Summer

Hey group leaders-

May represents 19 months with my Life Group. We started way back in the day, when our groups were called "Gel Groups". Those were the days. 

I am excited for a few reasons about where my group is. This week, 10 of us will be going to Haiti to love on our beloved kids at the Haitian Children's Home. We will be doing a VBS with area kids that don't have a lot of access to school or love or the good news of the Kingdom at all. We will also be working on constructing a building that will allow very rural kids with little or no access to education or church to have a place to meet. It so amazes me how life-changing a building can be.

I tell you this for a couple reasons.

One, I covet your prayers for our group while we are there. We leave Wednesday morning and will be back late Sunday night. Pray for our safety, our energy, our unity and our effectiveness. And then, anything else you think of. You can follow the progress of our trip at http://haiti2008.blogspot.com/.

Two, as your group moves toward its goals, such as mission trips, serving and generally growing in faith, you have to account and plan for the Summer well. I know many groups are full of people with pretty crazy schedules. Summer can be a difficult time for consistency within the group. But I want to challenge you not to default to the "Summer Break" mentality. As we strive to make our groups more about friends doing faith and life together, and less about classrooms- we have to remain intentional throughout the summer to create an environment and a momentum that leaves room for God to work. If we "take the summer off", we are potentially creating a huge void in our journey. For some, we are shutting down the momentum of trust and vulnerability. If we just stop, we are also not serving others and growing in the study of the scriptures in the way that can only happen in the context of the group. If our Life Groups are classrooms, then breaking for a couple months makes perfect sense. "My life group is tracked out right now, how about yours?" "Oh, mine is traditional...". But, if our Life Groups are groups of friends wrestling with taking part in Jesus' Kingdom- then not meeting for an extended period is generally the opposite of what we're shooting for. Where and what you want your people to be in February 2009 will have much to do with the plan for these Summer months that you lead them through!

Undoubtedly, the schedule will look differently. So, the question is how you will be strategic with it in creating a realistic and challenging plan that allows for God to still do what He does in group life? How can you make sure that people are still together consistently, praying and encouraging and chewing on the scriptures together, serving or planning to, laughing together, eating together, living in rhythm and celebrating and doubting...together? Jenny and I discussed this, and here are some of the ideas she had:

Plan dinners with themed cuisine nights, take a picnic to the park, take a walk around the lake together, go to the NC State Arboretum or Duke Gardens, go to a Durham Bulls game- and when was the last time you went bowling? 

Plan to serve at the DRM once a month during the summer. Contact Pam McKerring, our new Pastor of Mobilization, for more information on opportunities. Take a Sunday(s) and serve in Kidspointe 3rd hour and go to lunch together!
Pray more—use prayer partners through the summer to keep group members connected to one another; utilize a prayer list through the summer gathering requests via email (maybe a group member would own this);
Give your host a break and rotate this responsibility, share leadership with that potential leader in your group and let them facilitate the meeting that is happening when you are on vacation! Use the Crosspointe message Curriculum for an easy way to promote discussion based on the messages. This is one curriculum that group members can go online and listen to if they miss and get caught right back up.

Save the Date—make a calendar for the summer with all of the planned meetings, socials and service projects so everyone knows what, when and where group life is happening!

As always- be creative. Be intentional.

I look forward to seeing what God does this Summer in all our groups, in our community as a whole, and in the little group of Jesus-followers that I have had the awesome privilege of journeying with for the last 19 months. 

Steve