Autumn 2009 Small Group Season

As you think ahead to the Fall, here are a few dates and tidbits to help you in planning:

SEPTEMBER

9/20 :: New Host/Leader Orientations at 12:15 or 7:15p.m. Complete the orientation online first.

9/20 :: Autumn Small Group sign ups (patio and online). Hosts, please ensure your group page is up to date.

9/27 :: InstaGroup – find or form a Small Group on the spot. Come to C302 after the 11a.m. service.

9/27 :: Autumn Small Group sign ups (patio and online)

OCTOBER

10/4 :: Autumn Small Groups kick off – sermon study questions will be available online, or browse through the study guides in the Cafe for other ideas.

10/4  to 11/22 :: Turbo Group (contact Chris at chris.greer@belairpres.org or 818-788-4200 x272)

NOVEMBER

11/7 :: ReFresh – be encouraged, engage the vision, make an impact. Details coming soon! 9a.m. to 2p.m.

Writing a group description to enhance your group

The first step for people to join a Small Group is to look at the list of groups available online or with the Small Group staff. Help ease the process of people finding the right Small Group by following the following guidelines when you complete your group description. Scroll down to see an example of all of these integrated into a group description.

• Length – Write at least 2 to 3 sentences: Many people will only look at the group description—they may never give us the opportunity to tell them anything more.
• Group Started – Don’t mention how long your group has been doing something, instead, put the date or year (so that if it isn’t updated, it’s not inaccurate).
  • NOT: We started last year.
  • INSTEAD: We started in 2008.
• Description – Be clear if you are being descriptive rather than prescriptive.
  • NOT: We are women in our 30s.
  • INSTEAD: We are open to men and women of all ages, but are mainly women in our 30s right now.
• Location – Add the specific area of the city that your group meets in.
  • NOT: We are in the South Bay.
  • INSTEAD: We are in Redondo Beach, near (intersection).
• Handicap Accessibility – If your group meeting location is handicap accessible, please add this to the end of your group description.
• Notes to the Staff – Use the “Meeting Time & Frequency” box to add notes for the Small Group Staff (i.e.: we usually take a break during the summer).
• Last Updated – In the “Notes” field, add the date that you last updated the group description, even if you didn’t change anything and just verified that it is correct.
• Contact – If you would prefer a phone call, please note that in your description and list your phone number. If you don’t check your email every 2-3 days, please note that.
• Roster – Make sure that all of your group members are listed on your group roster. This will help people who are searching have an accurate idea of the size of your group.
• Time – Write down the start and end times of your group so that people can plan accordingly. Be sure to add “a.m.” or “p.m.” If your group meets around a meal time, make sure to note if people are expected to eat before or after the group meeting, or if eating together is part of your Small Group time.
• Key Words – Here are some key words that are often searched for and what they describe:
  • Open – this group is open to anyone joining who meets their description.
  • Request – this group would like to get to know the person a bit more before they officially join.
  • Actively Seeking – this group is highly receptive to new people joining their group.
  • The Bridge – this group is part of BAPC’s downtown satellite campus.
  • Young Marrieds – this group is part of the Young Marrieds discipleship community.
  • Beacon – this group is part of The Beacon discipleship community. If you use this, please also include “Entertainment/arts” in your description.
  • Entertainment/arts – this group is either part of The Beacon or has some people in it who are part of this industry.
  • Kids – this group has some sort of plan in place for their kids (i.e.: hire a babysitter, have the kids hang out during the study, or take turns watching the kids in another room).
  • Handicap Accessible – this meeting location is handicap accessible.
  • Day – this group meets during the day or morning.

 

(OPEN) ACTIVELY SEEKING NEW MEMBERS. We are made up of a few married couples and a few singles (in their 20s through 50s), but are open to anyone joining us. We even have a baby! He hangs out with us during the study, but his mom takes him into another room if he gets fussy. We’d love to have other kids join us. We meet from 7:15 to 9p.m. every Tuesday (we do a potluck dinner) and are located in Thousand Oaks off of Avenida de Los Arboles. I check my email about once a week, but will make sure to check Monday evenings to make sure we connect before the group meets. Our Small Group has been meeting since Autumn of 2008. Handicap accessible.

Jen Hurst
Associate Director of Small Groups
jen.hurst@belairpres.org

Engaging Downtown through The Bridge

A few months ago, I visited “The Bridge: Los Angeles,” BAPC’s satellite campus in Little Tokyo, the heart of downtown. The worship service ended early to allow time for us to go on prayer walks around the city. We set out in groups of four or five. Passersby might have thought we were in a tour group – Jim Kermath took the opportunity to tell us more about the culture, the relationships that are already being developed, and how the area has changed recently.

As we walked, I said breath prayers—the short one or two sentence prayers about whatever we were seeing or hearing at the time: “Lord, please bless that woman and giver her comfort for whatever she’s going through,” “Lord, please give us insight into how to reach these people,” “Lord, may this store be known not for their yogurt, but for the lives of people in its walls that are changed because of conversations that are had about you.” These short bursts of prayer enabled me to listen to Jim and immediately seek God’s impact on the neighborhood.

At one point, my chest started getting tight (and not because it’s been so long since I’ve gone to the gym). I felt overwhelmed for a moment and stopped walking. When I realize the group had continued, I caught up with them. Those three steps forward revealed a Buddhist temple at the end of the road we had just intersected. That moment resulted in more than a breath prayer. As I looked down the road, I began praying specifically for the people who were entrapped by this faith, who were seeking something and found only the religion of their culture and family, who had yet to hear of the freedom and grace found in Jesus. As I continued to pray, the tightness in my chest abated, I was able to breathe normally again, and my fervor for helping support The Bridge intensified.

In moments like these, I thank God that he’s available to us for longer periods of meditation as well as for shorter prayers when our need for him becomes apparent in a moment. Through these kinds of prayers, our awareness of His presences increases so that we can gain insight into the spiritual struggles that our neighbors are experiencing, find our reliance on God increasing, and hopefully so that the reality will finally sink in that “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12).

Jen Hurst
Associate Director of Small Groups
jen.hurst@belairpres.org

Getting lost

I have zero sense of direction. When people ask me about what Small Groups are available in their neighborhood, I usually have to jump onto Google Maps to double-check where their neighborhood is. When I drive somewhere I haven’t been before (and even many place I frequent), I have to write down the directions both ways because I have a habit of turning the wrong way as I leave, and not realizing it for miles. That’s what happened on Tuesday while I was leaving a lunch appointment with friends.

Instead of getting frustrated, I decided to take the opportunity to explore Sherman Oaks a bit. I took my time driving down Ventura Boulevard. I watched the people around me (not too closely–I was still driving). People were on their lunch breaks, running errands, out with friends. I tried to imagine where people were going or what they were going through. It was a great reminder of who the people are that we are trying to reach as we “Love our Neighbors.”

Jen Hurst
Associate Director of Small Groups
jen.hurst@belairpres.org

“Share the toy with your brother!”

When I hear the word sharing, my mind wanders back to a phrase I heard often as a boy, “Chris, share the toy with your brother.” Growing up with two brothers and not a lot of money, we boys quickly learned that sharing was the only way to get any playing time with our favorite toys or our fill of our favorite food at the dinner table.

Sharing is a word we also use a lot in the world of small groups. We talk about sharing our stories and our talents, sharing our space and our time, sharing with each other and with our neighbors. In fact, in our small group setting sharing is the key to just about everything we do.

My small group has begun sharing more lately. Not just about our personal lives and our prayer requests, but with God’s word and its impact in our lives. After Lent ended, we hit one of those spots that all small groups hit. It’s the “what will we study next?” spot. We decided our Bible study would be each member sharing passages that have been impactful in his life; in general or during this particular season. To my delightful surprise, this has turned out to be a remarkable way of learning and interacting with God’s Word.

Each week, one group member facilitates discussion about a personally impactful Bible passage. Several of the passages that have been shared are passages that I have read dozens of times and heard multiple sermons on; passages like Galatians 2:20, 1 Cor. 13:4-7, and 1 Thess. 5:16-18. But for some reason, as my friends have shared how these verses have shaped, changed, and convicted them, I have finally taken hold of them: literally and figuratively. I found myself literally turning to these passages again and again in the days that followed our small group meetings, re-visiting why these passages were so meaningful to the guys in our Small Group. And, the passages seemed to stick. Unlike they did with previous sermons and readings, these verses seemed to get lodged into my heart because of the personal sharing that was done by my small group. And having God’s word lodged in our heart, is a pretty good thing. (Psalm 119:11, 15-16)

When talking about God’s word in your group this week, freely share how it’s Power and Truth have impacted you. Share. Give something. Receive something. And like the three boys in my family, enjoy together the fun and fulfilling things God gives through His word.

Chris Greer
Coordinator of Small Groups
chris.greer@belairpres.org

A few tips about using a study guide

1. It is designed to help your study of God’s Word. Read the introduction to get acquainted with it. There are generally four primary elements:

• Group Life – tools to create a healthy environment.
• Observation – What does the Scripture say?
• Interpretation – What does it mean?
• Application – What does it mean to my life?

 2. It’s not a textbook

• A Small Group is not just a Bible Study.  If your group needs to shorten the study in order to care for each other, serve your neighbors and worship the Lord, then do so.
• Proverbs 27:17 says “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” Leave space for your group to reflect, encourage, and respond to the text and one another.
• If you find yourself intellectualizing Scripture, take a moment to reflect on Psalm 119. Observe how the psalmist values Scripture and how that affects him.

 3. It can’t perfectly fit all groups or gatherings. Review the questions before your group meeting.

• Read – what is the question trying to accomplish?
• Rephrase – is it awkward? Poorly written? Rephrase it so that it works better in your group.
• Reinforce – is the response too obvious? Enhance the content and the conversation by referencing related passages of Scripture that will.
• Reject – if a question doesn’t work, toss it; but keep in mind the overall flow of thought in the study to ensure that by doing so, your group won’t miss out on a key building block in the conversation.

Carpet Loops

In my Independence Day blog, I mentioned that we can imagine what the impact of one person is. The most vivid time that I was able to do so was a few years after I became a Christian.

I was in one of my first Small Group experiences–visiting a group that met at the church building. I knew two people there and was pretty nervous about the whole thing. I don’t remember what Scripture we talked about, nor who was in the room, except for one moment.

Chris was leading the study as we sat in a circle on the floor. He was talking about the impact that one person can have. Sure, we each have a few friends–some of us had two, others twenty, others more. But he looked down at the carpet we were sitting on. It was brightly colored–each loop was a different color. He reached down and pointed to one of the loops.

“If this is you, and you are able to share Christ’s love with the loops that are touching you–the people who are in your life–and they do the same, how quickly might we reach this whole room?”

The answer was apparent. All of a sudden, each member of my family, friend at school, or casual acquaintance became a loop in my life–someone that perhaps I could share Jesus’ love with in a compelling way.

But what about those who don’t end up being touched? If there is an island of loops that don’t connect to the others because of time, distance, or if the sharing stops somewhere?

I think that’s why in addition to living our lives intentionally and building relationships with people who are currently in our lives, we are also called to reach out to those who aren’t connected. Through service projects, mission trips, serving on your HOA board, or listing your Small Groups as “Open,” you can help connect those loops. 

Jen Hurst
Associate Director of Small Groups
jen.hurst@belairpres.org

Encourage One Another

In I Thessalonians 5:11 we read, “Therefore, encourage one another and build each other up, just in fact you are doing.” In the context we will see that the believers were to encourage one another even when they thought the Lord would return very soon – even in their lifetime. They were to remind each other that they were “children of the light and children of the day.” (5:4) Therefore, they were to be “alert and self controlled.”(vs.6)

Encouragement is a very important part of meeting together.  Through it we remember that whatever our situation we are not alone, the Lord knows and cares.  Likewise we are comforted that others in our fellowship know and care about our trials and challenges.  And encouragement can give us the faith to walk as “children of the light.”  Paul exhorted Christians to make decisions that reflect who they were in Christ.  What encouragement do we give one another today in our small groups?  Often we are tempted to encourage others to do what we know they want to do instead of what the Lord would will for them.  In gentleness and compassion we are to encourage others to follow the Lord, to take the sometimes harder road and to act as children of the light. This is true encouragement.  Because encouragement implies that someone needs courage.  Courage to do the faithful action; courage to go against the pressures of peers and societal norms; courage to even stand alone in circumstances, knowing that they have a group of Christian friends that stand with them. Let us not shy away from encouraging one another. By it, the Lord strengthens our faith and the faith in our small group.

Rosie Kwak
Interim Director of Caring Ministries

Independence Day

Today is the Fourth of July–Independence Day. My family spent the day visiting the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley. They had a bunch of activities going on–from face painting to trick roping, and even had visits from “Presidents” Lincoln and Washington. As I write this, I’m hearing the first of the fireworks being shot off outside.

Our culture is built around the idea of independence and freedom. From our birth as a nation to the rights of an individual, it’s hard to deny the mindframe that we have. But I have trouble balancing my responsibility and autonomy as an individual with my dependence on others.

It’s not that I don’t believe in freedom, it’s that I wonder how our history as a nation, as communities, and as individuals would be different if we remembered ourselves not only as a people who were set free from the tyranny of taxation without representation, but also as people whose freedom was secured by the help of others.

Without the everyday militia men, Washington would not have succeeded in his surprise the day after Christmas – stopping Britain’s hired soldiers from their plan to destroy the weak colonial army. Without Officer Henry Knox, Washington wouldn’t have had atillery in Boston to end the stalemate with Britain. Without the French navy, the British would have been able to retreat instead of surrendering. 

What role do others play in your life? Pick one person. What would it be like without that person? From general to militiaman, your grocery clerk to Michael Jackson, they all leave an impact. And while it’s hard to speculate what the impact of one person actually is, one can imagine.

Who is your independence impacting?

“For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1)

“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” (2 Corinthians 3:17)

“As servants of God, live as free people, yet do not use your freedom as a pretext for evil.” (1 Peter 2:16)

“Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death so that we would rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.” (2 Corinthians 1:9)

 

Jen Hurst
Associate Director of Small Groups
jen.hurst@belairpres.org

July Monthly Five

Study the Word – Buy a commentary or study Bible to go along with the book your Small Group is studying.

Worship the Lord – Buy a prayer notebook to write down your prayers and the prayers of your Small Group members. Keep it small (or make it electronic) so that you can carry it with you.

Care for Each Other– Learn one anothers’ stories.  Make a “Life Map” by putting sticky notes of major events in your life on a posterboard. Spend fifteen minutes or so sharing your story with your Small Group.

Serve your Neighbor– Invite a neighbor you don’t know to your Fourth of July bar-be-que.

Relate as Friends – Watch fireworks together!