Table Host Guide
Calvary Chapel Melbourne
Table Host Guide
Welcome!
Thank you for stepping up to serve God and our Calvary Chapel Melbourne family as a Table Host for “Freedom is Coming” Financial Peace University (FPU). Over 800 verses of Scripture reference personal finances. By teaching the application of the these biblical principles, FPU provides peace of mind, restores marriages, and helps God’s people break their cycle of debt so that they can both live and give like never before.
We have found this class to be life changing for many, and we know God will use YOU through it. We pray that the experience will be a blessing for you personally as well. If you need anything as you serve, please see/ask your class Facilitator or “Freedom is Coming” education team (see Need More Help? below). They will be a great resource to you!
Trusting God with your finances You are stepping up in a significant way, and we appreciate that you are serving as a Table Host. You will likely have some of the most meaningful conversations with our church family members that they have ever had on this journey to increase their faith in God’s promises. As you know, finances are both personal and emotional. We don’t expect that you have done everything exactly right managing your own finances, but our prayer is that you are now striving to live correctly, in step with God’s Word, in both your personal life and your finances.
We hope that you are also practicing the lessons Dave Ramsey teaches each week and returning the tithe back to God. Trusting God in this area will bless you and allow you to confidently encourage others to do so as well!
What Do I Do As a Table Host? Table Hosts play a key role because you are the connection for the table participants to the class and so much more. Consider your table as your own small group that you get to shepherd & look after.
Every Class:
Build Relationships – Form connections of friendship! Your 2 main jobs as a Table Host are to build relationships with the people at your table and to facilitate connections between your table participants. We want every FPU participant to leave with more than just knowledge; we want them to develop life-long friendships and feel more connected to Calvary Chapel Melbourne.
Check homework – Help connect participants to the material! The small group accountability portion of the class is the most important factor in helping families make lasting changes in their financial behavior. Your class facilitator will ask you to check everyone’s homework each week. Here is how: o
Ask everyone to take out their homework. Remind them that they can keep it in their blue privacy folder that was included in their kit.
o
For week 2, you will be checking the quick-start budget. Take a quick glance at everyone’s paper to make sure there are “numbers” on the page.
o
The following weeks you will be checking their zero-based budget. Ask people to slip out the bottom of their worksheet to show you that they were able to reach zero.
o
Confront unwillingness to change by encouraging people to keep applying the lessons being taught, and to keep learning the most they can in this 9-week class.
o
If someone does share their personal financial information with you, consider that a great trust. Keep it confidential, and keep your feedback positive and constructive.
Direct people to FPU Central – Connect them to the online resources! o
Many questions can be answered by doing the extra credit work or using the tools available at FPU Central. Get familiar with the resources; there are great tutorials at the bottom of each lesson. Please direct your group to the site weekly.
o
Examples of resources include:
Use EveryDollar for budgeting: https://www.daveramsey.com/everydollar?snid=start.everydollar
Use Endorsed Local Providers for real estate, tax and insurance professionals: https://www.daveramsey.com/elp?ictid=tp.nav&snid=recommends.elps
Use Smartvestor for qualified investment professionals: https://www.daveramsey.com/smartvestor?ictid=tp.nav&snid=recommends.smartvestor
Take attendance – Connect them to the class! o
Make sure everyone signs in and checks off their attendance.
Initiate interaction – Connect your table to each other! o
Encourage members to open up and share.
o
Lead by example, by being transparent yourself.
o
Encourage members to support one another emotionally & spiritually.
Celebrate life change – Connect every small step to the big vision!
o
Be excited about accomplishments big or small! This will encourage even more life changes and make it enjoyable for everyone. Each step in the right direction will help them progress towards reaching their goals!
Every Week: Communication Connects!
Pray for your group. o
This is tough stuff! Dave Ramsey is funny, and lasting life change is so exciting, but behavior modification isn’t easy. Pray for each of your table participants weekly.
Check in on those who did not attend. o
If someone didn’t let you know that they will be absent, give them a call to let them know they were missed, you are praying for them, and hope to see them next week.
Communicate any great stories or questions to your facilitator. o
We love good stories of life change- that is what it is all about!
Here is where to NOT get stuck!
Don’t Be Intimidated. You may be a novice at being a mentor, or you may be in the midst of financial
struggles yourself. That is okay. Use the knowledge you’ve been given and what you've personally been through to relate to the people in your group.
Don’t Be Judgmental. Your values may differ from those you are mentoring. Avoid criticism or judgment.
Stay positive!
Don’t Interfere. Do not intrude into the personal lives of the people you are mentoring. Instead, let them
gradually invite you into their lives and their financial situations, as they feel more comfortable.
Don’t Be the Expert. It is not your position to be a know-it-all. Just be aware of the challenges that face
FPU participants. Be available to listen, ask helpful questions, and be an encourager.
Don’t Forget the Obvious. Remember that you represent Christ, Calvary Chapel Melbourne and FPU in
all your words and actions. If you have an issue with FPU or Calvary Chapel Melbourne, bring it up to the facilitator or a pastor, NOT at your table.
Don’t Neglect Serious Issues. If you discern that one of the families at your table is dealing with serious
problems--abuse, addiction, infidelity, or depression--refer them to the appropriate (Men’s / Women’s) Biblical Counseling Ministry at Calvary Chapel Melbourne.
Remember the FPU team is here to help you! If you feel uncomfortable, or that you’re “in over your
head”, be sure to let your FPU team know. They can then assist you by having those conversations alongside you & possibly even for you, so that you can focus on being an effective table leader for your team. Capturing celebration stories. Throughout “Freedom is Coming” our celebration team will be capturing stories and testimonies to share with the congregation.
The purpose is to celebrate special milestones and events throughout the “Freedom is Coming” journey. Highlighting these powerful stories will encourage everyone to keep moving with unstoppable momentum! As table hosts be on the look out for these special milestones and stories throughout the duration of your class. Then please capture and report them to the Facilitator to pass to the “Freedom is Coming” Education Team.
Need more Help? Let the facilitator know if you have any questions or need to let them know you’ll be missing a class so they can cover for you. Thank you for serving! The “Freedom is Coming” Education Team
Table Host Guide
Welcome!
Thank you for stepping up to serve God and our Calvary Chapel Melbourne family as a Table Host for “Freedom is Coming” Financial Peace University (FPU). Over 800 verses of Scripture reference personal finances. By teaching the application of the these biblical principles, FPU provides peace of mind, restores marriages, and helps God’s people break their cycle of debt so that they can both live and give like never before.
We have found this class to be life changing for many, and we know God will use YOU through it. We pray that the experience will be a blessing for you personally as well. If you need anything as you serve, please see/ask your class Facilitator or “Freedom is Coming” education team (see Need More Help? below). They will be a great resource to you!
Trusting God with your finances You are stepping up in a significant way, and we appreciate that you are serving as a Table Host. You will likely have some of the most meaningful conversations with our church family members that they have ever had on this journey to increase their faith in God’s promises. As you know, finances are both personal and emotional. We don’t expect that you have done everything exactly right managing your own finances, but our prayer is that you are now striving to live correctly, in step with God’s Word, in both your personal life and your finances.
We hope that you are also practicing the lessons Dave Ramsey teaches each week and returning the tithe back to God. Trusting God in this area will bless you and allow you to confidently encourage others to do so as well!
What Do I Do As a Table Host? Table Hosts play a key role because you are the connection for the table participants to the class and so much more. Consider your table as your own small group that you get to shepherd & look after.
Every Class:
Build Relationships – Form connections of friendship! Your 2 main jobs as a Table Host are to build relationships with the people at your table and to facilitate connections between your table participants. We want every FPU participant to leave with more than just knowledge; we want them to develop life-long friendships and feel more connected to Calvary Chapel Melbourne.
Check homework – Help connect participants to the material! The small group accountability portion of the class is the most important factor in helping families make lasting changes in their financial behavior. Your class facilitator will ask you to check everyone’s homework each week. Here is how: o
Ask everyone to take out their homework. Remind them that they can keep it in their blue privacy folder that was included in their kit.
o
For week 2, you will be checking the quick-start budget. Take a quick glance at everyone’s paper to make sure there are “numbers” on the page.
o
The following weeks you will be checking their zero-based budget. Ask people to slip out the bottom of their worksheet to show you that they were able to reach zero.
o
Confront unwillingness to change by encouraging people to keep applying the lessons being taught, and to keep learning the most they can in this 9-week class.
o
If someone does share their personal financial information with you, consider that a great trust. Keep it confidential, and keep your feedback positive and constructive.
Direct people to FPU Central – Connect them to the online resources! o
Many questions can be answered by doing the extra credit work or using the tools available at FPU Central. Get familiar with the resources; there are great tutorials at the bottom of each lesson. Please direct your group to the site weekly.
o
Examples of resources include:
Use EveryDollar for budgeting: https://www.daveramsey.com/everydollar?snid=start.everydollar
Use Endorsed Local Providers for real estate, tax and insurance professionals: https://www.daveramsey.com/elp?ictid=tp.nav&snid=recommends.elps
Use Smartvestor for qualified investment professionals: https://www.daveramsey.com/smartvestor?ictid=tp.nav&snid=recommends.smartvestor
Take attendance – Connect them to the class! o
Make sure everyone signs in and checks off their attendance.
Initiate interaction – Connect your table to each other! o
Encourage members to open up and share.
o
Lead by example, by being transparent yourself.
o
Encourage members to support one another emotionally & spiritually.
Celebrate life change – Connect every small step to the big vision!
o
Be excited about accomplishments big or small! This will encourage even more life changes and make it enjoyable for everyone. Each step in the right direction will help them progress towards reaching their goals!
Every Week: Communication Connects!
Pray for your group. o
This is tough stuff! Dave Ramsey is funny, and lasting life change is so exciting, but behavior modification isn’t easy. Pray for each of your table participants weekly.
Check in on those who did not attend. o
If someone didn’t let you know that they will be absent, give them a call to let them know they were missed, you are praying for them, and hope to see them next week.
Communicate any great stories or questions to your facilitator. o
We love good stories of life change- that is what it is all about!
Here is where to NOT get stuck!
Don’t Be Intimidated. You may be a novice at being a mentor, or you may be in the midst of financial
struggles yourself. That is okay. Use the knowledge you’ve been given and what you've personally been through to relate to the people in your group.
Don’t Be Judgmental. Your values may differ from those you are mentoring. Avoid criticism or judgment.
Stay positive!
Don’t Interfere. Do not intrude into the personal lives of the people you are mentoring. Instead, let them
gradually invite you into their lives and their financial situations, as they feel more comfortable.
Don’t Be the Expert. It is not your position to be a know-it-all. Just be aware of the challenges that face
FPU participants. Be available to listen, ask helpful questions, and be an encourager.
Don’t Forget the Obvious. Remember that you represent Christ, Calvary Chapel Melbourne and FPU in
all your words and actions. If you have an issue with FPU or Calvary Chapel Melbourne, bring it up to the facilitator or a pastor, NOT at your table.
Don’t Neglect Serious Issues. If you discern that one of the families at your table is dealing with serious
problems--abuse, addiction, infidelity, or depression--refer them to the appropriate (Men’s / Women’s) Biblical Counseling Ministry at Calvary Chapel Melbourne.
Remember the FPU team is here to help you! If you feel uncomfortable, or that you’re “in over your
head”, be sure to let your FPU team know. They can then assist you by having those conversations alongside you & possibly even for you, so that you can focus on being an effective table leader for your team. Capturing celebration stories. Throughout “Freedom is Coming” our celebration team will be capturing stories and testimonies to share with the congregation.
The purpose is to celebrate special milestones and events throughout the “Freedom is Coming” journey. Highlighting these powerful stories will encourage everyone to keep moving with unstoppable momentum! As table hosts be on the look out for these special milestones and stories throughout the duration of your class. Then please capture and report them to the Facilitator to pass to the “Freedom is Coming” Education Team.
Need more Help? Let the facilitator know if you have any questions or need to let them know you’ll be missing a class so they can cover for you. Thank you for serving! The “Freedom is Coming” Education Team
