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The Circle of Life Small Groups

 Goal: To provide members of FLC the means to connect relationally, grow spiritually, and discover ways of sharing the love of Christ by serving others. The philosophy of small groups at FLC is that small groups are a place that allows for life transformation to grow as disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Groups:

• Can form at any time, but we also have church-wide sign ups to facilitate connections into small groups. We often have a sermon series that coincide with the small group study during these times.
• Follow a rhythm of Study, Service and Sabbath to allow maximum flexibility for inward and outward growth.

• Meet with the life-changing objectives of providing, vital fellowship, opportunities for prayer and praise, encouragement in studying Gods word and to encourage members to reach out with the message of Christ by serving one another in ministry and by serving the community and the world in mission.
• Leaders are always encouraged to raise up other leaders and encourage the mindset of “giving it away”, you have been taught and fed and have received much so give it away.
• New people are integrated into the church through Newcomers Orientation, Alpha and then invited to join a small group.
•  Each leader/host will receive a Leadership notebook which is arranged in the Circle of Life with information on each section. These will also be available for viewing on the website.
• Small groups plan their year around the Circle of Life: Contemplative Living; Growth Classes; Discipleship; Service/Mission in the Church, the Community and the World; Retreat and Rest.
• Small groups typically meet in member’s homes others meet at the church or various other places (restaurants, work place, etc).

 Each small group maps out their plan for the year ahead using the resources in the Leadership binder. After looking through all the resource segments you will find three sheets at the back of the binder, two of which are examples of possible plans for a year. The third sheet is for your group to map out its own plan. Pass the binder around to each group member and give each one a chance to become familiar with all the exciting possibilities.

 There are 3 types of opportunities for Study

1. Contemplative Living; includes such things as Lectio Divina, Centering Prayer and Spiritual Journaling among others. If your group is interested in one of these offerings someone who is experienced in these areas will come to your small group to provide guidance and to get you started, then the group continues on its own for the duration of the study.
2. Growth Classes; we will try to offer at least 2 classes a year. If a group chooses a growth class then they come together to the church for the class instead of doing a study on their own. Teachers well-versed in their subject material will lead these classes. Potentially there could be several small groups who take these classes together. Individual small groups could then go out for desert or share some kind of fellowship opportunity together after the class. Please see the Leadership handbook Growth Class section for a full description
3. Discipleship; The third study option is the traditional Bible study. It enables members of small groups to cultivate a biblical perspective and focus their faith. These studies are done by the group in whatever is their normal setting. We have a large selection of study materials available in our library that are now listed in a comprehensive bibliography. We continue to add multimedia kits which contain excellent study materials. Linda Corey our librarian would be delighted to help you locate anything.

  There are 3 types of opportunities for Service     

Jesus tells us that the world will know we are his disciples by our love. A biblical picture of love is not one focused on feelings, but rather actions. For God so loved the world that he GAVE . . . We will only grow as disciples if we live our lives in gratitude and service. Therefore, not only do we have 3 types of study opportunities we also have 3 types of service opportunities: Service in the Church, the Community and in the World. These opportunities for service provide small groups with opportunities for outward growth. At least one session per year we are asking all small groups to choose a service option instead of a study option. Serving together with your small group is not only fun but helps diffuse any uncertainty you may have about serving somewhere on your own. In fact there may be some groups that form around the sole purpose of service.

 1.       Service in the church; This is a place to look for ways for your group to serve our congregation. Serving together helps you discover the joys of sharing your time and talent with others. Opportunities include helping with the many Alpha Course needs to being greeters or coffee hosts. Your small group may already have its own idea about what they could contribute to the church family. The ministry handbook is available each year showing areas where individuals or small groups can serve in the church.

2.      Service in the Community; whether we call it service or evangelism, it is all about demonstrating in word and deed the love of God to our community. We have assembled a large number of outreach ideas for small groups to participate in together. You might want to help build a house with Habitat for Humanity, or work at a food pantry or help at the Mission of Hope on First Avenue. We want to be an irresistible influence of the love of God to our community.

3.       Service/ Mission to the World; imagine your small group going together on a short-term mission trip, or perhaps sending medical supplies with some who is going or raising money to support world hunger. We can all make a difference and together as a small group we can find ways of sharing the joy of mission together. Read about the medical missions trip and the AGM that is planned for this next year.

 There are 2 types of opportunities for Sabbath

 Sabbath is a profoundly biblical idea that more than ever needs to be recaptured in an era of frantic over-participation in, too often, mind-numbing activity. Built into the rhythm of study and service we believe small groups should also Rest and Retreat. The strength and beauty of the Circle of Life is that instead of adding activity upon activity it is all about choice and choosing things sequentially. This not only includes study and service but choosing to rest and retreat.

1. Rest; We are inviting your small group to throw a party and take a Sabbath time off for reflection. Other ideas might include having a games night or a movie night or having a progressive dinner. You may choose to get together socially once during a 4 week Sabbath with the understanding that you are resting together and are still committed as a small group.
2. Retreat; having a retreat with your small group is a great way to build community in your group, cast vision, have fun and create memories. We have assembled a whole list of possible retreat places. You will find suggestions for both formats and locations, everything from camps suitable for families with tents or available cabins to monasteries or elegant Bed and Breakfasts which would be ideal for a woman’s group or a couples group.

Our desire is that everyone at First Lutheran Church would be connected in fellowship through small group community and centered on Christ that together

 “being rooted and established in love, may have power together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge that (we ) may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God” Ephesians 3:17-19

The Five C’s

 As we at First Lutheran Church have been discovering together, Jesus Christ must be the center of our lives as Christians.

 We’ve been given his light through the power of the Holy Spirit at our baptism, and we are called to a life of service for him, “letting our light so shine before others that they may see our good works and give glory to God our Father.”

 Jesus is the light that guides us on our discipleship journey – our call is to grow into his image and, as Martin Luther put it, to be a “little Christ” to others.

 The discipleship journey here at First Lutheran Church is one that fulfills five purposes in our lives.  Living these five purposes will bring us “full circle” toward mature discipleship.

 V  The first step of our journey is to Center our lives on God, not on self.  This is called worship.

 But true worship is more than a Saturday night or Sunday morning experience.  Anything we do that brings       glory to God is an act of worship.  It includes our “corporate” worship time, but every human activity, except sin, which is done with an attitude of praise, brings pleasure to God and is therefore worship.

 The heart of worship is surrender.  Offering ourselves to God is what worship is all about.  C.S. Lewis observed:  “The more we let God take us over, the more truly ourselves we become – because he made us.  He invented all the different people that you and I were intended to be…It is when I turn to Christ, when I give up myself to his personality, that I first begin to have a real personality of my own.”

 We need to become best friends with God in Jesus Christ.  This happens through reading and meditation of his word and through prayer.

V   Second, we must Connect with other believers to experience Christian community.  This is called fellowship.

 Life is all about love.  Because God is love, the most important lesson he wants us to learn on earth is how to love.  And learning to do that is no easy task because of our self-centered nature.

 Following Christ includes belonging, not just believing.  We are members of his body, the church.  For the different parts of the human body to work in the way they were intended to work, they must be connected to each other.  The same is true for Christ’s body.

 A small group, we believe, is the most authentic way to experience Christian community.  It’s a place where we become closely connected with other believers, grow in faith, and learn to love and serve.

 V   Third we must Cultivate spiritual maturity and Godly character.  This is called Discipleship

 This is where we grow to become like Christ.  It’s the job of the Holy Spirit to produce Christ-like character in us.  But we must cooperate with the Holy Spirit’s work.  God uses his word, other people, and circumstances to mold us.

 Becoming like Christ is a long, slow process of growth.  Although God could instantly transform us, he has chosen to develop us slowly.  Good habits take time to develop.  So we need to learn to be patient with God and with ourselves and not get discouraged.

 V   Fourth, we need to Contribute something back to God by using our gifts and talents in ministry.  This is called Ministry.

 We were created and saved by Christ to serve God.  We’re not saved by service, but we are saved for service.  All Christians, not just clergy, are called to be ministers.  And God has gifted us to serve.

 We contribute through the giving of our        time, talent and treasure, to use some old terminology.  He expects us to share a portion of our financial resources.  As a standard, he asks us to give the first ten percent of our financial resources to him and then trust him to take care of all our needs.  We need to grow to reach that standard.

 Real servants don’t try to use God for their purposes.  They let God use them for his purposes.

 V   Finally, we are called to Communicate God’s love to others by developing a heart for the world.  This is called Mission.

 God is at work in the world and he wants us to join him.  We are a continuation of Jesus’ mission on earth.

 This includes our         testimony, the story of how Christ has made a difference in our life.

 This also means that we need to shift from self-centered thinking to others thinking, that we shift from local thinking to global thinking.  All people matter to God.  He wants the whole Church to take the whole Gospel to the whole world.

  Planning Your Small Group Time

1. Plan well in advance - read through the entire week’s lesson.
2. Act like your group is meeting for the first time and come with fresh anticipation. Call everyone tell them you can’t wait!
3. On the first night review or prepare a covenant. Make this inviting and participatory. It can help you avoid many problems and pitfalls later on.
4. Start and end on the planned time. If you are sloppy in early commitments it only gets worse.
5. Keep hospitality simple but attend to details: temperature, lighting comfortable chairs, maybe a beverage.
6. Have extra Bibles on hand.
7. Plan on meeting for 1 ½ to 2 hours.
8. if there is preparation necessary encourage everyone to prepare, but not to stay away of they did not have time.
9. Make time for prayer during your meeting time, even if it is short. Help people grow in their comfort and desire to pray. Keep it simple.
10. Include in each meeting:

·     Connect time; welcome, icebreakers, beverages

·    Study Time; dive into the study, start with the summary, choose the questions ahead of time that would best help your group and the number you think you can realistically get through. The goal is life-change, not necessarily getting through everything.

·    Prayer time; assess comfort level of the group but don’t omit it.

11. Don’t neglect to pray for your group it is the most important thing you can do.
12. At the end of your planned time use the Circle of Life Leaders Binder to plan what you would like to do next. Don’t hesitate to call me if you have any questions. 365-1494 or janiesek@firstlutherancr.org
13. There is a fall Growth classes available for small groups starting September 16^th and running for five Sundays until October 21^st.
14. Even if you are an established group write a note, to each individual or couple in your group, letting them know how glad you are that you are in a small group with them.
15. Remember, God uses everyone who says yes to God, it is not necessarily our gifts, but our obedience that he uses.

“For I am confident of this very thing that he who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ.” Phil. 1:6

Small Group Covenant

 Covenants are expressions of group values, expectations, or behaviors for which we hold ourselves mutually accountable. We enter into covenant relationships based on commitment and mutual acceptance. Covenants are based on love and loyalty, and are only valid if all parties seek to fulfill the covenant obligations. Not all groups create a written covenant, but most have at least unwritten values or expectations that are understood by the group. Here are some guidelines to help you in the process.

 Keys to Forming Covenants

 The values around which a group makes a covenant must be generated by the group, not imposed by the leader.

1. Group covenants should always be in the form of “we” statements. But they must be affirmed by each individual.
2. Covenants must be reaffirmed on a periodic basis so that members remember their commitment to one another.
3. Covenants should be written around logistics and values that support group goals and purposes.

 Logistics

•  Where and when we will meet
• How often will we meet
• Who is responsible for leading
• Who and how will we handle refreshments
• Attendance expectations

 Values

•  Are we open to members
• Accountability
• Confidentiality
• Acceptance

 Sample Group Covenant

1. The purpose of our group is…

_________________________________________________________

2. We will meet for ____ weeks, after which we will evaluate our direction.
3. We will gather from ____ to ____, and we will arrive on time so we can star and end on time.
4. We will gather at __________________________________________ (place).
5. We will connect with Christ and with each other by….
6. We will develop and grow by…
7. We will serve the church and the world by…
8. We will agree to the primary values for our group:

 Participation: Everyone is given the right to their own opinion, and “dumb” questions are encouraged and respected.

 Preparation: We will ready to discuss what we have agreed to be prepared with.

 Confidentiality: Anything of a personal nature that is said in the meeting is never repeated outside the meeting.

 Open Chair: The group stays open to new people as long as they commit to the covenant. The process for filling the open chair in our group will be…

 Apprentice Leader: We will strive to identify and develop the apprentices in our group by…..

 Other:

9. We will seek to share some or all of the following roles and responsibilities: leader, apprentice(s), host, prayer coordinator, event planner, service project coordinator, etc.

Everyone signs their name!