Here are some recent testimonials from people who are Inspire Fellowship Bands, and using them in their contexts:
“Over the past year I have been actively participating in a Band in addition to a Small Group. Both groups have been instrumental in helping me deepen my relationship with Christ but my Band has been the biggest catalyst. Bands are a much higher level of transparency and accountability. Meeting every other week in serious discussion and prayer I feel like all three of us have been changed. I was able to see God moving in powerful ways in all of our lives and was able to discover a love of prayer and boldness in prayer within myself. If you are seeking to deepen your walk with Christ, be more comfortable praying out loud or in private Bands are for you.” – Alex
“There have been many blessings that I have received because of the band of women I am associated with. I love getting together with fellow believers and just talking about our good God. I have had a rough year to say the least and every band meeting we had seemed to be revolving around the drama I was finding myself in. It was a place for me to bare my soul, my fears, my doubts, my faith, my walk and my God moments. The ladies I am in a band with would always remind me of how big our God is and that He is in the business of repairing what is broken. They would pray over me and my family and once when we all took turns praying for my husband who was battling active addiction, something changed in the atmosphere. It was like something broke loose, like chains were being lifted or that battle lines had been drawn. I could see in my mind that God was interested in this battle that we were calling attention to.
This was the beginning of a battle with prayer that I began to be in daily. Soon after this my husband went to treatment. Now I am not saying that he didn’t slip after that but I am saying that if it wasn’t for my band members being prayer warriors and believing in the power of God I don’t know if his bottom would have come so quickly. Not only do these women challenge me to go further with my walk in Christ they expect a full report of the miracles I am seeing in my daily life. One of my girls is going through a new diagnosis of breast cancer. She was just diagnosed less than a month ago. I am certain we will see her through this and witness our good God walk beside her. I am reminded that though there are rough spots in life we do not have to quit growing in our faith. It is actually quite the opposite, it’s how we lean in. My band will always tell me to lean in.” Lezlie
“In La Croix United Methodist Church’s “Ministry Action Plan,” we have made bands the goal for every growing, fully-devoted disciple. Our hope is that all true disciples of Jesus in our church will be in bands. But, we are not in a hurry to get there. We’d rather have “fruit that remains” as opposed to lots of interest followed by high levels of attrition.”
“I find band to be life giving rather than life draining! My zeal flags from time to time even though I enjoy the blessing of several bands, bu the love and words spoken into my life by these various beautiful souls who love Jesus are wise, instructive, and always accepting. Sometimes there are hard things for me to look at. But I have never felt anything but encouraged after a band meeting!”
“I have found bands to be so “life-giving” and they encourage me in my desire to practice the presence of God as I go through each day. The example of those further along in discipleship is a wonderful encouragement and learning tool. I will say that I was in a band before I really knew much about band, and it was great in many ways. We developed deep friendship and shared life and faith. However, having now experienced band in the way in which it was designed, I can see that it is so much more. There is this singular purpose in band – to help each other see where God is working in each other’s life, to encourage and to gently exhort one another toward a closer relationship and daily life with Jesus. It is important to say that being faithful to the “model” and the time-frame has proved to be very important.”
