Posted on

5-30-21 Sermon Videos & Discussion Guides & Discipleship Announcements

Sermon Discussion Guide-

5-30-21-sermon-discussion-guide-Exodus-4-1-17-Please-send-someone-elseDownload

Sermon Video- Please Send Someone Else, Pastor Temple

Sermon Video- Please Send Someone Else, Pastor Johnson

Discipleship Announcements-

1- Interested in being in an online or in person Christ Church Summer Small Group with the N.T. Wright Online study “Simply Jesus?” Please register by June 1, so that small groups can be set up to begin the week of Sunday June 6th in various times and locations. For more information see – https://christchurchsl.org/event/ntwright/

2- Sunday Night Pastor’s Study begins this Sunday, 5-7pm in the sanctuary with Pastor Temple and the new Jesus film series called “The Chosen.” No registration necessary. Children’s and youth programming also available at the same time on site, so join us on Sunday nights this summer and bring the whole family! For more information see- https://christchurchsl.org/event/summer-sunday-night-studies-the-chosen/

Posted on

5-23-21 Sermon Videos & Discussion Guide & Discipleship Announcements

Sermon Discussion Guide-

5-23-21-sermon-discussion-guide-Exodus-3-1-15-the-name-and-the-flameDownload

Sermon video by Pastor Temple, The Name and the Flame

Sermon Video by Pastor Michelle, The Name and the Flame

Discipleship Announcements:

1- The registration deadline to get in a new Christ Church online or in-person small group doing the N.T. Wright online course “Simply Jesus” is June 1st. Individuals or existing groups can register to be together. For more information see https://christchurchsl.org/event/ntwright/. Teaching videos by N.T. Wright are 15-20 minutes in length and the optional reading of the companion book Simply Jesus is not required for class discussion. Contact Dan at 281-690-4776 or dan@christchurchsl.org to help get connected!

2- Pastor’s study “The Chosen” begins June 6th in the sanctuary on Sunday nights from 5-7pm with Pastor Temple and episodes of the popular Jesus films from season 1. Teaching and discussion follow from the one hour viewings. Children’s and youth’s meal and programming are also provided from 5-7pm. Registration is only necessary for the children’s programs. See https://christchurchsl.org/event/summer-sunday-night-studies-the-chosen/ for more information.

3- You can join us for worship in person or online Sunday at 8:30am (masks required) or for either of the traditional or contemporary 10:30am services (masks optional) this Memorial Day weekend. Our next message in the sermon series The Great Escape is “Please Send Someone Else” from Exodus 4:1-17.

Posted on

5-16-21 Sermon Discussion Guide, Videos & Discipleship News

Discussion Guide-

5-16-21-sermon-discussion-guide-Exodus-2-11-25-who-made-you-kingDownload

Sermon Videos-

Adult Discipleship News-

1- Pastor’s Summer Sunday Night study “The Chosen” starts June 6th, 5-7pm in the sanctuary! No registration necessary, more information available at https://christchurchsl.org/event/summer-sunday-night-studies-the-chosen/. Childcare and programs for children and youth offered on Sundays at 5pm as well, so come on out and bring the whole family!

2- Simply Jesus N.T. Wright Online Course at Christ Church also begins in June. Existing Bible Study groups, Home Groups, Small Groups or Sunday School Classes wishing to do the study together are encouraged to register now. Individuals can also sign up to be placed in new small groups – online only or hybrid in-person and online. Hybrid meeting spaces available at church, schedule permitting. Registration and more information is available at the following link- https://christchurchsl.org/event/ntwright/?event_date=2021-06-06. Please register by June 1.

Posted on

5-9-21 Sermon Discussion Guide & Sermon Videos

Sermon Discussion Guide-

5-9-21-sermon-discussion-guide-Exodus-2-1-10-Out-of-the-BullrushesDownload

Sermon Video- Pastor Temple

Sermon Video- Pastor Conway

New Summer Discipleship Opportunities at Christ Church:

Pastor’s Study “The Chosen,” Sundays 5-7pm, starts June 6th in the Sanctuary.  The Chosen is a thought-provoking eight-week video dramatization of the remarkable ministry of Jesus and those who were called to “come and see.”  Interweaving scripture with original creative dialogue, each of the eight episodes we will view from Season One will give us a possible backstory that is consistent with the witness and character of Jesus.  Episodes are roughly 45-60 minutes and will be followed by a teaching and discussion led by Pastor Temple.  Child care and programs for both children and youth will be offered at the same time, so make it a family affair and join us.  No registration is required and you can check out the video trailer for the film series at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1-FoFj8Jbo. 

What is your group studying next this summer?  The NT Wright Online Course- “Simply Jesus” begins the week of Sunday June 6th at Christ Church, in-person and online, at various times during the week. Your group can do this free church-wide resource!  NT Wright is a renowned Bible scholar, church historian, prolific writer and Bishop of Durham in the Church of England.  This overview of the person of Jesus and the historical settings in which he taught and lived will add meaning to the gospels for participants as they discuss within their groups these insights and applications for everyday life.  The flow of a typical weekly meeting (online or in person) includes
An opening discussion question
The main scripture of the session read on video by NT Wright or by a group member
A teaching session video by NT Wright (15-20 minutes)
A discussion of session questions for the remainder of the meeting time.

No prior videos or readings are required to participate in the small group meetings.  However, the book “Simply Jesus” published in 2018, complements and supplements the videos shown during the meetings and is helpful for those who wish “to go deeper.” A description of this course is available in this brief 2 minute video- https://vimeo.com/157453415.  Each participant will have a free account and life-time access to the videos and discussion questions on the udemy.com online learning platform for all 15 sessions.  For the small group to actually meet online, another meeting platform such as zoom or others the group leader is familiar with will be needed.  On zoom, the “share screen” feature can make the video available to the small group during the online meeting call. Please email me or call me at 281-690-4776 by this weekend or next if you are willing to be a Simply Jesus leader with your Small Group, Home Group, Sunday School Class, Bible Study group or with a newly formed Small Group this summer.

Your Co-Worker in Christ,
Dan Conway
Pastor of Discipleship & Outreach
Christ Church

Posted on

1-12-21 Discipleship Announcements

Dear Discipleship Group Leaders of Christ Church,

     Thank you for your ongoing connection with the discipleship ministries of Christ Church as a leader or teacher in this challenging season we have been in.  Some of our Sunday school classes, Bible studies and small groups have continued through these times with online meetings or in-person gatherings under special conditions when and where it seemed safe to do so.  Others of you have primarily stayed in touch through occasional group emails or phone calls with your group members. In this new year, I wanted to touch base with you all to offer what support I can to you and your group are at this point. 

     Attached is a one page summary of the regular groups and classes that I know of that have been meeting regularly recently, either in person or online or in a hybrid model of both. 

Adult-Discipleship-in-2021Download

Please give it a look over and let me know if there are corrections to be made for your group listing, or if you would like your group added to the list of current groups meeting and receiving new participants. The kind of encouragement and Christian support you all are offering regularly in your groups is truly a gift and strength that we would like to share with others in the church as we can. 

     If I can be of help in curriculum selection, technological support for online meetings or help in finding a room to meet in at church, either occasionally or regularly, please let me know.   Also, if you would like to reserve a room at church for a meeting, please contact Kim Ripley at kimr@christchurchsl.org or 281-690-4777.

Other Discipleship Announcements:

  • The Faithful sermon series and stewardship campaign– letters and 2021 estimate of giving in cards were recently mailed out to the membership.  Please prayerfully consider how God is calling you to financially support the ministries of Christ Church in this new year.   Jan 24 is commitment Sunday for submitting cards in worship or online. 
  • Christ Church Annual Church Conference with the District Superintendent- online only, Sunday January 31, 5pm. Zoom link to be available on the church website.  2021 church budget and lay leadership to be approved.  The attached list of regular meeting adult discipleship groups also to be included in the Annual Church Leadership group typically distributed at this annual meeting, please get updates/corrections in this week if possible.
  • Sermon-based curriculum for small groups will be on hold until after Easter.  I will be on sabbatical leave in February to work on completing the Doctorate of Ministry thesis project that is on sermon-based small groups.  Thank you all for your past help with my research in this area!
  • Plans for a special church Lenten study are underway, more info on that soon. 
  • Ash Wednesday services will take place on Feb 17th with special considerations, and possibly a Shrove Tuesday meal as well on Tuesday Feb 16th
  • See the church youtube channel link for a convenient place to click on videos of complete Christ Church worship services, separated sermon videos, pastor’s mid-week video devotionals, and the Sound Bytes music devotionals as well-  https://www.youtube.com/user/christumcsugarland. 
  • Also Pastor Michelle leads Wednesday noon prayer each week on Facebook Live at the church Facebook page- https://www.facebook.com/christchurchsl.

        Keep pressing on in the faith friends!  God is faithful and is with us in our struggles.  “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.”  Philippians 3:12.

May the Peace and Grace of Jesus Christ be Yours,
Dan Conway
Pastor of Discipleship & Outreach
Christ Church 

Posted on

11-15-20 Sermon Discussion Guide & Leader Tips

Dear Discipleship Leaders of Christ Church,

     The Reflection & Discussion Guide for the messages from Sunday, “The Weight of Worry,” is attached. 

11-15-20-the-weight-of-worryDownload

This was the first Sunday since March of having more than one service and sermon, one in Covenant Hall at 10:30am and the other in the sanctuary at 10:30am.  If you were livestreaming the services on Sunday, you may have noticed a slight change in the screen layout to accommodate both places- see tabs near the top of the screen “Traditional Service” and “Contemporary Service.”  As before, both sermons are available for viewing at www.christchurchsl.org/sermons or at the church youtube channel- https://www.youtube.com/user/christumcsugarland/videos.  

  FYI-  The youtube channel and the church facebook page- https://www.facebook.com/christchurchsl, also are access points for several other weekly discipleship resources.  There you may find the Tuesday Pastor’s Devotional, Wednesday noon online prayer, Thursday Soundbytes music & devotional, the Jubilee class lesson by Jan and the Tuesday night Israel study by Pastor Temple (concluding soon).  Keep growing friends and may God bless you in your steps of faith toward worrying less!

Your Co-worker in Christ,
Dan Conway
Pastor of Discipleship & Outreach
Christ Church