Spring 2007 Schedule

• April 01 - Small Group Leadership Dinner at 6:30 in the annex.
• April 08 - Easter Sunday.
• April 15 - New series begins - When God's People Pray.
• April 29 - When God's People Pray.
• May 06 - When God's People Pray.
• May 13 - Mother's Day
  
• May 20 - When God's People Pray.
• June 10 - When God's People Pray.
• June 17 - Father's Day
  
• June 24 - When God's People Pray.

New Small Group Study From Brooklyn Tabernacle - STARTS APRIL 15

Prayer can change lives and circumstances like nothing else can. What are the keys that unlock its power, that turn prayer from a mere activity into a vital link with God and all his resources? In When God’s People Pray, Jim Cymbala, pastor of the Brooklyn Tabernacle, shows you truths about prayer that God has used to turn his own church from a tiny, struggling inner-city congregation into a vital, thriving community of believers who pray with passion, focus, and faith.

Featuring teachings by Jim Cymbala and video interviews of ordinary people who have received extraordinary answers to their prayers, beginning April 15, these six sessions will help you pray with new confidence.

Small Group Workshop

Where: Hope Community Church on Buck Jones Rd.
When: Saturday, March 3rd, from 9 am to 3pm
Cost: Our church will pick up the $10 fee. Lunch is included.
Speaker: Nationally renowned Tony Stoltzfus – www.Coach22.com.

This is a great opportunity right in our own backyard. Please let me know if you can attend so that I can make the proper reservations. You can contact me at dtirey@carycog.com.

The Journey of a Faith Walker

After wandering for 40 years in the desert, Joshua had reason to be apprehensive about entering the Promised Land. But God commanded him to be strong and courageous, and the Book of Joshua shares the powerful story of how God fulfilled his promises and led the Israelites into the long-awaited land of milk and honey. This Small Group study shares lessons from Joshua on how to live a life of extraordinary faith.

Nov. 12 - Move Forward in Faith God has power in your circumstances. This study will challenge you to put your faith into action, to live in the present rather than the past, and to recognize God and his power in your circumstances.

Nov. 26 - How Flawed Rahab Saved a Nation God delights in using the weak to accomplish his purposes. God used Rahab, a prostitute, to help the Israelites conquer Canaan. This study demonstrates that God delights in using the weak to accomplish his purposes.

Dec. 3 - Crossing Jordan God honors radical, risk-taking faith. The Jordan River stood in the way of the Promised Land, but God had a plan to get the Israelites across it. This study encourages us to wait on God, consecrate ourselves to him, and step out in faith.

Dec. 17 - The Mark of Distinctiveness God calls his people to holiness. The Hebrews followed rituals that set them apart from other nations. This study teaches that a holy person is not an odd person, but a distinct person, who reflects God to others.

Keeping It Real

Too often, during a small group meeting, application of God’s Word and prayer time seem to relate more to other people than to us. It is far easier to apply the lesson being discussed to a spouse, a friend, or an enemy than to honestly look at our own heart. During the Bible study portion of your small group meeting, emphasize the need for each person to "put on his or her own spiritual oxygen mask" before attempting to assist others. Try using one or more of the following approaches:

• During discussion, ask the group members, "What is God saying to you right now?"
• Personalize the Scripture you are studying by reprinting the verse(s), inserting a blank every place there is a pronoun. Ask each person to write his or her name in every blank and, sometime during the meeting, read the Scripture out loud. This could be done during discussion or used as a closing prayer time. Encourage each person to hang the personalized verse(s) somewhere where they will see it often during the coming week.
• Encourage each person to journal about the personal impact the lesson has had on him or her personally. This can be done during the meeting or during the coming week.

Christmas Party

Your group and up to 4 others are invited to a Christmas Party on Saturday, December 16, at 6:30 in the annex. Many groups have their own individual parties around the holidays, but perhaps you would like to do something a little different this year. Why not get together with a couple other groups and just have a big bash? We could have great food, festive singing, fun and games, and much, much more. Space is limited to the first 5 groups that respond. Let me know and we will schedule an organizational meeting with all interested parties.

Schedule - Fall 2006

DATE ------------------- TOPIC

Sept. 24 --------------- Deal Or No Deal
Oct. o8 ---------------- Deal Or No Deal
Oct. 22 ---------------- Deal Or No Deal
Nov. 12 ---------------- Move Forward In Faith
Nov. 26 ---------------- Rahab Saved A Nation
Dec.03 ----------------- Crossing Jordan
Dec. 16 ---------------- Party Time
Dec. 17 ---------------- Mark of Distinctiveness

Church Wide Emphasis - "DEAL OR NO DEAL"

The church staff, at the direction of Pastor Dial, are preparing for a church-wide emphasis this fall that will focus on "Stewardship". At the "kick-off" Sunday on September 24, Pastor Dial will encourage our congregation to begin reading the prepared daily devotions for the next 4 weeks and to also join a Small Group for the duration of the ministry focus.

Instead of meeting on consecutive weeks as before, our Small Group sessions are planned for September 24, October 8, and October 22.

Each of the lessons will be e-mailed to you as an attchment and hard copies will be available at the Welcome Center. Many groups have come up with the smart idea of passing the lessons on to their members in advance so that they can use them to make notes during Pastor’s sermon.

Also, please encourage your group members to form dPODs and meet on a weekly basis to discuss the daily devotions. dPOD discussions, along with the Sunday sermons and Small Group meetings, will provide a more thorough coverage of the material.

The emphasis on special topics such as this, are a great time for new people to get involved in Small Groups. So please, invite someone to join your group and encourage your group members to do likewise.

Top Ten Ways You Know Your Group Has Been Reading The 'Left Behind' Series!

10. They are watching the news, looking for the "SIGNS".

9. They walk to group in case the rapture occurs while driving.

8. Group insists on videotaping every meeting to leave for the future "Trib Force".

7. Everyone wants to be called "Buck" or "Chloe".

6. Every new person in the group is suspected to be the Anti-Christ!!

5. When no one shows up on time, the leaders begin to worry..."Maybe I've been left behind?"

4. They have an autographed picture of Kirk Cameron in their Bible.

3. The group needs to take an hourly break to go outside and look up at the sky.

2. Latest Study Guide is entitled "Desecration".

1. Each meeting begins with a close examination of each member's forehead.

Your Role Is To Bear Burdens...Not To Carry Loads

"Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you may also be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens (baros) and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself without comparing himself to somebody else. For each one should carry his own load (phortion)." Galatians 6:1-5

If we understand the "law of Christ" referring to our call to "love one another as I (Christ) have loved you", then we need to see the distinction between the Greek word for "burden" (baros) and "load" (phortion) used in the New International Version.

This passage tells us that we are to bear one another’s burdens (sufferings). That is, we should come alongside and support a person emotionally. We can do this by listening to, encouraging, and praying with people who are experiencing pain or testing.

However, this same passage indicates that each person is responsible for carrying his or her own load of problems. When we take responsibility for another’s problems, we do it at the expense of their self-respect, their self-esteem, and their sense of self-responsibility.

Small group leaders are responsible to:
• Love (John 13:34)
• Be devoted to and honor (Romans 12:10)
• Live in harmony with (Romans 12:16)
• Serve (Galatians 5:13)
• Submit to (Ephesians 5:21)
• Bear with and forgive (Colossians 3:13)

They are not responsible for:
• Making people happy
• Fixing people’s problems
• The way a person responds or behaves

Taken from Small Group Dynamics ezine article: "Biblical Principles for Pastoral Care in Small Groups" by Brian Pierce

Why More People Don't Attend Small Groups

The main reason most small groups are not fulfilling expectations is that the group experience is not holistic enough to attract and retain a high percentage of people. To be most effective, small groups need to fulfill all of the church’s purposes.

Rick Warren has proposed that the five purposes of the church are worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry, and evangelism. Using those categories, most small groups fulfill only two of the church’s purposes: fellowship and discipleship. This becomes evident when listening to the group recruitment announcements, which usually say something like: 'If you have been worshiping with us for a while and you are ready to take the next step of going deeper and finding true community with a few other believers, then sign up for a small group!’

Not everyone who hears that announcement is yearning for more relationship. Some people want to get involved in serving; others want a way to reach others for Christ. If the small group is fulfilling all five purposes, those who are not excited about community will find meaning in the group’s evangelistic outreach. Another who is not wild about worship in the group will be excited about the chance to serve.

Some churches decide to optimize each purpose by creating specialized groups. Instead of living out all the purposes in each group, they offer a variety of small groups, each one emphasizing a different purpose. For example, some groups form around serving a particular ministry function, others around fellowship, others around discipleship, and so on.

However, reducing the bandwidth of the Christian life can stunt spiritual growth. A task group can over-develop an action-oriented person’s ministry muscles, while leaving them weak in discipleship. Other groups may be geared for discipleship, but then the excitement of evangelistic mission fades. Can we grow truly mature without worshiping, serving, reaching out, and loving? There is a symbiotic relationship to the purposes of the church. The best fellowship is often a by-product of people pursuing a common mission. Reaching out in evangelism will sharpen our discipleship. Growing in discipleship will heighten our sense of worship. When home groups segment the Christian life (intentionally or not) by focusing only on community or spiritual growth, they lose their spiritual synergy. When small groups accomplish all five purposes in each group, they can appeal to the broad range of believers because they are no longer an optional part of the church program. They are the basic expression of the church.

Churches seeking to reinvigorate their small group ministry can start by looking for ways to help each group fulfill all five purposes of the church. That is not an easy task, nor will it be without challenge. Growing healthy, fully-devoted disciples of Jesus is never easy, but it is worth it!

Taken from Small Group Dynamics ezine article:

"Why Don't More People Attend Small Groups" by Steve Cordle, June, 2006

Darryl Needs Your Help

When Darryl began leading a small group six months ago, it started with a bang! People came because they liked the curriculum...and the snacks! (Darryl's wife is an excellent cook!) Lately however...the "new" has worn off and Darryl is noticing that relationships within the group are still quite shallow. While members seem to be really getting into the studies, they don't seem to be connecting to one another on the deeper level Darryl hoped for. Beyond the study focus, they don't seem to understand "why" they are there. How can Darryl move the group beyond shallow acquaintance, to genuine, vibrant community? What advice would you give Darryl? Please post your response below.

Adam's Group Photo

Birthing A New Group

Perhaps you and your group members would like to invite someone new to your group but are hesitant to do so because there's no room, you're maxed out, or you're afraid the neighbors might begin to complain. These could be labor pains signaling you that it's time for your group to give birth. Think about it. With a little encouragement from you, there are a few members of your group that could branch off and start their own group. The impact could be tremendous:

• Your group would then have room to invite others.
• The new group would also grow as it adds new members.
• People currently not involved with small groups could make new friends.
• The new group leaders and hosts will have an opportunity to grow and mature.

Our church is continuing to grow, new faces are here every Sunday and Small Groups is a great resource for getting them connected. Just think of what proud parents you would be.

Those interested in further information should contact me at dtirey@carycog.com.