Ending Season, Part 5 (04.04.22)
In order to make space to rebuild our culture and structure for community as a church, Community Groups will walk through an ending season now through Easter. This guide will lead CGs through helpful biblical perspectives and discussion prompts around the theme of endings—such as sabbath rest, God’s calling into transitions, testifying to God’s work, and reflecting on learned wisdom.
Outline of Weeks to Come:
- Learning and Wisdom (3.7.22)
- Gratitude and Appreciation (3.14.22)
- Testifying to the Work of God (3.21.22)
- Sabbath and Resting the Ground (3.28.22)
- God’s Call to Move (4.4.22)
- Holy Week & Seder Passover Meal – Remembering God’s Faithfulness (4.11.22)
Opening Prayer
After the group welcomes one another, have one person open in prayer and then take 2-3 minutes of silence. As you sit in silence, ask the Holy Spirit to open your heart in love toward Jesus and your group mates.
Now & Next
Each week we’ll give some information to help your group know how the church is transitioning our CGs and revamping our approach to community ministry. This will be in the format of Now (how CGs currently function in our church) and Next (where we are headed in our community ministry).
Now:
CGs meet all over the Bay, either in people’s homes or online. For many reasons, this is great, and we ultimately want to end up with groups in homes again. But first, we also see some of the downsides of CGs meeting all over, and it includes the vision for community fracturing and becoming inconsistent across CGs.
One group talks about highs and lows of the week, one studies the book of Isaiah in depth, and another gets together to watch Bachelor in Paradise. There’s an evident inconsistent vision and experience of CGs. We want there to be room for group uniqueness, but also need to refocus and rebuild the purpose and culture of community.
Next:
In the near-term (Easter to the fall), we’ll host Community Nights in our building! Its focus is all about rebuilding our church’s culture of community as we walk through the effects of the pandemic. Community Nights will happen midweek and always start with eating together! (If you were around a few years ago when we hosted Leader’s Nights to rebuild our leadership culture, think of Community Nights being like this except focused on community culture.)
Community Nights start Thursday, May 5th, and there will be more details on dates and times communicated church-wide in the coming weeks!
God’s Call to Move
Read Genesis 12:1-7 and Acts 20:17-24, and then silently reflect on the ways God has called you to change and move from chapter to chapter in your life:
- How do you see God calling Abram and Paul in these passages? What do you think you can learn from their example?
- Sometimes moving requires literal change of scenery, but sometimes it means more broadly a shift vocationally, socially, or even emotionally. How might God be inviting you into changes and moves?
Discuss:
- Over your time in this group, how have you seen God invite you into different chapters? How has it been to follow His lead through change?
- How do you believe God’s calling your group or you individually to move? Will you continue connecting regularly, stay in touch casually, or simply go separate ways? Perhaps you still might need more time to discern what God’s inviting you to do.
Closing Intercession
Thank God for inviting us into new chapters of life and the freedom to step into them. Pray for your group, our church, our city, and our world.
More Info:
Holy Week is coming up, which includes the option of hosting a Seder/Passover Meal. Here’s the Seder meal guide.
You can also watch a video update about our church community.