Skip to main content

Summer Is Coming!

As summer approaches, you may have already started making plans for your group's activities while school is out. Many groups choose to stop meeting for the summer and then relaunch in the fall. Some choose to meet less frequently, and others make no changes during the summer.

As we approach this natural break time, here are some things to be thinking about and/or discussing with your group:
  • What can we do to be "missional" this summer? Calvary's 100+ campaign will provide a great opportunity for groups to actively minister in ways that show Christ's love to our neighbors. Your group should set up at least one or two times to serve together.
  • Who can we add to our group this summer? If you use summer as a time to have informal get-togethers, you have a great opportunity to introduce new people into your group. Begin building relationships in these less threatening environments, so that when things get more formalized in the fall, you will have less "work" to do in building community.
  • What will we do in the fall? Now is a good time to start thinking about your formative activities because if you can make a decision now, you have all summer to locate the best possible materials.
  • Should we consider multiplying? If your group is consistently growing, it may be time to launch a "cousin" group. Find someone in your group who should be leading and use the summer to make plans to re-launch two groups instead of one. (you might be able to creatively find ways to link the groups, so it doesn't feel like a "split")
Don't miss the Summer Summit on June 3, we'll be talking more about some of these issues!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Discussion Questions for Easter

Have several people ask the question, “What’s the most important thing you’ve ever done?” Ask other people, “What do you hope to accomplish in the next several years of your life?” Tell your class that today you’ll be talking about “life mission” or the one most important thing you do that drives everything else. Tell them that Jesus’ resurrection from the dead is the defining moment in history, so it should be the defining moment in our lives. Read 1 Corinthians 15:12-19. How does the resurrection impact some of the crucial beliefs of Christianity?  How would Christianity be different if there was no resurrection? How would you be different without the resurrection? Read 1 Corinthians 15:50-58. What are some specific ways that the resurrection gives us hope? If you had been a friend of Jesus when he was on earth, how would the resurrection have impacted your life?  How do you think his followers then were effected by the resurrection? Read 1 Corinthian...
3 comments
Read more

10 Summer Activities To Keep Your Small Group Connected

I just sent an email to all our small group leaders (I do this 3-4 times each month). This week's focus was STAYING CONNECTED THROUGH THE SUMMER. Below is a list of 10 summer activities a small group can use to stay connected. These are specifically created for groups at The Gathering, but you can pretty easily modify the list to fit your church or your community. Go to a Dragon's Game together. You can buy tickets as a group from the church for the game on July 11. Design a Progressive Dinner. Have appetizers at one house, salad at another, the main course somewhere else and dessert at a final destination. Have a monthly barbecue party. Serve together. Pick a place (Good Neighbor House, St. Vincents, Victory Project, Pirate Packs, Caring Partners International, One Bistro) and sign up to serve as a group one afternoon or evening. Meet up at the Family Movie Night on June 15. Spend a day at King's Island. Work at the church for an afternoon. We have many proj...
Post a Comment
Read more

20 Questions to Build Group Connections

Here is a great exercise for a new group. The instructions are pretty simple. Go around the group giving each person the opportunity to choose one question and answer it honestly. Anyone can follow-up with an opinion or clarifying question (no critiquing each other's answers, though). Once a question has been answered, no one else may answer that question. If your group is larger, you may want to alter the rule and allow each question to be answered 2 or 3 times. Ideally, each person should end up answering 3-5 questions. As the leader, pay attention to the conversation. Let the discussion run its course as this is how people in the group build their relationships with one another. You can use these questions, modify them or create your own.
Post a Comment
Read more