Month: November 2018

Dear Small Group Leaders of Christ Church,

Happy Thanksgiving week!  With the holiday in the later part of the week, and the InterFaith Thanksgiving Service on Monday night, many of you are not meeting this week.  But for those of you who are meeting, the sermon-based discussion guide for Sundays message “Coming Home” is below.

11-18-18 Sermon Discussion Guide- Coming Home

Leader Tips:

#1  As we have come to the end of the “Fall Semester” of our small groups, this will be the last sermon based discussion guide until the “Winter Semester” starts back up again in mid-January.    Of course, if your group members are not so busy in the Christmas season that they would like to continue meeting weekly until Christmas week, you are free to do so.  One such group is choosing to begin an advent study next week!  If you would like to follow in this direction, let me know and I can help you find a short term study as well.  For other groups, a Christmas fellowship meal in early December seems a fitting conclusion for the season and one which best suits the group schedule-wise.

#2    No Discipleship Leader’s Breakfast this week because of Thanksgiving week.  Look to Tuesday November 27^th for the next one.

#3    Don’t forget to read up in your “Sticky Church” book for the end of the semester small group meeting that will be either Monday December 3^rd or Wednesday December 5^th. 

#4    Upcoming Events:

• The annual church conference with our district superintendent is Sunday November 18^th at 6pm. We will be approving the budget for 2019 and the slate of nominations for leadership in 2019 as well as receiving various ministry reports about the past year and the one to come.  It is an open meeting, all are welcome.
• The Interfaith Thanksgiving service is Monday, November 19^th at 7pm at St. Angela Merici Catholic Church in Sienna Plantation with our own Dr. C. Chappell Temple delivering the message!
• Decorate the church day- Sunday November 25^th at 3pm.  All are welcome to come help put up the Christmas trees and wreathes and other decorations in the sanctuary and Gathering Hall.
• Want to grow and branch out into prayer practices of various kinds?  On Saturday, December 1, from 8:30am-noon, Pastor Michelle and guest clergy persons will be leading various breakout sessions on how we can prayerfully connect with God in traditional and various creative ways.  Children and families are welcome too!  Register online at www.christchurchsl.org/prayergift.
• Advent Programs- lots of great special events coming up starting on Sunday December 2^nd with the 6pm Lessons & Carols service.  See bulletin today orwww.christchurchsl.org/advent for more information.

 

Even though the Small Groups fall semester is ending, I am planning to continue staying connected with you all through email in the weeks ahead.  So please continue checking your email for discipleship ministry announcements!    I am thankful for the ways that you all are growing closer to Christ and to one another. Thank you all for your service in another great semester of sharing Christian faith together in community at Christ Church.

Happy Thanksgiving to All!

Dan Conway

Pastor of Discipleship & Outreach

Christ Church

Dear Small Group Leaders of Christ Church,

Today, we had special guest Dr. Paul Wright of Jerusalem University College share the morning message “Why the Twelve?” based on Mark 3:13-19.  Please send a friendly email to your group members this week reminding them of your upcoming meeting plans and being sure to attach the discussion guide and include the link to the sermon videos online- www.christchurchsl.org/sermons.  Below are Leader Tips about this week and the end this fall semester of Small Groups at Christ Church.

11-11-18 Sermon Discussion Guide- Why the 12

Leader Tips:

#1   If you have people in your group who are new to the sermon-based small group experience and filled out an anonymous survey form at the beginning of the semester, I need to connect with you for a follow up anonymous survey as well which is a little different.  I will be communicating in a separate email directly to those who this applies to with the survey.  Thanks for working with me this semester on this important data for my Doctoral studies program!

#2   Discipleship Leader’s breakfast is Tuesday at 8am.  I’ll be sharing about how to read scripture carefully and to make use of study resources for researching questions about Biblical texts.  All leaders in discipleship ministries are welcome!  Bring your smart phone and know your app store password if you would like to buy some resource apps!  You may wish to bring an ipad or laptop computer if you have one as well.

#3   Small Group Leader’s End of the semester Gathering- Please reply with your availability for a Small Group leader’s meeting on either Monday December 3^rd 7-8:30pm OR Wednesday December 5^th 7-8:30pm.  This will be a time of gaining feedback about the fall semester, reviewing portions of the book “Sticky Church” about sermon-based small groups and planning for the Winter/Spring semesters.  Note: this particular meeting is just for small group leaders using the sermon based discussion format.

#4  Upcoming Events:

• Next Sunday’s message– “Coming Home,” based on Jeremiah 29:4-14 on November 18^th.
• The annual church conference with our district superintendent is Sunday November 18^th at 6pm. We will be approving the budget for 2019 and the slate of nominations for leadership in 2019 as well as receiving various ministry reports about the past year and the one to come.  It is an open meeting, all are welcome.
• The Interfaith Thanksgiving service is Monday, November 19^th at 7pm at St. Angela Merici Catholic Church in Sienna Plantation with our own Dr. C. Chappell Temple delivering the message!
• Decorate the church day- Sunday November 25^th at 3pm.  All are welcome to come help put up the Christmas trees and wreathes and other decorations in the sanctuary and Gathering Hall.
• Want to grow and branch out into prayer practices of various kinds?  On Saturday, December 1, from 8:30am-noon, Pastor Michelle and guest clergy persons will be leading various breakout sessions on how we can prayerfully connect with God in traditional and various creative ways.  Children and families are welcome too!  Register online at www.christchurchsl.org/prayergift.
• Advent Programs- lots of great special events coming up starting on Sunday December 2^nd with the 6pm Lessons & Carols service.  See insert from bulletin today, more info coming soon!

 

Thank you all for continuing to support the Discipleship Ministries of Christ Church with your prayers, presence, gifts, service and witness!  I look forward to meeting with you to talk about your small groups this semester!  Please let me know if you are available at either of the dates listed above.

Your Co-laborer In Christ,

Dan Conway

Pastor of Discipleship & Outreach

Christ Church

 

Dear Small Group Leaders of Christ Church,

Today we had a meaningful service of All Saint’s Sunday at Christ Church.  Attached is the discussion guide for the message “Eternity in Their Hearts” based on Ecclesiastes 3:1-14.  Please attach it to a friendly meeting reminder email to your group members and include a link to the online sermon videos in case they missed it- www.christchurchsl.org/sermons.

11-04-18 Sermon Discussion Guide- eternity in our hearts

Leader Tips:

#1   Discussions This Week– The liturgical holiday of All Saint’s Sunday, depending on the person and their recent history of loved ones who may have passed away, can be an emotional experience.  In such cases the emotions can sometimes be hard, sometimes good, and sometimes both.  This could be an occasion in which the vulnerability within the group deepens.  As facilitator you may wish to offer people time and opportunity to open up about their personal feelings and experiences.  Also remember you have the pastors of the church to support you and your group members in the ministry.  If people seem to be going into too much vulnerability for the context, as the leader you may provide a conversational way out in referring to the pastors who would be happy to meet with them for further conversation.

#2   At our Discipleship Leader’s Breakfast this Tuesday at 8am in Jacob’s Well, I will sharing a more in-depth presentation of Kwanglim Methodist, the largest Methodist Church in the World which I visited in Seoul, S. Korea this past summer.  All of you are welcome!

#3  The end of the Fall Semester for Small Groups- As we mentioned at the beginning of the fall, a small group lasts about 10-12 weeks, once in the fall and a couple of times in the winter/spring.  We are soon coming up on the end of the Spring semester (around thanksgiving).  You may wish to discuss with your group soon, when your last meeting will be this fall.  A Christmas fellowship event is a fun extra alternative type of meeting in December if your group would enjoy it!  Please let me know when your last regular meeting will be when you can.  I have a different “post-participation” anonymous survey for the new people to fill out which I would like to give you for that time.

#4  Upcoming Events–  Some of the upcoming events are still the same as listed from last week.  You can read them below and share them with your group as you see fit.

Keep on keeping on Saints of Christ Church!  I’ll be holding your groups and spiritual conversations this week in prayer that God would bless the fellowship with His presence and peace as the eternal things of the heart are shared from one to another.

Blessings!

Dan Conway

Pastor of Discipleship & Outreach

Christ Church