God gave the church pastors “to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11-12). Pastors and the work they do are necessary. But they’re not the only means of grace God has given the church. The New Testament portrait of the Christian life is an active faith in Christ, lived out personally and corporately for the glory of God. As Christians, we need one another; whatever your God-given role in the church may be, no one can say “I have no need” of fellow Christians (1 Corinthians 12:21).
As fall approaches, would you prayerfully consider joining a small group? Perhaps think about these benefits. Beginning in September, we’ll have four groups available. Keep reading for descriptions and video promos.
Esther: It’s Tough Being a Woman
Join Beth Moore in a very personal examination of the Old Testament story of Esther as she peels back the layers of history and shows how very contemporary and applicable the story is to our lives today. If you’ve ever felt inadequate, threatened, or pushed into situations that seemed overpowering, this is the Bible study for you. Just as it was tough being a woman in Esther’s day, it’s tough today. This portion of God’s Word contains treasures to aid us in our hurried, harried, and pressured lives.
This DVD-based series consists of an hour of video and a half hour of discussion each week. The group will meet at the church from 7:00 to 8:30 PM on Tuesdays from September 13–November 15. Contact: Angela Macdonald.
Getting to the Heart of Parenting
Parenting is more than using your power to get children to behave in certain ways. Parenting is all about the exposure and change of the child’s heart. When the heart of a child changes the behavioral change that is needed will last. This is a great conference for parents raising children from age toddler through teen.
Learn how to be an instrument of heart changing grace in the little moments of life that God will give you with your children. Paul Tripp will begin with giving you a picture for God’s design for the family. Because if you don’t understand the family; you will never understand parenting. Then, Paul will help you to understand the life transforming and agenda setting things that the Bible says about the heart. Then, he will apply the principles about the family and the heart to the three primary stages of parenting.
In each stage Paul will give you the key issue of focus and practical steps for achieving what is important, at that particular stage of the child’s growth and spiritual development. Paul will also help you to identify those places where you are in the way of what God is calling you to do rather than being part of it by helping you to locate your own heart issues. DVD-based curriculum.
This group will meet at the church on a weekday and time TBD by the group members and will run for 10 weeks, beginning the week of September 12. Contact: Matthew Turner.
The Blazing Center
God is the blazing sun at the center of reality. Everything revolves around him. And as the most valuable and glorious person that exists, God is loving, not conceited, when he calls us to worship him, because he’s offering us the one thing that will make us the most happy: himself. God’s pursuit of glory and our pursuit of joy are not at odds. Because God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.
In these 30-minute sessions, John Piper explains from the Bible:
- Why God is so passionate about his glory
- Why our happiness depends on God’s pursuit of his glory
- That God actually commands us to pursue our happiness
- That sin is when we abandon God and pursue our happiness in lesser things
- How our love for God is revealed by our delight in him, not our labors for him
- How joy in God overflows in love to meet the needs of others
- How only joy in God can sustain us in times of profound suffering
This group will meet Monday nights, from 7:00 to 8:30 PM and run 10 weeks, from September 12 to November 14. Contact: Pastor Dylan.
What is a Healthy Church Member
God intends for us to play an active and vital part in the body of Christ, the local church. He wants us to experience the local church as a home more profoundly wonderful and meaningful than any other place on earth. He intends for his churches to be healthy places and for the members of those churches to be healthy as well. This book explains how membership in the local church can produce spiritual growth in its members and how each member can contribute to the growth and health of the whole.
A Healthy Church Member is:
- An Expositional Listener
- A Biblical Theologian
- Gospel Saturated
- Genuinely Converted
- A Biblical Evangelist
- A Committed Member
- A Seeker of Discipline
- A Growing Disciple
- A Humble Follower
- A Prayer Warrior
This small 5″ x 7″, 115 page book is written for the average man or woman in the pew. Feel free to read a review of the book. This group will meet at the church on a weekday and time TBD by the group members and will run for 10 weeks, beginning the week of September 12. Contact: Pastor Dylan.