Hello everyone, I hope your small group time went well last week. As always, please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
AT THE MOVIES WEEK 3
Below is the small group guide for week 3 of the At the Movies series. Please feel free to download the guide and share it digitally with your group members. There will also be paper copies available at the Welcome Center if you would prefer to pick them up there.
Below is the small group guide for week 2 of the At the Movies series. Please feel free to download the guide and share it digitally with your group members. There will also be paper copies available at the Welcome Center if you would prefer to pick them up there.
Hello Grow Together Leaders, and welcome to another year! I am so excited to see what God is going to do in and through your group this year.
AT THE MOVIES
This weekend we begin this year’s edition of At the Movies. For those who were unable to attend the Leader Huddle last week, below is a video from Pastor Brian about the series.
At the Movies Group Leader Welcome from Brian
This weekend’s (Sept 12/13) movie deals with the topic of community. In light of that, we decided to use this weekend to promote small groups one more time. As a result we will be having Small Group Launch (for new groups) next weekend, and there will not be a study to accompany this weekend’s sermon. If your group is planning to meet next week, we would encourage you to take this time to reconnect with your group and talk about goals you have as a group this year.
Starting next Thursday, I will be posting a study to be used the following week in small group. So, next Thursday (Sept. 17) I will post a video and study guide for your group to be used the following week: Sept. 20-26
AT THE MOVIES TOPICS
Below are the topics we will be discussing during At the Movies. Each week we will reveal the movie to you as the leader of your group, but we would ask that you keep that confidential. We have heard that keeping the movie titles confidential increases participation.
Also, due to copyright laws we will not be able to make the sermon available on-demand. So, we will be doing a replay on Wednesday evenings. In light of that, please encourage your group members to catch the service on the weekend, especially if your group meets before Wednesday evenings.
HERE ARE THE TOPICS:
Sept 12/13: Community
Sept 19/20: Forgiveness
Sept 26/27: Physical/Emotional/Mental Trials & Care Giving
Oct 3/4: Racial Reconciliation
Oct 10/11: Identity
SMALL GROUP 101
While this video focuses on basic group leadership, I found it to have some great reminders for me as a small group leader. For those who didn’t see this at the leader huddle, I would encourage you to take a few minutes to watch it and see what ideas stick out to you.
SMALL GROUP LEADERSHIP 101
Thank you again, and please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
Our final Leader Huddle of the Small Group season is coming up on Sunday, March 22. We will meet from 6-7:15 pm in Mosaic Cafe, and dinner is provided. Please reply to this email to let me know if you are able to make it or not.
JESUS SAID – WEEK 3
Below is the small group guide for week 3 of the Jesus Said series. Please feel free to download the guide and share it digitally with your group members. There will also be paper copies available at the Welcome Center if you would prefer to pick them up there.
I recognize that not every group has men, but for those who do, I would love for you to join me at our Men’s Retreat on March 27 -28. I am so excited about both the fun and the content. I think it’s going to be our best yet. Having said that, this is a great event to come to with the other men in your small group. Please share this opportunity with them and encourage them to come with you. The cost is $60 (which covers food, lodging, and all activities), but it is half price for first-timers. Please invite friends. Here is the link to register: https://www.firstdecatur.org/grow/men/
JESUS SAID – WEEK 2
Below is the small group guide for week 2 of the Jesus Said series. Please feel free to download the guide and share it digitally with your group members. There will also be paper copies available at the Welcome Center if you would prefer to pick them up there.
I also want to give a big thank you to Jim Andrews, who wrote this week’s study. THANK YOU JIM!!!
I look forward to hearing how this study goes. Please let me know if you have any questions, and thank you for all that you do to care for, guide, and lead the people in your groups. Have an awesome weekend!
First of all, Happy almost March! Secondly, welcome to the first week of the Jesus Said study. Thank you so much for joining us during this series as we prepare our hearts for Easter.
JESUS SAID – WEEK 1
Below is the small group guide for week 1 of the Jesus Said series. Please feel free to download the guide and share it digitally with your group members. There will also be paper copies available at the Welcome Center if you would prefer to pick them up there.
I look forward to hearing how this study goes. Please let me know if you have any questions, and thank you for all that you do to care for, guide, and lead the people in your groups. Have an awesome weekend!
Hello awesome leaders, I hope all is well in your small group. There are two things I wanted to bring to your attention this week. Please read below and let me know if you have any questions.
OPEN GROUPS
This little guy is sad because he wants to be in a small group but can’t find a group to be in. OK, not really, but right now we still have a number of people looking for a small group home. If your group would be willing to take a few people in, please email me and let me know.
JESUS SAID
On the weekend of Feb 29/March 1, we will begin a series called “Jesus Said”. This series will be a 6-week study on the words of Jesus in the book of Mark. Along with this series, each week we will be providing an audio devotional that also encourages the congregation to read along in the book of Mark. On top of that, we will be providing a small group discussion that will follow the sermon each week. Check back next week for week 1 of that discussion guide.
I wanted to use today to follow up from our leader huddle two weeks ago.
LENT CURRICULUM: The Words of Jesus
During the six weeks leading up to Lent (starting the weekend of Feb 29/Mar 1) we are going to do a sermon series on the words of Jesus in the book of Mark. As we prepare our hearts for Easter, I thought this would be a good time for our groups to join the weekend content. Each week of that series, I will be sending out group curriculum that will follow each week’s sermon. I would love for you to join us during that series.
I am also looking for one more person who might like to help write group curriculum for that series. If you are interested, please email me and let me know.
GOD SPEED
I also wanted to pass along the video that we watched at the leader huddle last time. If you were unable to be there or would like to watch again, please check this out: https://vimeo.com/theranchstudios/livegodspeed
As always thank you for your leadership in our congregation and your group!
Hello Grow Together Leaders, here are a few things I wanted to make sure you were aware of.
SERVICE OPPORTUNITY THIS SATURDAY
One of the best ways to grow as a group is to serve together. We would encourage you to serve at the Parson’s Wrapping Event at 10 am this Saturday at Parson’s Elementary School. This is a great way for you and your group to serve together.
SERVICE TIMES
As leaders in our church, I want to remind you that our service times are a bit different for the next two weeks.
This weekend (Dec 14 and 15) | Carols for Advent| 5 pm on Saturday, 8:15, 9:30, and 10:45 on Sunday.
Christmas Services (Dec. 21, 22 and 24) – all services are identical.
5 PM on Dec 21
9 and 10:30 AM on Dec 22
3:30, 5 and 10 PM on Dec 24
KICKING OFF YOUR GROUP AGAIN IN 2020
The new year is right around the corner. As you plan to kick your group off again I would love to help you find a study that will work well for you. Please let me know if you have any questions. In the meantime, I would encourage you to check out Rightnow Media and begin thinking about what study your group will do next. Here is a link for RightNow Media: https://www.rightnowmedia.org/Library
First of all, Happy Thanksgiving! Secondly, welcome to the final week of the Off the Shelf study. Thank you so much for joining us during this series.
OFF THE SHELF – WEEK 13
Below is the small group guide for week 13 of the Off the Shelf series. Please feel free to download the guide and share it digitally with your group members. There will also be paper copies available at the Welcome Center if you would prefer to pick them up there.
For those of you who are doing the weekly reading plan, here is week 13: Week 13 OTS Reading Plan. This plan will be emailed on Monday morning to those who subscribed to the “Off the Shelf” email. Please share this link with anyone in your group who is not signed up: https://www.firstdecatur.org/offtheshelf/
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Thank you and HAPPY THANKSGIVING,
Below is the small group guide for week 3 of the At the Movies series. Please feel free to download the guide and share it digitally with your group members. There will also be paper copies available at the Welcome Center if you would prefer to pick them up there.
