GRACE Group Leaders

Building followers of Jesus Christ…

3/6/08

Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. Hebrews 10:24 NLT

GRACE – Relationships - Actively engaging in community with other believers where we learn to love each other, pray for each other, care for each other, be there for each other, and together seek God’s will for our lives. We believe this happens best in the context of a small group of people who are meeting often and are learning to do life together.

Spring ’08 Small Group Leaders Gathering

March 31^st – Monday Night – 6:30 – 9:00pm

This SMALL GROUP LEADERS’ WORKSHOP is for everyone who leads a small group at Grace Community Church. That means GRACE Groups, Men’s Fraternity Groups, Connections, Support Groups, D-Teams, Spotlights, Serving Groups… You get the picture right?? We will spend the evening discussing how we make sure that life changing moments are happening in our groups. We will hear from some teachers including Mark Norman. You will have an opportunity to interact with other leaders in order to learn from each other. What is the toughest part of leading a group for you? Bring that with you and you might just find the very answer you are looking for. Don’t miss this night. Do whatever you need to make space to become a better leader for your group. Bring someone (or everyone) from your group and invest in their future leadership and your relationship with them. Go now; write this date on the calendar, in your Palm, BlackBerry, Outlook, iPhone… It will happen right here at Grace and start with a time of fellowship with other leaders. I’ll see you there!! Right??

Help us plan this night by registering to come. Email us at info@gracegroups.net and tell us that you will be there and how many others you might bring. If there is any reason you cannot come, drop me an email and let me know that as well.

New in the Small Groups Library

A Church of G.R.A.C.E. – 5 Session DVD Study from Mark Norman

It is our first very own video small groups study produced right here at Grace Community Church. You can have Mark Norman teaching your group in your very own living room. The feedback from groups who have already done this study has been fantastic. I encourage you to take your group through this study sometime very soon. DVD’s are available for loan in the Small Groups Office. Participant’s guides are also available in the office for $5.00.

At Grace Community Church we believe there are five areas of spiritual development that every follower of Jesus Christ should be pursuing in their lives. They have become the core values for our church. We have wrapped these around our name and determined that together we are becoming “A Church of G.R.A.C.E.”

In our small groups we encourage and even challenge each other to continue growing in each of these five areas, careful not to neglect any one of them.

Every weekend message, every class, every small group is designed to help us grow in one of these five areas of our spiritual lives.

Senior Pastor Mark Norman introduces these five truths in this DVD small group study. Using your discussion guides and this video study, your group will examine one area each week, exploring how it applies to our own personal lives.

Group Leader Essential #2

GRACE Group leaders are charged with an incredible responsibility. Because they are involved in the day-to-day lives of their group members, they have tremendous influence on the spiritual lives of the people in their groups. With this in mind, we encourage them to prioritize their own relationship with God. From there, we ask them to focus on six key aspects of group leadership - six essentials that are critical to the success of their groups.

Cultivate Relationships
This essential focuses on how we build a sense of community in our groups. Relationships are like bank accounts: They don't just happen. They require regular intentional deposits. Starting early to build the relational capital of the group is one of the most important steps we can take. Planning an activity like an overnight in the first six months of a group's run is a terrific way to set the stage. Then we must make ongoing deposits to continually cultivate relationship among the group members. Planned deposits bring greater relational satisfaction to a group's balance sheet.

‘A Place for Me’ Needs You

Our special needs ministry, “A Place for You” is always looking for new volunteers to work one-on-one with a child or young adult. This powerful ministry allows their families to attend services at Grace knowing that someone is loving and caring for their kids while they worship. If you have a heart and love for people and could serve even occasionally, they will teach you everything you need to know. Talk about it in your group this week and see if someone might want to help us make sure that at Grace we have a place for everyone. For more information contact Michelle Bowers at shellbowers@gmail.com or 410-531-8911.

Compassion for the World

As many of you know, through our close relationship with the Howard County Schools, we have been trying to help out quite a few Burmese families that have been displaced to our area by the ongoing crisis in their home country. There are some specific needs that your group might be able to help meet.

First there is a need for furniture. They need beds, sofas, table and chairs, bureaus, etc. There is also a need for computers and televisions.

Secondly they need assistance in the area of transportation. They need folks who could simply take some time and teach them about our public transportation system. Specifically, they need people to take them on the public transportation (bus) to show them where the bus travels and how to get from one general stop in Laurel (Howard County side) to Columbia. Reading a map isn't possible yet for these folks, so learning by doing is the only way. This will go a long way in helping them get to work, doctors etc. If your group or anyone in your group wants to make a real impact in someone’s life, here is a great opportunity. To give, to help, or for just more information contact Sandy Jaworski at 301-854-3207 or Jessica Li at 410-558-3177.

Thanks for all you do!

Information, questions, comments.

michael@gracegroups.net

www.gracegroups.net

240-553-1090 ext. 111

Please feel free to share this newsletter with the members of your G.R.A.C.E. Group.

Grace Community Church, 8200 Old Columbia Road, Fulton, MD 20759, 240-553-1090