Our Fall 2017 Series: The God Questions

July 20, 2017August 17, 2017 / thecgblog / 1 Comment

God Questions

This fall, we will explore some of the most difficult questions about God. This post contains the details!

About the Series

Have you ever ignored people’s difficult questions about God, telling them that they should not ask those questions, or to just have more faith? Maybe you haven’t. But, sadly, those responses are a major reason people cite for leaving the church. That does not need to be!

The God Questions is our six-week sermon series and small group study designed to address the toughest questions head-on.

These include:

God Questions1

Is God real?
Is the Bible really HIS Word, or just an ancient text?
Is there really only one way to heaven?
If God is so good, why is there so much bad in our world?
Why do evolutionists and creationists disagree so heatedly?
What happens when I die?

We have the confidence to believe God is big and loving enough to answer all of these, and many more that will surface. We will uncover truth, grow our own faith, and be equipped to answer others’ questions. We will do so all together in sermons and in relationship in small groups. Will you join us?

Calendar

Month of August – August is our busy and active month of identifying and equipping new Small Group Leaders. Is God calling you to lead or host a group?

Sunday, August 27 – The God Questions Small Group Leader Connection and Training – In the Upper Gym, during 2nd service, 10:30AM-12:00PM

August 26/27 – Small Group signups begin, via small group catalogs in service, signup display in foyer, or church website)

Saturday, September 9 – LCCC Ministry Summit – An exciting day of equipping for several areas of ministry. 9:00AM-1:00PM. (Includes Apologetics training in preparation for the God Questions, and the Small Group Leader Training makeup session.)

Week of September 10 – Small Groups Kick Off! – The first two weeks are to get to know each other and set group expectations, dates, and goals.
September 16/17 – Introduction to the God Questions

September 23/24 – The God Questions #1

September 30 – LCCC Membership Class, 9:00AM – 12:45PM

September 30/Oct. 1 – The God Questions #2

October 7/8 – The God Questions #3

October 14/15 – The God Questions #4

October 21/22 – The God Questions #5

Oct. 28/29 – The God Questions #6

November – mid-December – The series finishes six weeks before the fall semester ends, allowing leaders to schedule semester-end activities such as outreach and service projects, worship/communion nights, fun nights, planning for next semester, Thanksgiving Dinner, and a finale Christmas Party!

Books and DVDs

God Questions2

Small group leaders can pick up their group’s books and DVD beginning at the God Questions SG Leader Training on Sunday, August 27. Small group members can get their books as they join a group, starting August 26/27. Children’s and youth small groups will do this series, too, adding to the family experience!

How to Join a Group

Beginning on August 26/27, we will pass out the “small group catalogs” in the worship services, have a signup display in the foyer, and update the online “Group Finder” on lc3.com/connect/small-groups.

I am looking forward to all this fall holds for us, and praying for it now!

Pastor Reg

“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.” – 2 Peter 3:18

Planning your Next Small Group Semester: Have You Thought of Everything?

November 19, 2014January 6, 2015 / thecgblog / Leave a comment

Our groups are winding down the Fall, 2014 Semester. Finish well, groups!

This post is to help our small group leaders as you pray and plan for next semester; to be prepared and as proactive as you can be to lead your group well.

Winter/Spring, 2015 Calendar

Click for a printable LCCC Winter/Spring Calendar Template that gives general church information.

How NOT to Start Your Next Semester

There is a common way to start a new small group semester. And then there is a better way.

The Problem: If a group starts their semester right off with the new Bible study curriculum, they will be locked into the “study” mold and mentality, as if that is all you exist to do, no matter what you try to do later.

The Solution: As you (and your Inner Circle) create your calendar, start your semester with some of the other items which often get crowded out:

Start with a meal or fun night. You are a spiritual family, after all. Set the tone to actually enjoy each other!
Start with a worship/prayer night, seeking God’s guidance and setting a worshipful pattern for your year.
Start with a service/outreach project, or series of them, declaring: “We are going to be the hands and feet of Jesus!”
Start with sharing your personal salvation testimonies, to celebrate God’s grace in our lives and get to know each other well.
Start with having the kids involved in worship, so they see Jesus Christ as the center for your group’s existence.
Then, start your curriculum, having become close friends and spiritual siblings; soul mates and teammates. We have 16-20 weeks in the Winter/Spring Semester. No need to rush into a curriculum. There is plenty of time to do it all!

acts

NOW, Choose the Right Curriculum

See our entire small group curriculum library list, here.

Since our foundation is God’s Word, a good curriculum makes an effective tool. Come browse and check out some of our many curriculums. NOTE: Our ever-expanding small group curriculum library will not be on a table in my office for browsing this year (as pictured). This year, we are moving to the church library, where you can access and check out materials more easily (and I don’t have to climb over the table to get to my desk all winter!)

And, don’t forget that you can help us keep building up our curriculum library, with…

“The Lake City Offer”

If you are interested in using a curriculum we do not currently have, I will buy the leader book and DVD (if there is one) for you, if you will return it when finished, to add to our library. Your group members will just buy their own participant guides, if there is one. This offer helps future groups and eliminates any hesitation based on the cost of a study!

Important Training and Kickoff Dates

Here are a few important dates for your calendars:

Training: As always, there is one required January training session, offered twice, for your scheduling convenience:
1. Option 1 – Offered as a workshop at the Church Family Summit, Saturday, January 10, 9:00AM-1:00PM.
2. Option 2 – For those who cannot attend the Church Family Summit, come to the make up session on Sunday, January 18, during 2^nd service (10:50-12:10pm).

Kickoff: Winter/Spring Semester kicks off the week of January 18, after a few weeks of signups. Be prepared to welcome new people, if possible.

NOTES: All Summit workshops and small group training sessions are always open to everyone. Families and discipleship groups are welcome to attend together.

The Winter/Spring Semester runs through early June, so it’s a bit longer than the Fall Semester, leaving you room to do more things and have more transformative experiences.

May God be glorified in our ministry,

Pastor Reg

GO FISH – LCCC’s Fall Series, 2014

July 30, 2014 / thecgblog / Leave a comment

And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” – Matthew 4:19

Go Fish 2 - with text We are excited to announce that our fall series for 2014 will be based on the series, GO FISH, by Andy Stanley. It has great potential, and a backstory that includes the entire LCCC Family.

The Backstory

LCCC has been growing steadily for several years, adding members, small groups, discipling relationships, ministries, and a third worship service which is also now filling up. This growth continually prompts our leadership to pray and make decisions for the future. Our leadership and congregation have agreed, now, to both expand our present facilities and look towards church planting in the next several years. With these major decisions behind us, by God’s calling and through the leadership of Pastor Jim and other church leaders, LCCC’s focus returns this fall to Jesus’ Great Commission for His church to go and make new disciples in the world where He has planted us. Our church is surrounded by people in our community, and we in our personal lives, who do not yet know Jesus’ love and righteousness. That needs to change. They need to be told. The mission of the church is to reach them; to be “fishers of people.” We are setting out to do that; to GO FISH, this fall at LCCC!

Here are the details:

The Plan

As always, fall is LCCC’s season of unity and momentum, when every small group, ministry, and every sermon shares a united focus.

We will follow the same basic plan as in our previous fall series (such as Forgotten God, Heroes, and Why Am I Here?). Small groups, Family, Children, and Youth Ministries will design their fall ministries to coincide with the emphasis. It is always a great time of unity and momentum.

The Resource

Our team of researchers, Chuck Mathews, Pastor Jim, and my wife and I, reviewed eight highly acclaimed church resources for evangelism, seeking the best fit for our church this season. From these excellent possibilities, we chose Andy Stanley’s GO FISH. It comes with a six-session DVD and participant’s guide.

Here is the assessment I wrote to the team regarding this resource:

We (Sarah and I) really enjoyed reviewing GO FISH. In fact, Andy Stanley’s message in the first video penetrated me personally, and I have thought about it often over the last couple days. He is a great communicator, and his team did a great job abbreviating his messages for small group use. We read every word of the workbook, and even filled out several of the discussion pages together. It was a rich experience. Again, it is perfectly laid out for our small groups’ use – in simplicity, form, function, number of weeks, coherence with our philosophy, and impact. As we noticed before, the only apparent weakness is lack of in-depth Bible study. But, his teaching is biblically authoritative. And, of course, our sermons will provide biblical depth. I believe the resource’s simplicity will actually prove a strength by making the study usable by everyone, and allowing us to add our own relevant supplements to the groups through the sermon applications and through additional small group leader resources, especially including the “Love the World” section in the updated Small Group TOOLKIT. The theme verse given each week could easily be made into memory verses for the week – a strong idea.

The Schedule

So, pull out your calendar. Here is the complete fall schedule, including leader training, small group signups, kickoff and events:

August – New leader recruitment month. Is God possibly calling you to lead? Read all about that, here.
Aug. 23/24 – Small Group signups begin, via foyer table, small group catalog, and church website
Sunday, Aug. 24 – GO FISH Small Group Leaders Materials Meeting – Gym, 2nd service (10:50-12:10PM)
Week of Sept. 7 – Small Groups Kick Off – start meeting weekly; getting to know each other
Saturday, Sept. 13 – LC3 Ministry Summit – An exciting day of equipping, for everyone wanting to do better ministry for Jesus in our church, communities and homes. (9:00AM-1:00PM)

Sept. 20/21 – Go Fish Series begins. Go Fish #1 – We Were All Fish Once
Sept. 27/28 – Go Fish #2 – Why Fish?
Oct. 4/5 – Go Fish #3 – Fish Guts
Oct. 11/12 – Go Fish #4 – Fishing Buddies
Oct. 18/19 – Go Fish #5 – Muddy Water
Oct. 25/26 – Go Fish #6 – The One That Got Away
Nov. 8/9 – Veterans Day – Big Outreach Weekend, with Scotty Smiley
November – December 14 – Since the series finishes a few weeks before the fall semester ends, leaders will schedule their own important small group activities like worship/communion nights, outreach and service projects, fun nights, planning for next semester, a Thanksgiving Dinner, and a finale Christmas Party to end the semester on a joyful note!

The Rest of the Story

Everyone should be in a Lake City Small Group this fall. Leaders will be well equipped and encouraged in the two training events listed above, and by their coaches throughout the year. The GO FISH books and DVD’s will go on sale in the second half of August. Couples can share a book, but it’s usually preferred for each person to have his or her own. One DVD is needed per group. The cost of the DVD’s will be factored into the price of the book.

It will be easy to join a group in any of three different ways: our Small Group Catalogs will be passed down the aisles in the weeks leading up to kickoff. Groups and registration instructions will also be listed on the website, and displayed at the foyer table during the weekends.

Take a moment to pray for Lake City’s unity and effectiveness in reaching the lost world around us with the Good News of Jesus. Spread the word and excitement to everyone you know.

In Him, by Him, and for Him,

Pastor Reg

Steps for Planning your Winter/Spring Semester, 2014

December 3, 2013December 27, 2013 / thecgblog / 1 Comment

Our groups are winding down the Fall, 2013 Semester. Finish well, beloved groups. This post is to help as you pray and plan for next semester.

Here are some helpful steps and resources for your effective planning.

TOOLKIT and Small Group Vital Signs Book

These are our primary leadership resources. They emphasize (and reward) proactive leadership. One of the best preparations you can make before Winter/Spring kickoff is to flip through these great resources again to build up your vision and gather ideas, so you can better lead those entrusted to your care.

Leaders, co-leaders and Inner Circles should have these two resources. If you do not, tell me and I will get you one ASAP.

How NOT to Start Your Next Semester

As we often clarify, small groups are more than Bible studies. Small groups are our glorious opportunity to live out ALL the New Testament’s design for the church, with each other, for Jesus’ purposes. (read Acts 2:42-47 again, for example).

The problem: Experience shows that if you start your group’s experience with a Bible study, you will be locked into the “Bible study” mold and mentality, no matter what you try to do later.

The solution: Wisdom suggests you start your semester with the other things that get crowded out:

Start with a worship/prayer night, seeking God’s guidance and setting a worshipful pattern for your year.
Start with a service/outreach project, or series of them, saying “We are going to be the hands and feet of Jesus!”
Start with sharing a few personal salvation testimonies, to celebrate God’s grace in our lives.
Start with having the kids involved in worship, seeing Jesus Christ proclaimed as the purpose for your existence.
Then, start your study. We have 16-20 weeks in the Winter/Spring Semester – plenty of time to do it all!

acts

NOW, Time to Choose a Study

Our foundation is always God’s Word, and a curriculum used well can be an effective tool.

As always, I have laid out our ever-expanding small group curriculum library on a table in my office, for you to come by and browse, or borrow a couple to check out.

See our entire curriculum library list, here.

And, don’t forget that you can help us keep building up our curriculum library, with “the Lake City Offer”…

“The Lake City Offer”

If you are interested in using a curriculum we do not have, I will buy the leader book and DVD (if there is one) for you, if you will return it when finished, to add to our library. Your group members will just buy their own participant guides, if there is one.

This offer helps future groups and eliminates any hesitation based on the cost of a study.

Important Leader Training and Kickoff Dates

Here are a few important dates to put on your calendar right now:

As always, there is one required January training session which will be offered twice, for your scheduling convenience:

First offering – Sunday, January 12, during 2^nd service (10:50-12:10pm).
Second offering – at the Church Family Summit, on Saturday, January 25, 9:00AM-1:00PM. Young Life Field Vice President, Bill Paige, will be our plenary speaker.

The full Church-Family Summit Schedule will be out soon. All training sessions are always open for walk-ins.

UPDATE

Two exciting events have just been added. Author, speaker, and mentor of our small group leader Kevin Bouren, Phil Downer, is speaking to several thousand at JBLM, from January 13-17. We have just added two dates with him at LCCC:

1. Monday, Jan. 13, 6:00-8:00pm – Speaking to small group leaders, ministry leaders, and all church leaders. Topic: Spiritually Reproducing Your Life – Spiritual Multiplication.

2. Wednesday, Jan. 15, open dinner in Friendship Room, 5:30-6:15pm; Session for outreach and encouragement, from 6:30-8:00pm. Topic: Family – From Hell To Eternity: Strengthening Marriages through Men’s Mentorship/Discipleship

The Winter/Spring Semester kicks off the week of January 19, after a few weeks of signups. So, leaders, be prepared to welcome new people, if possible. It runs through early June, so it’s a bit longer than the Fall Semester, leaving you room to do more things.

Continue to cast the vision that small groups are not merely Bible studies, but rather the “church scattered in communities, passionately living out Christlike love for God, one another and the world.” The Winter/Spring Semester allows for a breadth of formative experiences for your group.

May God be glorified in our ministry,

Pastor Reg

5 Reasons You Should be at the Ministry Summit this Saturday

September 10, 2013September 11, 2013 / thecgblog / Leave a comment

Click on the picture above to see the finalized schedule for this year’s Ministry Summit.

How do you know if you should come to the Ministry Summit this Saturday? Since you cannot foresee how significant this half day of training will be to you, let me do my best to foretell it to you. Here are five reasons you should be at the Ministry Summit this Saturday:

1. The vast majority of 90 year old churches are plateaued or declining (or long dead and gone). By God’s grace, Lake City is none of those, and this year’s summit represents why (Hint: We are committed to the mission!)

2. The LCCC Family is growing in every spiritual way, and you are a part of the family.

3. The summit title even has the word “Everybody” in it, so, therefore, you KNOW it is for you. (“Everybody Has a Mission and a Ministry.”)

4. The speakers are THAT good, and they love God and you, a LOT.

5. Besides great equipping, inspiring, unifying, fellowship and food, you will get to hear all about the Why Am I Here? series, and be the first to purchase your study guides.

Hope to see you there,

Pastor Reg

How We Prepared for the “Why Am I Here?” Series

September 3, 2013November 13, 2013 / thecgblog / 1 Comment

“Why Am I Here?” It’s not only the most famous and important question of mankind’s history, but also the title of LCCC’s fall all-church series. Below is an email I just sent to our small group leaders, recapping our first big preparation meeting. I want to give the whole church family a peak at the preparations their leaders are making right now. After all, why just keep it to the small group leaders when it involves everyone??

Hi Small Group Leaders and Friends,

We had a great turnout, and I think a great time, on Sunday – 44 veteran and new leaders and curious people.

Our morning included eight parts to get us ready for the fall:

A short devo on “communion” – in which I mentioned that our little Gabby has trusted Jesus and took communion for her first time Saturday night!! I also urged everyone, again, to lead their groups in communion at least once a semester, for which I’ve given guidelines here – Communion in Small Groups: More than a Good Idea.

First Round of Prayer – PRAYER FOR US

A look at the Fall Calendar (attached-Calendar – Fall Sermon Series 2013 – for small group leaders)

A big picture reminder and way to process our commitment to THE MISSION of making disciples, and how LCCC is growing in that area.

A walk through our in-house “Why Am I Here?” Study Guide for the fall, which was about 80% finished. I invited all who were present to give feedback on the draft’s content, and have since received some. Thanks, and keep it coming! Our deadline for the final copy is the evening of September 5. The guides will be available for purchase, for $5 each, starting at the MINISTRY SUMMIT (9/14).

Noted the exciting way we’re doing the “application” steps each week this fall. First, the sermon notes will fit into your series guides each week, for your group’s discussion and application of each sermon’s “Next Steps.” Second, the Faith In Action team is organizing several terrific opportunities for small groups and all LCCC family to reach into the community and/or meet needs within our church. I’m very excited how easy this will make it for our groups to put their faith in action, and even join others as they do.

A look at some new, useful sections in the updated 2013/14 TOOLKIT; and then a look at a draft of the MINISTRY SUMMIT schedule, which you don’t want to miss, on Saturday September 14! (also attached-ROUGH SCHEDULE – MINISTRY SUMMIT 2013 – 4).

And finally, the Second Round of Prayer – PRAYER FOR OUR PEOPLE.

I believe God is going to use us all greatly for His purposes and glory this fall. Glad to be in it with you,

Pastor Reg

P.S. Small Group Sign-ups begin this weekend! The catalogs (list of our groups) will be distributed to everyone, so please take a look to see if we have all the accurate info for you. If you are not pictured, and expect to lead or co-lead a group; plan to come to the MINISTRY SUMMIT, and let’s talk!

Join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/lakecitycommunitychurch & www.facebook.com/lakecitysmallgroups

SUMMER UPDATE for Lake City Small Groups

July 24, 2013July 25, 2013 / thecgblog / 1 Comment

Are you joining a small group this coming year? Here are a few things you need to know about the upcoming 2013/14 year!

Summer of Coaching

The pivotal season has arrived in our unfolding small group coaching/infrastructure plan. After praying, strategizing and building relationships with leaders, the five coaches will seek one one-on-one meetings with each returning leader this summer, to achieve two purposes: 1.) To hear from them and pray with them; and 2.) To work through the exercise in Small Group Vital Signs #4 – A Healthy Group Has Proactive Leadership, so that 100% of our groups have a clear unique but aligned vision for 2013/14.

Fall Series: “Why Am I Here?”

You are now the first to know the title of this fall’s all-church series! “Why Am I Here?” is going to be a great one; created in-house, for the people and community of LCCC. This direction and title are fresh off the drawing board; so give us a little more time, and we will roll out all the exciting details.

You Are Wanted!

We want you, your children, your neighbors and friends to join a Lake City Small Group this fall. Lake City Small Groups are our best representation of the New Testament Christian community for which Jesus shed His blood to establish. You will engage in great things. You will be cared for, and care for others. You will be on a mission with brothers and sisters.

Here are the important dates:

August – Small group leader recruiting
Late August – Small group leader training begins
Early September – Small group signups begin
September 14 – Our third annual Ministry Summit (learn more by looking at last year’s details, here)
Week of September 21/22 – Small Groups officially kickoff
September 28/29 – “Why Am I Here?”, Part 1
[October-November] – “Why Am I Here?” continues
November 16/17 – “Why Am I Here?” Finale
Week of December 8 – Small Group Fall Semester ends

Discipleship Path

Finally, also coming soon is the long anticipated “Discipleship Path.” A discipleship path provides an easy answer to every person, in any demographic or life stage, to the question: “How can I grow in Christ at this church?” It ties together all the already excellent things our groups, families, ministries do, into one, clear, aligned path towards connecting and growing in Jesus, together.

Those are your updates. Enjoy the rest of your summer!

Blessings on our Church Family,

Pastor Reg

Winter/Spring Semester, 2013

Here are a few important dates to put on your calendar right now:

1. The 2nd annual Lake City Family Summit happens Saturday, January 12, 9:00AM-1:00PM. NFL quaterback Jon Kitna and his wife Jen will be our primary speakers, along with several breakout sessions. As usual, the small group leaders training will be contained in one of those 50 minute workshops. How small groups fit into the BIG picture of the church as God’s Family is an exciting major theme for this year’s summit. Don’t miss it!

2. If you miss the Summit, a small group leader training make-up session happens Sunday, January 20, during 2nd service (10:50AM-12:10PM), in the Gym.

3. The Official Kickoff Week of Winter/Spring Semester is the week of January 20. Of course, groups have autonomy to start earlier or later, based on their semester plan.

4. Pastor Jim resumes the Luke Sermon Series on Feb. 2/3, a good option for any group who would like to study Luke’s gospel along with the weekend sermons. We will have resources.

What to Study Next in Your Small Group

December 5, 2012 / thecgblog / Leave a comment

Leaders, I have laid out all our studies on a table in my office (pictured above), for you to come by and took a look, or borrow a couple to check out!

Also, don’t forget the “Lake City Offer”…

“The Lake City Offer”

If you are interested in a curriculum we do not have, I will buy the leader book and DVD (if there is one) for you, if you’ll return when finished, to add to our library. Just last week we added Tim Keller’s The Reason For God, and Philip Yancey’s What’s So Amazing About Grace?, per two leaders’ requests. Both will be great additions.

Curriculum Lists

My previous curriculum lists and resources can be found on this search link – http://lakecitysmallgroups.com/?s=curriculum&submit=Search

Also, my favorite place to search for small group curriculum reviews is the search feature on Mark Howell’s comprehensive small groups website – www.markhowelllive.com

Winter/Spring Semester, 2013

Here are a few important dates to put on your calendar right now:

The 2nd annual Lake City Family Summit is scheduled for Saturday, January 12, 9:00AM-1:00PM. NFL quaterback Jon Kitna and his wife Jen will be our primary speakers, along with several breakout sessions. As usual, the small group leaders training will be contained in one of those 50 minute workshops. How small groups fit into the BIG picture of the church as God’s Family is an exciting major theme for this year’s summit. Don’t miss it!
If you miss the summit, a small group leader training make-up session is scheduled for Sunday, January 20, during 2nd service (10:50AM-12:10PM)
The official Kickoff week of Winter/Spring Semester is the week of January 20. Of course, groups have autonomy to start earlier or later, based on their semester plan.
Pastor Jim resumes the Luke Sermon Series on Feb. 2/3, a good option for any group who would like to study Luke’s gospel along with the weekend sermons. We have resources.

How NOT to Start Your Semester

Finally, this is one of my favorite words of wisdom for leading a successfully Christ-honoring small group; wisdom that I will implement in our group this coming semester.

Remember, small groups are not merely Bible studies alone. They are our glorious opportunity to live out ALL the New Testament’s design for the church (cf. Acts 2:42-47, for example) with each other.

HOWEVER, wisdom and experience shows that if you start your group’s experience with a Bible study, you will be locked into the “Bible study” mold and mentality, no matter what you try to do later. So, wisdom suggests to start your semester with the other things that get crowded out: Start with a worship/prayer night, seeking God’s guidance and setting a worshipful pattern for your year. Start with a service/outreach project, or series of them, saying “We are going to be the hands and feet of Jesus!” Start with sharing a few personal salvation testimonies, to celebrate God’s grace in our lives. Start with having the kids involved in worship, seeing Jesus Christ proclaimed as the purpose for your existence. Then, start your study. We have 16-20 weeks in the Winter/Spring Semester. Plenty of time to do it all!

May God be glorified in our ministry,

Pastor Reg

HEROES – at LCCC, Fall, 2012

August 31, 2012September 14, 2012 / thecgblog / 3 Comments

Hi LCCC Family,

Everyone needs to know the plan for this fall, because it affects, well, everyone! Here are the details for our church-wide experience this fall:

Our Semester System

We have had remarkable experiences these last several years, doing an all-church focus in the fall semester (40 Days of Community, The Truth Project, Love On Another, Heaven, Forgotten God, etc), and then each small group setting their own Spirit-led agendas for the Winter/Spring semester. Having such strong church-wide unity in the fall, and then such freedom the rest of the year, has proven incredibly effective to our Body (so much so that other churches are even “borrowing” our system for their own scheduling strategy!)

So, what is in store at Lake City this fall?

This Fall at LCCC

Our all-church focus this fall will be a series called “Heroes: Ordinary People with Extraordinary Power.” Here is Pastor Jim’s synopsis of the series:

Faster than a speeding layoff, more powerful than a deadly disease, able to leap the strongest temptation. Wouldn’t it be great to have the strength for to face and to overcome such things? Finding supernatural power for living isn’t the stuff of fiction! It is available to ordinary people who trust in God. Join us this fall as we explore the stories of six ordinary men and women whom God transformed into extraordinary heroes, and how we can apply that same power to every situation in our lives.

Biblical Storytelling

Beyond the appealing content of this study, the method of our church-wide experience this year will be most enjoyable. In our small groups, we will be using the method of biblical storytelling. Biblical storytelling moves far beyond lecturing, to sharing a personal and relational experience in God’s Word which brings us closer together, open and ready for our mission to become and make better disciples.

Training

Ample training is offered for our leaders to become comfortable with this method, unified in our vision, and excited about a new year of ministry. The two formal training sessions are: the Sept. 2 “Heroes” Curriculum Meeting (this Sunday!), and the Sept. 15 Lake City Ministry Summit. A special note: While both of these trainings are open to everyone, the first is specifically for small group leaders; and the second, the Lake City Ministry Summit, is for the entire church – absolutely everyone who is involved in any ministry at LCCC.

At these formal training sessions we will also cast the vision for our plan for improved informal, coaching relationships.

Fall Schedule

Here, now, is the complete fall schedule for small groups:

Month of August – Recruiting leaders and finalizing list of small groups
Sept. 1/2 – Small Group signups begin, at foyer table and on website
Sunday, Sept. 2 – “Heroes” SG Leaders Curriculum Meeting – Gym, 2nd service (10:50-12:10PM)
Saturday, Sept. 15 – Lake City Ministry Summit – An exciting day of equipping, for everyone wanting to do better ministry for Jesus in our church, communities and homes. (9:00AM-1:00PM)

: Click to Enlarge

September 16 (week of) – Small Groups kick off; groups get to know each other
Sept. 22/23 – “Heroes” Series begins. “Heroes” #1 – Abraham: Learning to Trust God Fully
Sept. 29/30 – “Heroes” #2 – Elijah: The Courage to Stand Alone
Oct. 6/7 – “Heroes” #3 – The Shunammite Woman: How to Respond to a Test of Faith
Oct. 13/14 – “Heroes” #4 – Josiah: The Power of Humility
Oct. 20/21 – “Heroes” #5 – David: The Heart of Worship
Oct. 27/28 – “Heroes” #6 – Rahab: A Faith that Triumphs Against All Odds
November – December 9 – Since the series finishes six weeks before the end of the small groups semester, leaders will likely intersperse small group study nights with other important activities like relational service projects, fun nights, a Thanksgiving Dinner, your Faith In Action Projects, and a finale Christmas Party to end the semester on a joyful note!

Other Nuts and Bolts

Our study guides are in printing right now. They will cost $8. Couples can share one book. They can be paid for at the foyer table during the weekends, or at the church office during the week. Only people in small groups will be able to buy them for the first couple weeks of the series (to make sure we have enough for our small groups).

Our children’s and youth ministries will participate in the same series this fall, so be prepared to answer their thoughtful questions at home! All ages are also welcome in our small groups, as well.

Small Group Catalogs will be distributed in our services this month. Or, to see a list of groups, and contact the leaders directly, view the “group finder” links on our church website small groups page. (This list is continually updated is groups fill or open up, or new groups form.)

Please take the bold step of at least visiting one or two Lake City Small Groups this fall! Friendly people who want to grow in Jesus with you are waiting to welcome you.

Blessings on our homes this fall,

Pastor Reg

Making disciples, creating community, growing in love for God, one another, and the world.