Groups Spring '20 - Week 2

By way of reminder, we will use the first 3 weeks of 2020 adjusting the normal flow of discussions. We’ll be back to the normal discussion guides starting January 26th—when we begin our study of 1 Corinthians.

The goal of these three weeks is to have you and your group members clarify what your group is committed to doing together and identify how that fuels our mission and helps us grow more like Jesus.

We’re encouraging you to lead these discussions in you group in order to have group members prioritize their commitments this new year. The first week we’re considering our commitment to the local church, the second week—our commitment to mission and evangelism, the third—our commitment to personal discipleship and growth. You’re encouraged to adjust these discussions to your groups as you see fit. Thank you for your commitment!

Gratefully,
Joe and Kaylan

Groups Spring 2020 - Week 1

Greetings Leaders,

As we discussed in our City Group Leader training yesterday. These first few weeks, we'd like for you and your groups to discuss what you'd like to see in your groups this term.

To help with that, the first few guides will remain brief and high level to arm you with a few questions to help you and your groups get on the same page. Please feel free to use those provided here, add to, or subtract from them. 

We want these discussions and scripture passages to lay a good foundation for your groups this term.

Gratefully,
Joe and Kaylan

Groups Fall '19 - Week 15

Greetings Leaders,

You'll notice a change to this week's guide. We decided to make this one more informal. As we just finished Ecclesiastes and are gearing up for a new Christmas sermon series, we've provided some questions to help foster a general discussion in you group.

If you can, make sure to take some time to pray for one another specifically for the Christmas season ahead, that we would be good witnesses.

Thank you all for your continued leadership of your groups.

Gratefully,
Joe and Kaylan

Groups Fall '19 - Week 14

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Unless you’ve already pre-determined to do so with your group, there will be no City Groups meeting this week. We hope this is a relaxing time with friends and family and pray for productive Gospel conversations with those around you.

We are thankful for each one of you and your servant’s hearts.

Gratefully,
Joe and Kaylan

Groups Fall '19 - Week 13

Greetings Leaders,

As you will note this weeks guide has us look at both the vanity of power and prosperity. We will observe together how the shortcomings of this world and the injustice we see drive us to Christ who displays perfect power and uses his riches to lift up the lowly.

We hope it's a great discussion for you and your groups.

Gratefully,
Joe and Kaylan

Groups Fall '19 - Week 12

The first eight verses of Ecclesiastes 3 present a poem using opposites to show that God is in control of both the positive and the negative aspects of time. It is clear from this statement that the Teacher means to communicate the totality of life, from birth and death, to human emotions, and to world affairs. All of these things are under the control of the sovereign God. This sovereignty of God should make humans stand in “awe of Him.”

We hope that your time together will propel those in your groups to stand in awe of God! We appreciate you all so much!

Gratefully,
Joe and Kaylan

Groups Fall '19 - Week 11

Greetings leaders,

We live in a society that looks at all that surrounds us to find meaning and purpose in life. We have unparalleled access to everything our hearts desire and yet our society is still miserable. The world around us searches for purpose and meaning in temporal things and still comes up empty, because they’re looking in the wrong places.

But we know that all of that purpose and meaning is in Christ. Instead of being told who we are by society, we know who we are by what Christ has done on our behalf. We have been made in the image and likeness of God (Gen 1:26). We have sinned and fallen, alienating ourselves from the God who’s image we bare. There was nothing we could do or no amount of good deeds to erase our sins. We were without hope (Eph 2:12), children of wrath (2:3), enemies of God (Rom 5:10). But God loved us enough to send His one and only Son that we might be saved (John 3:16), that we might be reconciled (Rom 5:10-11), that we might be justified and accounted righteous (Rom 3:21-25). We are not doctors, or mechanics, or teachers; we are a men and women made in God’s image, marred by sin, but redeemed by the precious blood of Christ, adopted into the family of God. We are children of the Most High. Our meaning, our value, our worth are all wrapped up in Jesus. Not in what we do, but what He did on our behalf.

What a tremendous truth we get to share with our groups this week. Thank you for your consistent and faithful service to others!

Gratefully,
Joe and Kaylan

Groups Fall '19 - Week 10

We are beginning our series on the book of Ecclesiastes and on this quick tour of Ecclesiastes, we will see several themes that speak directly to the questions and longings many feel today: what is the significance of life, does anything matter, should I pursue power and prosperity? Pondering these questions and others while seeing the futility of godless answers prepares our hearts to rejoice in the gospel of Jesus Christ!

Praying for you all as we begin this church-wide study of Ecclesiastes!

Gratefully,
Joe and Kaylan

Groups Fall '19 - Week 9

Greetings Leaders,

Thank you to all who showed up to the Leader Meeting Sunday. We had a great time discussing our upcoming Ecclesiastes study.

This week we finish up our Unsaved Christian series. We will be discussion Matthew 25:31-46 where Jesus tells his followers that he will separate the sheep and the goats in the final judgment. We will be looking at how this text gives us hope and security while also calling us to urgently share they good news of Jesus with those who need to hear it or think they already know it.

We hope it's a great week for you and your groups!

Gratefully,
Joe and Kaylan

Groups Fall '19 - Week 8

Greetings Group Leaders,

As we continue our discussion on the “unsaved Christian” or those who rely on cultural morality, we’re praying that these discussions are equipping you for discussions with those God has placed in your life that might fall into this category. What an eye-opening thing to consider a soul who might attend religious activities their whole life but never make Jesus Christ their Treasure.

We are praying for you all and are very thankful for all that you do as servants of Christ!

Gratefully,

Joe and Kaylan

Groups Fall '19 - Week 7

Fellow leaders,

We want to thank you for the consistency with which you lead. Thank you for taking the time to read and pray over the Scriptures used in facilitating Biblical discussion in your groups.

And what a comfort it is to see from God’s very Word this week, that Jesus’ role as the Good Shepherd is not only to go out and find His lost sheep, but that He also eternally secures each one that He knows. What a promise!

Stay tuned for more information about our upcoming training for our sermon series through the book of Ecclesiastes!

Gratefully,
Joe and Kaylan

Groups Fall '19 - Week 6

Groups Fall '19 - Week 6

Dear Group Leaders,

We’re kicking off a series based on Dean’s book “The Unsaved Christian.” It is such a timely topic for our culture and society in 2019. This week, we will be discussing how cultural “Christians” often try to have Christianity without Christ. Are we guilty of pursuing morality alone? We are praying for each of you and your attendees as we all dive in to the Scriptures to reinforce that without Christ, it is in vain. Thank you for all that you do!

Gratefully,
Joe and Kaylan

Groups Fall '19 - Week 5

Greetings Leaders,

This week we will wrap up our Jack & Jill series with a look at what Jesus has to say about marriage. Next week we will start a 4 week series on "The Unsaved Christian."

The below guide has us look at how Jesus responded to the Pharisees in Matthew 19. You will notice we've included a lot of supporting texts this week. We've done so to make sure you are armed with references as you see how the Lord has intended for marriage to point to him throughout the scriptures.

We hope it's a great week for you and your groups.

Gratefully,
Joe and Kaylan

Groups Fall '19 - Week 4

This week we look at God's design for marriage and relationships by looking at how God created man and woman. This starts a 2 week "Jack and Jill" series. We hope this is a great discussion for your group.

Gratefully,
Joe and Kaylan

Groups Fall '19 - Week 3

Discussion Guide Greetings Group Leaders,

This week we will conclude our series "Rearrange." In our discussion this week we will turn to 1 Peter 2:1-12 to see how we are called to live as sojourners and exiles.

We hope you have a great week!

Gratefully,
Joe and Kaylan

Groups Fall '19 - Week 2

City Group Leaders,

NT Wright wrote in Suprised by Hope, "One of the primary laws of human life is that you become like what you worship..." In the Old Testament we read that the people of Israel became like the idols they worshipped.

In calling us to worship him, God has called his children to become like him, to be holy. In our discussion we will consider what it means to render our lives in worship to the Lord and how we are empowered to do so through the Scriptures.

We hope this discussion encourages you and blesses your group.

Gratefully,
Joe and Kaylan

Groups Fall '19 - Week 1

Greetings Fall City Group Leaders,

Here we go! Our first week of Fall City Groups is here. We hope you've had a great Summer and are settling in well for the Fall.

As you will notice, we've changed the format of the Discussion Guide. It's occurred to us that having announcement, reminders, and the discussion guide all in one document may be overwhelming or distracting. We will be trying out some new ways to keep you informed on what you need to be mindful of and what to pass along to your groups

We are in week 2 of our series Rearrange. Through this series we are looking at what it means to center our lives on Jesus' Kingdom. This week we are discussing "what matters most."

We hope you find the new format helpful. Please let us know what you think and if you have any questions.

Gratefully,

Joe and Kaylan

Groups Summer '19 - Week 9

Groups Summer '19 - Week 9

Greetings City Group Leaders,

As we finish the last week of summer City Groups, we just want to thank you all for how you have served so faithfully this summer in this capacity. Each one of you are vital to the growth of our church and we appreciate the time and work you've dedicated to this growth.

Psalm 12 is a short psalm, but is so encouraging to know that in the face of the false and impure words of the wicked, the words of our God are reliable and pure and trustworthy.

We have been including a time of praying through the psalm at the end of discussion time. We want to encourage our groups to take their time through this time of corporate prayer amongst believers. What a precious time as the body of Christ prays through God's Word!

Gratefully,
Joe and Kaylan

Groups Summer '19 - Week 8

Groups Summer '19 - Week 8

Greetings City Group Leaders,

We have (counting this week) 3 weeks left of our Summer Psalms series.

Please note the last week of Summer groups will be the week of July 28th. Fall groups will begin August 25th. Some of you have made the astute observation that this is an earlier start than usual. While that's true, we've felt this will better help align all of our schedules.

This weeks discussion looks at Psalm 11 where we will see that the ruling and reigning Lord of all is mindful of his people and is our refuge. We hope this is a great week for you and your groups.

Gratefully,

Joe and Kaylan

Groups Summer '19 - Week 7

Groups Summer '19 - Week 7

Greetings City Group Leaders,

Thank you one and all for you continued leadership this Summer. We're continuing our discussion of the Psalms. This week we look at Psalm 10.

Make sure you are keeping an eye on the announcement section of the discussion guide as we have a few dates coming up for you and your groups to keep in mind.

Gratefully,

Joe and Kaylan