The following is one group leaders description of her group and their experience of studying Week 1 of Radical.

This week we had our first study on Radical.  We all agreed that Radical for one, may not be the same as for another.  We do all agree that we need to make changes in the way we serve our Lord.  For myself it seems I have been on a journey of many radical changes.  Three years ago my husband passed away, when I went back to work I had a new Boss and had to move to a new office.  Then my Pastor moved to another church.  Within a few months my church became part of another church.  These have certainly made me change my relationship and dependency on God. 

As I study this series I was taken with one word that our pastor Pat Hood talked about on Sunday which was the word “balance”.  As time went by I thought about balance and from the surface realized that yes, we do need a centered balance, not too far on either side or (ditch), but I wanted to take that word and find a way to make it real and how to apply it to my life.  The word “thoughts” came to mind.  The bible tells me that I must take my thoughts captive.  I must change the way I think. I would like to dial my life back to a simpler time, but that is not possible. Sometimes in life we don’t have the ability to control or change our circumstances, so how do I have “balance” in those times?  It is the way I think about them and then God’s peace can take up residency where doubt, sadness, fear, and unknown once lived.  I still may not like it, but God said to make peace with it and live His way, not mine. 

Another question we asked in small group was “Do we look like the disciples of the Bible?”  We said “No”, but we knew that in that particular time in history they were available to do what God asked them to do just as we are placed in this time to do what God asked us to do.  The message does not change, only how it is delivered changes. 

The subject of money then came up.  Why else would God have so many verses in the Bible relating to money? He knew how money and the pursuit of it and the love of it would cause so many problems. We talked about tithing and the 10%.  We also talked about what we did with the remaining 90%. Everyone was reminded that God does not need our money to accomplish His purpose.  Not only is the 10% His, the other 90% is His as well. 

We all are looking so forward to the next meeting to continue our discussions of Radical.  Great group!!!

So, what has your group experienced in Radical?  We want to hear the stories.  Feel free to comment or send our stories to eddie.mosley@lifepointchurch.org

I have the pleasure and honor of serving in a Southern Baptist Church (SBC) that is 99 years old.  For 98 of those years it carried the name of First Baptist Church (FBC).  In January of 2009 we changed our name to LifePoint Church.  If you are unfamiliar with churches who are FBC in the SBC,  there is a strong, successful heritage of meeting on-campus for Bible Study each week, called Sunday School.  Hundreds of thousands of lives have been changed via Sunday School.  People learn the Bible verses, theology, discuss philosophy, and experience growing faith by participating in Sunday School.

In the early ’90s another title for Bible Study gained recognition, Small Groups.  Much of the recognition in SBC churches was due to The Purpose Drive Life book, study, and sermon series written by Pastor Rick Warren.  At that same time many families were becoming more mobile and relocating because of jobs.  Many suburban areas are now filled with families who know little about their neighbors and have few, if any, family members living anywhere close to them.  The idea of growing up in one community for a lifetime is almost impossible.  (LifePoint is experiencing a 1 to 7 ratio of people who join the church are actually from the Middle Tennessee area.)  Forming community is very difficult when you combine all of these factors.

Small Groups @ LifePoint Church have three objectives:  Discipleship (Bible Study,  spiritual growth)  Community (fellowship, accountabilty, belonging) and Service (church, community, world).  Two of these objectives cannot be accomplished to the highest level by meeting on-campus.  Most groups cannot experience the level of community we desire by meeting in a room on campus.  Being in someone’s home, watching the kids run through the room, noticing the photos on the wall, getting ‘refrigerator rights’ are all crucial community-building experiences.

“Refrigerator Rights” (coined by Will Miller) is the title given to the feeling that you can walk in someone else’s house, open the frig and ‘help yourself.’  You know, like at Momma’s house.  It is not about the frig, it is about the community and friendship and closeness you have with the owner. (On a personal thought:  Does God have “Refrigerator Rights” in your life?)

By meeting in homes you get to experience a person/family in its true, unfiltered life.  You not only know where the refrigerator is, you can get what you need during the social time of the group meeting.  You know the kids, how they interact, what they love, how to pray and care for them.  You learn what is important to the family, what is sacred, what is a ‘no-no’ in their home.  You have the opportunity to build community at a very deep level.

So, where do you want your Bible Study group to meet next time?  Where you meet is important to the level of community your group can experience.

Eddie Mosley
Executive Director of GroupLife

You have been asked to consider being a small group leader for the next churchwide small group series.  After much prayer and some nervousness, you were obedient and agreed to take the leap of faith and step up.  After the training class and several weeks of grouplink you are getting excited about the people that will be part of your group.

So, as you prepare for your first meeting it is easy to think….. Now What?

Here are some practical tips that can help get your group off to a good start and set the stage for a healthy small group.

1.      Communicate with each person/family in the days leading up to your first meeting.  Talk to each person/family, let them know you are excited that they have chosen to be part of the group, remind them of the day and time of the meeting, where you plan to meet, how to get there and give an idea of what to expect.
2.      Plan for the day of the first meeting.  A few things you may want to cover in the first meeting are:  The Covenant, the plan for childcare, the plan for meals, and of course what the objectives of a small group.  Community, Discipleship, and Service.  With that much to cover and a lesson, your group can run long.  It is a good idea to have a plan.
3.      Follow Up during the week.  Between each meeting try to communicate with each family/group by phone or e-mail.  If your group asked for prayer requests during the previous week (have someone write these down during the meeting) include those in the weekly e-mail.  Let everyone in the group know what the focus of the next meeting will be as well as when and where you plan to meet.  If your group is having desert or a meal include what your having and who agreed to be responsible
4.      Finally, and potentially most importantly, don’t try to do it all yourself.  One of the principles of small group is sharing the load.  Don’t be afraid to ask for help or delegate to those that want to help.

For more information about small groups, check out the Discipleship tab.

One of the biggest benefits of serving is when you receive a blessing for simply being willing and obedient.   Several weeks ago a call went out that there was a family still trying to recover from the flood in May and was in need of some help with their home,  as usual God provided just what was needed.  On Saturday July 31st more than 20 people showed up to give their time and ability to help completely replace all of the drywall in the family’s house and help with some much needed landscaping work.  By all accounts the day was a success and the family’s needs were met and then some.  On the surface you would think the story ends their…. People give of themselves and those in need have their needs met.  That is what we are supposed to do right?Sometimes the best part of a story is when we dig a little deeper….  When I was asked to write this blog, I did not know how I would be able to tell a story about something I was not a part of.  So, I think I will let those involved tell you themselves.  The following is a series of e-mails, worth the reading.
After the day was completed, the family responded with this e-mail.

“Dear Servants of Christ! (08-01-10)

Words cannot express how thankful and grateful we are for all those who came out and helped put up sheetrock and mud yesterday. Their willingness to help out on such a hot/wet day really boosted our spirits and hopefully we will be in our home soon!

With thankful and grateful hearts,

 Here was the response to the e-mail from the efforts organizer.

I am joyful that the Lord can use me to accomplish His work.  I will tell you something that I was, frankly, surprised at from Saturday.  I believe the Lord was witnessing to me on Saturday.  To see so many people show up to work and bring food was awesome.  I haven’t tallied up how many people showed up yet but it was well over 20.  Then when Ken started talking about how thankful he was and choking back tears, God really spoke to me.  It is one of the greatest experiences that I have ever had.

Thank you for allowing me to be a part of this ministry as well.

When I asked if I could use these e-mails in the blog and if he had anything to add,  I think he summed it up quite well….. what do you think?

The whole experience has been a blessing for me because I have learned that God is in complete charge of everything that we do.  All we have to do is respond in faith, not only with our actions but through prayer, and He will handle the rest.  I was actually sort of scared to step out at first; I think a lot of people are, because I worried over the details.  God made sure to show me on many occasions, in past ministry areas, that He would send exactly what was needed for each day and each situation.  It never failed; He was always faithful because I was giving that control to Him.  That is what He wants from all of us, total control and complete surrender of ourselves to Him.

When was the last time, your small group allowed themselves to be blessed by doing something for others?  The biggest blessing can start with the smallest acts of kindness.

If you need ideas for service projects please check this out.

Here are some pictures.  Thanks to all who gave of their time and talents!

August
8 & 15 GroupLink
22 Radical starts

September
3-6 Labor Day weekend Small Group parties
19 Small Group Luncheon/announce new study choices in Crosswalk
25-26 Real Marriage/ maybe attend as a group

October
10 begin new study, your choice
24-31LD1, choose either week. 8:15 & 11am in Cafe 1

Nov
18 Small Group Leader Banquet

January
23 Small Group Luncheon
30/Feb 6 GroupLink for new series

Feb 13 new series begins – March 20

March
21-25 Spring Break