I am so excited, actually, I am completely pumped. Our church is soon going to be a "small groups church" and I think it is going to be great. Why? Because we are going to have our own little "group way" of inviting new people to our church and get them to know Christ. Will it be great for everyone? No, and I am not being naive in thinking that it will be just honky dory for my group all the time either. But, Aaron and I are committed to having a group and giving it a great try to make it work. We had the sign-ups on Sunday after worship and there were quite a few families that have signed up to be leaders, us included. I only hope that everyone goes in with a positive attitude, knowing that God will bless our wiliness to find Him in everything that we do. I would love it if we could have even more young couples from our class sign up to be leaders. There isn't one family that I can think of that wouldn't be a great group to be with in this new type of assembly that we are trying.
We right now, meet once a month. We are so blessed that we got pulled into the most awesome small group, right from the very beginning. There are couples our ages and their kids are our kids ages. Most importantly, we want to help each other (and our kids) get to Heaven. I love that. I also love that I could call any of these families at any hour of the evening or morning and they would be at my house, no questions asked in a quick minute. That is what small groups are all about. Starting in January, we are going to go to small groups on Sunday nights, every week. We did this when we lived in Graham and it was such a blessing. I still miss those people that were in our group. Small groups are not ideal for everyone, as I have heard. But, you know, I don't believe that one bit. I think that if you are willing to jump in and try it, it might just surprise you. I hope that I hear of more couples deciding to just jump in and be leaders. I know, not everyone can lead. Who cares what your house looks like, who cares if we have pizza every Sunday night. Show up, open up and learn from your friends and most importantly, the word. I hope the ones that can't lead, find a group that will help them in their life and walk with God. I know I want people in our group that want that, too. Come on in, everyone is welcome! I already have in my mind people that aren't members of our congregation, that don't have a church...I want them to come to our small group and have a family and learn of God's love for us. That is what small groups are about....bringing in others that wouldn't just normally walk into a church building. I can't wait to get started. Bring it on!
Have you been in a church that has tried small groups? How did it work for you? I would love to hear your comments and suggestions!
Journaling 12/8/24
1 year ago
11 comments:
I've done small groups three times now. The first one was church wide (I think there were around 12 groups altogether) and we were given material to study from each week. It was a study of the book of Mark. It was ok.
The second small group was whatever the leader felt like doing that week with no input from those attending. It was very interesting, at times.
The Third small group wasn't church wide. There were around 10 of us who met each week. Our study material was the best ever. Each week we would talk about our week and if anyone had a specific question that would be the topic of study the next week.
One week we discussed where the whole "Once saved always saved" came from and some great verses to refute that.
Another week I had a lady try and convince me of some strange ideas revolving around Calvinism, the next week that was our study.
That was the best small group I've ever been in and we were able to pull some onlookers into full members that way. I think letting the group decide what was to be studied each week made the biggest difference. A lot of the questions revolved around struggles we were having each week, which made it much more personal and effective.
Your making me want to start one like that again!
Thanks Kiana! I love hearing imput from people that have had all sorts of experiences. In our last small group (in Graham) we were supposted to follow what the preacher had given us, but we always ended up on whatever was on our hearts at that time.
We went to small groups on Sunday night about a year ago and we love it. In fact, our original small group that we were in still meets on two Sunday nights a month and we met with them and we also meet with another smaller group that meets on Thusdays instead of Sundays. We love it! Sometimes we study what they tell us to, sometimes we just pray and sing.
I am so excited too for small groups to start. We have had great success with them in a previous church as well. Those people are not just our friends for life, they are family. I believe attitude is everything in making them successful. Just like everything else in life, there will be snags. Our attitude will determine how we deal with them and laugh through them or if we throw in the towel. I don't know who will be in our group, but I do know, our group is going to Rock! I am excited to build more strong relationships in Christ throughout our church and community!
Hey... sorry this is going to have nothing to do with your post :) but I wanted to say... we're here! And I have a quick question for my young mommy connection in the DFW area. Do you have anyone you know that has a tricycle sitting around that we could possibly borrow while we're in the area? Nathan is a whiz on his at home and is really missing it so I thought I'd ask you and just see if you knew of anything? We have to get together!!! Email me if you get a chance and let me know what looks good for you and your crew!
Hey Jenn. This also has nothing to do with your post. :)
But I am still in Dallas right by the Galleria. If you are ever wanting to walk around a fun mall, let me know. We can take the kids :) It is walking distance from my place.
We love our small group. They are a blessing to our entire family. We meet 2-3 times a month to eat together and do a study on a book. We take turns taking care of the kids, so it is quiet for the "adult" time. It is great!
Jennifer, I'm so thrilled to read of your attitude toward Small Groups Church. You're jumping in with no reservations, no looking back. You already have people in mind outside the church to invite. You recognize that there will be personal sacrifice and service, but that's actually welcomed by you in light of the larger goals of applying God's Word to our lives, connecting with each other as family, and evangelizing our community. Good for you and Aaron! Would we all --- everyone of us --- had the same attitude and willingness to put Philippians 2 into radical practice!
Awesome post! I appreciate the attitude. I too believe that becoming a small groups church is going to be an amazing adventure and blessing for Legacy and the community around us. Thank you guys for stepping up and being leaders. What an awesome opportunity for our families to grow, connect, and reach out together. And what an amazing opportunity for parents, along with other to adults, to get to spend an hour or so teaching their children in a small group setting what being a disciple is all about. How often do we have a chance to do that? I am confident God is going to do some amazing things with and through His people at Legacy.
By the way, my blogsite is up and running. www.talkinthewalk.com. Be sure to check it out!
Tammie and I have 2 small groups that we gather with right now. One that is a group that has been friends for over 30 years and we drink from life's deep well. This group gathers once each month, but we keep intouch daily by e-mails and phone calls for support. The second meets each Thursday evening. It is made up of a core of 4 couples and the others are couples and singles who have special needs of healing and support. The come when they can, and we visit them sometimes. Right now, both groups share specific needs, we pray, and we sing a lot. Neither is about food, but we experience table fellowship.
The best small group we experienced was with 4 couples in 2003. We studied "Experiencing God" by Henry Blackaby. It transformed our lives and changed the way we look at each other, and at God's way. We now are not "program" driven, but we wait for the Lord to reveal Himself in work that He is already doing and then join Him in that work to expreience Him. This paradigm strengthens our faith as we experience God. It also causes us to often have a crisis of belief as we have to change our plans in order to join God in His work.
Interesting? I like being spontaneous.
Oh, thanks, Jen for your compliments on my art. I have been invited to do a one man show at the Performing Arts Center next month. I'll hang about 40 paintings there. Also, I have found a new printer that can get my paintings duplicated as Giclees for about $100 each in the 16x20 size. Smaller prints are less expensive. Their response time is much better than the other printer.
Hey, Jenn. Our church does small groups, but I don't know if we could call ourselves a "small-group church" just because the percentage of those participating isn't as high as regular class-time or anything, I don't think, and I don't see us using it as a tool for evangelism, although some people have gotten more involved at church through small groups.
We have gone to a different one each year...what I've found in our small groups has been more of a social network but less of a true opening-up-our-hearts and lifting-each-other-in-prayer which is what I'd like to see. I'd like to see us involved in each other's lives enough to know where each other is spiritually and not just spend time praying for so and so's sick uncle...(not that those things aren't appropriate, just not as relational as I'd like). I'm kinda on my soap box. I think that small groups have the potential to be AWESOME and so much more than they are at our church. It sounds like your experience has been all positive -- that's great! What I have liked through ours is that we've gotten to know a whole lot of people outside our personal social circle, and that's been fun!
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