

Stephen Ministers are trained Westside members with a passion for bringing Christ’s love and care to people experiencing a life challenge. They provide one-to-one care to people in a transitional time in life, such as divorce, job loss, grief, illness, relocation, or separation due to military deployment.

To find out more about how you can serve as a Stephen Minister, register to attend our one-hour information meeting on January 17 from 6-7p.

Our next training session begins on January 24, 2023.

Care Groups are supportive environments designed to help you find encouragement and accountability in addressing emotional, behavioral, and spiritual challenges.

Join us on the second Wednesday of each month to enrich your parenting knowledge! Family Ministry will be partnering with Care Ministry this year to bring you relevant, topical conversations about Christian parenting.

Childcare will be provided, as well as light snacks.

November 9 | Family Patterns and Boundaries

Identifying family patterns and creating healthy boundaries.

This workshop will guide you in creating a genogram of your family system to understand the spiritual, emotional, relational and behavioral patterns passed down in your family. Additionally, we will explore ways to set healthy boundaries and help protect your kids from some of the unhealthy family patterns you identify in your extended family.

Join us on the second Wednesday of each month to enrich your parenting knowledge! Family Ministry will be partnering with Care Ministry this year to bring you relevant, topical conversations about Christian parenting.

September 14 | Helping Kids Manage Anxiety and Depression

Anxiety and depression complicate the parent-child relationship. In this class, you will learn to identify some of the causes and symptoms of anxiety and depression. You will be empowered with resources for helping your child navigate the complexities of anxiety and depression in order to move towards mental health.

Westside Family Church Counseling Team will be hosting an evening training to equip us in recognizing signs of abusive relationships and learning what to do if we suspect domestic violence.

Kimberly Paul, Director of Community Programs for Safehome (a nonprofit organization and domestic violence shelter in Overland Park), will be presenting Domestic Violence 101 and Safehome Services. In this training we will learn the dynamics of domestic violence, the power and control tactics used, why it is so hard to leave, how to identify the survivor and the abuser, treatment options for the survivor and the abuser, as well as the services that Safehome provides.

There is no cost to attend this event and 1 ½ hours of continuing education are available. Continuing education certificates will be provided for those who need one at the completion of the training.