40
It's not my age. I'm way beyond that. I'm 42.
No, 40 is the number of Growth Groups we are hoping for, praying for and working toward this Fall.
I had lunch with a friend today at Nois, out in Baywood. Can you believe I've never had Thai food? WOW! So, so good. I'm definitely going back, but I digress . . . .
This friend, without my prompting,out of the blue says, "That Growth Group thing is the best thing you you guys have done. Its not about the message (I didn't take it personally!), but about connecting with others midweek who share your values and are trying to live by faith in Jesus like you are."
Bingo. I really don't think I could have said it any better myself. That fired me up! So he's involved in this rockin' diverse Growth Group in Los Osos and their living life together. He's building relationships. He's processing the Gospel beyond Sunday morning. He's feeling connected and dialed in.
Are you? Don't you want to be? This is what Growth Groups are all about. Not a cold, dead, plastic rehash of the sermon, but people doing life together, trying to figure out what it means to follow Jesus in the real world.
So we don't know what God is going to do, but we're praying for, trusting Him for 40. We think the Lord would be pleased with 40, even 50 Growth Groups at GraceSLO this Fall.
We need at least 40. We had some Growth Groups that were almost 20 people. Too big. We need to break that size down to the 6-12 range.
Childcare is a challenge for many. It was a challenge for us. Last Spring several Family-Style Growth Groups began to emerge. For these Groups, kids were not a hassle to be shipped off, but a joy to be embraced. Definitely makes the group a little crazier, but it makes it so much more fun (funner!) as well. The kids in our Growth Groups loved gathering together and they were catching the idea of families doing life together.
In others words, some Growth Groups look like this. . .
But other Growth Groups look like this . . . .
(not sure if the sermon did this to them or what?)
So, seriously, sit down with yourself or your spouse or your family and start planning now to make involvement in a Growth Group a "big rock priority" in your life this Fall.
We need more Growth Group shepherds. If you're interested in shepherding a Growth Group, get in touch with Tim Arlen at tima@graceslo.org. Are you striving to walk with the Lord? Do you want to connect with others and help others connect with Jesus? Then you're qualified to be a Growth Group Shepherd. We'll give you what you need and provide support and training along the way.
For more information about Growth Groups and why their such a HUGE priority at GraceSLO, listen to these couple of messages I preached awhile back. . .
1 comment:
Stoked for Fall Growth Groups!! Praying God raises up MORE than enough leaders.
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