Good Friday Morning to You All!
I wanted to update you on some things that are brewing in the area of Small Groups at TSCC:
· While I was at the Catalyst Conference earlier this month, I was able to talk w/ a representative from Serendipity House publishing, the folks who put out the Serendipity Bible. They will be sending me catalogs of their small group resources that I want to put into your hands, as I think their material is well done. Also, in the meantime, I want to encourage you to visit their website at http://serendipityhouse.com/default.aspx . If you browse around and find any studies that look interesting to you, you can download sample lessons to kind of “test drive” the material before you commit to purchasing something. If you need help downloading, please let me know!
· I have also asked Serendipity about bulk rates on their Serendipity Bible – I would like to be able to give each SG leader a copy of this outstanding resource. I’ll keep you posted.
· Collection for the Hill family: The date we set for turning in money is this Sunday, 10/29. I’ve found out that some group leaders didn’t get my email, and I think I’ve got everyone’s email in my list now. So, here is a re-print of what was sent earlier this month.
I wanted to update you on the Hill Family, and how we can respond from a small group standpoint. If you’ll remember, Max agreed to tackle the Hill’s with his group, as far as brainstorming how to help. Here is an email from Max:
The Hills:
My small group settled on this suggestion; and the more we tossed it around it seemed to have merit.
Work through the small groups (via leaders) to assist the Hills. The vehicle would be gift cards from Wal-Mart. This would do at least two things:
1) It would prevent the giving of products that the family does not use, and/or giving too much of one product.
2) The variety of products Wal-Mart stocks can include more than food. as, clothing, household items, etc,etc. They could have the means to meet some of their own felt needs... the freedom to make choices.
3) The family's needs would not be called to attention publicly. Eliminating some feelings that can be associated with receiving gifts.
We thought you were in position to email all the group leaders if this plan is acceptable. Each group family could possibly contribute to the overall amount. Each group could give you or someone else the money.... or the leader, or group could purchase the gift card and make sure it got to the family.... I will leave that to your disgression.
Our group wants to do this... and will help this family regardless. We just thought the amount would be more significant if all groups participated....a unifying factor.
So, how about if each small group raises money (in whatever amount you feel led, however you feel led to raise the money), and brings it to me by October 29 (Sunday) at TSCC. We’ll total it up, and get a nice Wal-Mart gift card, where they’ll be able to buy food, household goods, clothing, etc. Sound cool?
Okay – because not every group got our discussion on how to help the Hills, I will now collect money on 10/29 AND 11/5. And the suggestion was made to possibly split the money between Lowe’s and Wal Mart. I’m okay with that too. After 11/5, I will total all the money and get the cards bought, and then we can get them to the Hills. Max – would you be willing to deliver the cards on behalf of Jesus and His Small Groups at TSCC?
· Mark McCoy is still looking for your help in gathering info for the SG bulletin board – be sure and grab Mark this Sunday and he’ll tell you what he needs!
· I will let you know soon about a training session in November, likely during second service (as before).
· I have put a small group roster together, of all of the groups and the folks who are in the groups; if you’d like to have one of these rosters, please let me know.
· It is my hope that, in addition to other times of meeting/communicating, I will send you a monthly update on what is happening in our SG ministry – this email is your update for October. As a part of the monthly update, I want to provide you with a web link, article, etc. of something that spoke to me about Jesus and Small Groups. For October, here are some tips on leading a discussion, taken from the Creative Community blog:
Leading a Discussion
from discipleship journal, here are some helpful hints for leading discussion.
1. Wait out the silence. After you ask a question, don't rush to rephrase or answer it. Allow group members time to think.
2. Watch faces. If you see the wheels turning, invite members to think aloud: "Mike, did you have a thought you'd like to share?"
3. Ask follow-up questions. This draws the speaker out and helps everyone think about the subject more thoroughly. You might ask,
- "What do you mean by that?"
- "In what way?"
- "Why do you think that is?"
4. Know when to contribute. You don't need to do what your group members have already done. If a member has offered a gentle, appropriate correction to a wrong answer, it's not necessary to add to it. If the group has covered a question well and your answer is the same, go to the next question. However, if you have a different answer to offer, do so respectfully. "I thought of it from a different angle" and, "We really see this differently, don't we?" are good ways to introduce your idea.
5. Consult the group. When a member asks you a question, let the group add its input first. Someone else may have an excellent response. You can summarize with your answer afterward if it would help.
6. Monitor tangents. Decide if a tangent fits the purpose of the group. Allow those that are beneficial, but refocus a discussion that's gone too far off subject or degenerated into meaningless chatter. Sometimes a knowing smile and a "Getting back to question seven..." are sufficient. If your group wants to address a tangential issue in more detail, consider scheduling a separate meeting to examine it.
(David's Note: Sometime it is okay to abandon the planned discussion in favor of something which comes up as a tangent. As the leader, it is your responsibility to guide the group, not push and pull it. If your sense is that the group is significantly engaged, and truly sharing, on the tangent; it might not be wise to ruin that moment)
7. Affirm member's input without condescending. Don't over-comment. Correct their responses gently when necessary.
8. Encourage quieter members. Some members are more reluctant to share than others. Consider gentle invitations: "Jan, we'd love to hear from you. Do you have any thoughts on the subject?"
That’s it for now – thank you for all you do to help make disciples, as Jesus taught. May we be known as a people of God who believe that Life is Better Together!