Real Stories and Experiences from Group Members
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What does your small group mean to you?
Our small group means everything to us! We don't have family here like our other group members do so we consider everyone in our group extended family. We always have a wonderful time together and look forward to every time we get together! We also try to do something outside of the study. The first year we went camping together. We had a blast and it was a great way for us to get to know each other better.
It is some extra “glue” to keep us all together. Concordia is a big place made up of many small groups. Our small group is a place to share our lives with one another.
Friendship. The opportunity to participate in a disciplined study of God’s Word.
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What is a blessing of participating in a small group?
Sharing and learning together.
Hearing how the Holy Spirit is leading others in their walk.
As new members, we love getting to know families in/through the small group Bible Study and fellowship time. Our small group gives us an intimate family with in the larger church family.
Being able to always count on our members if we ever need them. It is a blessing to spend time with each other and spend time discussing the studies. We celebrate birthdays together; remember each other at each holiday…just recently we celebrated our precious daughter’s baptism together. Our group members are all such huge blessings to us! We love them very much!
It is a real blessing to meet together with Christian friends with the added benefit of studying/discussing the Word.
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What would you say to someone who is a bit reluctant in participating in a small group?
Don't be reluctant; it is a win win situation!! You won't regret it!
We were reluctant to attend our first group over four years ago. We were anxious about who we would meet. Three of the couples we met that very first night are now some of our nearest and dearest friends. We study together, pray together, and have even traveled together.
Just try it. You can set a great example for your kids.
Give it a try, you have nothing to lose. It's a wonderful way to get involved with people. Plus, someone may learn a lot from you or vice versa. It's priceless and the blessings are too numerous to count!
Make time – coming does not mean you have to participate right away; you can sit and listen without the pressure of having to pray out loud or read from the Bible.
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What would you say to someone on the fence about hosting their own group?
Remember you are just the facilitator; you don't have to know everything. The whole group participates! We also share with the hosting responsibilities. We have each meeting at different member’s homes. We still facilitate the meeting but we all share the different responsibilities of dinner and drinks. We mostly do potluck. We figure out the main course and then everyone else decides what to bring from there. We always have great food at our meetings!! Which is good because we all love to eat!
It is easy. You don’t need to “overdo” it. Just welcome people and love them.
Pray to God and ask Him what He wants you to do. The leadership role can be rotated among the group members and the DVD/materials make facilitating the study a breeze.
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What is a highlight from your time together as a group?
Our group really enjoys reading the Bible verses that correspond to the sessions. It's wonderful to listen to the excitement over each new expression of God's love and power. Getting together with our small group is a highlight to my week! I love talking with other Christians about our faith, our beliefs, our hopes and our prayers. It's very rewarding to know that I can request prayers from these very special people.
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What is most rewarding for you as a host?
We were reluctant at first to be a Host but after a few meetings we felt that we wanted to have our group to our home, and also lead the discussion. I really enjoy the fellowship that we have experienced with our small group and we have made some very close friends. We meet twice monthly at homes for an evening of Bible discussion followed by an hour or so of friendly discussion with coffee and a snack. The blessing that we receive through being able to share and discuss problems has also brought us closer in friendship.
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What has your group done together other than meet for Bible study? Have you served somewhere together? Have you done something fun together?
Our group is actually planning a trip to Las Vegas together. There were several individuals in the group that have never been, so we thought the best people to go with is our small group.
Between meetings we frequently e-mail and ask for prayers within our group for any problems that arise. We also meet for what we call Social Functions. Last summer that included an afternoon canoe trip down the Guadalupe River. We have also spent an afternoon at the German Festival in Anholt and an evening at a new German Restaurant in New Braunfels.
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