Lake City Small Groups Leader Description

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If you are reading this, there is a good chance you are considering using the gifts God gave you to build up LCCC through small groups (Romans 12:6-8; Ephesians 4:12).

To that, I say, “Praise God!” He will reward your obedience and bless many people through you.

What does being a Lake City Small Groups Leader include? Here’s the description for this important position:

Lake City Small Group Leader Description

 

Small Group Leader’s Qualifications:

  1. Be a member of the church, or be in membership process.
  2. Attend fall and January trainings.
  3. Be approved and blessed by small groups pastor and an elder.

Small Group Leader’s Job Description:

(This is what it is going to take to lead a successful small group. Trying to do it with less effort will fail almost every time.)

Time Commitment: A few hours each week of prayer, preparation, group meeting time, and relationship-building time outside the group.

Length of Commitment: Initial semester and/or entire 9 month ministry year. 

Primary Roles: 

  1. Model someone who desires spiritual maturity, commitment, care, and openness.
  2. Run at least somewhat effective meeting times, getting increasingly better over time.
  3. Delegate responsibilities to group members so they can use their gifts for the benefit of the group.
  4. Regularly contact group members between meetings through a mix of calls, emails, cards, coffee, invite for dinner, notes on Facebook, etc. Follow up with absent members to let them know they were missed.
  5. Multiply leadership. Encourage your growing and faithful members to become helpers in your group right now and leaders of the church in the future.
  6. Complete the simple reports and surveys requested by small groups pastor.

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Also, don’t forget to “Like” the Lake City Small Groups page on Facebook!
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As you can see, these are very attainable expectations. We are happy with where we have set the bar for leadership – not too high and not too low.  Because of the importance of the small group leaders to the church, all are given the support and encouragement they need for their own growth as a disciple of Christ and a leader of His people. I hope that you will sign up to become one this year, by:
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  • Contacting me at reg.overstreet@lc3.com or 253-582-8040
  • Marking your interest on a Communication Card in the weekend services
  • Attending the Aug. 28 “Forgotten God Leader Info & Materials Meeting”
  • Attending the Sept. 11  Small Group Connection
  • And/or attending the Sept. 17 Lake City Leadership Summit
Blessings on your homes,
Pastor Reg

 

Forgotten God, this Fall at LCCC!

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Since we just announced our fall sermon series and all-small group study topic, this is probably a good time to answer some early questions about it!

What is it? It will be an in depth and highly applicational study of the Holy Spirit, with Pastor Jim as our primary teacher of the Bible’s teachings about the Holy Spirit and their relevance to our lives; and Francis Chan as our ultra-gifted guide to growing and applying these truths in fellowship with others in small groups throughout our communities.

When does it begin? Small Groups kick off on the week of September 18. Then, after two weeks of getting to know each other, the Forgotten God sermon series and small study begins on the week of October 1 and runs through the end of November. Fall calendar:

  • Oct 1 – Forgotten God #1
  • Oct 8 – Forgotten God  #2
  • Oct 15 – Forgotten God #3
  • Oct 22 – Forgotten God #4
  • Oct 29 – Forgotten God #5
  • Nov 6 – Special Services for Adoption Weekend
  • Nov 13 – Forgotten God #6
  • Nov 20 – Special Services for Answers in Genesis Weekend Conference hosted by LCCC
  • Nov 27 – Forgotten God #7
  • Dec 4 – Small Groups do Service Project or Christmas Party!
  • Dec 11 – Small Groups do Service Project or Christmas Party; End of Fall Semester!

How do I get my materials? Like normal, materials will at first be distributed only through the small groups. Each small group leader can get his/her materials as early as the Sunday, August 28 Forgotten God Leader Info/Materials Meeting, in the Gym during 2nd service (10:50AM).  

Leaders will need to purchase materials for their members; members pay their small group leader. After the first couple/few weeks, we will open up remaining inventory to individual purchases in the foyer during weekend services.

How do I sign up? If you want to sign up early, go to http://www.lc3.com/#/small-groups for instructions.  Starting in September, we will pass out the “small group catalogs”, have a sign-up foyer table, AND the “Group Finder” feature on http://www.lc3.com will be updated.

Other Questions that other people might be wondering? Just leave a comment below! Or, for more personal questions, call or email me.

Is there a fancy publisher website? Naturally! www.forgottengod.com

Is there a Promotional Video? Of course! Here’s one of them. Enjoy…

Blessings on your homes,

Pastor Reg

Small Group Leaders Bowling Party Recap (and What’s Upcoming this Fall!)

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Last night almost every Lake City Small Group was represented at our End-Of-Year Small Group Leader Bowling Party. We celebrated God’s expressions of goodness to LCCC this last year through the generous, faithful ministry of our small group leaders; and had fun doing it! Thank you everyone who came out.

Though we were sorry that not everyone could make the party, everyone can catch what was said and experienced by reading on!

The first item after our short meeting was, of course, food!

A.   Appreciation 

Praying Paul’s prayer of thanksgiving for our leaders: “Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you.” (2 Cor. 9:13-14)

Making these outings "family events" really adds a new dimension, doesn't it?

The bowling was intense.

Way to hold that follow-through, Bethlehem!

Tom keeps Jeanne nice and loose for her next frame.

A few things we discussed in our short meeting…

B.   What’s Upcoming this Fall

1.    We will be doing an all-church study again this fall, which is always a unifying, deepening and exciting season for our church. Official details of the study are coming soon!

2.    Calendar leading up to fall Kick-Off:

    • All of August – Small group leader recruitment
    • Sun Aug 7 – Six weeks away from Small Group Kick-Off Week — mark your calendars!
    • Sun Aug 28 – Fall Study Info Meeting, during 2nd Service, in the Gym. Get materials and instructions for maximizing this fall.
    • Sat/Sun Sept 3/4 – Sign-Ups begin (Small Group Catalogs; Foyer Table; “Group Finder” on http://www.lc3.com)
    • Sun Sept 11 – Small Group Connection – An event for all those not in a small group yet.
    • Sat Sept 17 – Lake City Leadership Summit – The pinnacle event of the fall preparations. 9AM-1PM, in the Gym and various rooms – Several tracks of training offered for just about every member of LCCC.
    • Sun Sept 18 – Official Kick-Off week of Small Group year! (groups meet to get acquainted)
    • Sat/Sun Sept 24/25 – Watoto Children’s Choir in all three services (final week for getting plugged into a group and groups to get acquainted before study starts)
    • Sat/Sun Oct 1/2 – All-Church Study Begins!
    • Sat Oct 8 – Membership 101 Class, 9am-12:30pm, lunch following

 

  3.    Lake City Leaders Group

To better equip our leadership, the “Lake City Leaders Group” is in development to begin this fall. This group will provide the following for leaders who wish to grow their skills and be in more contact with other spiritual leaders.

    • Vision – Constant, continual vision of where we are going as a church and where our groups can go, not just from the pulpit, but from associating with other church leaders who have done great ministry, have learned the hard lessons, and are currently doing effective and innovative things.
    • Training – It’s one thing to be called to do something great for Jesus; it’s another to actually be equipped to be able to do it well and motivated to do it well throughout everything life throws at you over the course of a year.
    • Fellowship, Encouragement and Support – By the very nature of spending time with fellow leaders we are naturally encouraged by being able to be ourselves and knowing that others have your back. And we become renewed and readied each week to vibrantly lead our people into the presence of God.

The Leaders Group will meet on Sunday mornings during 2nd Service. Official starting date still TBD. Probably February, 2011.

Now, back to the pictures!…

Jason actually broke 100 with Jack Jack on his back! (He wanted everyone to know that.)

Pastor Jim, cutting loose and watching on.

Yes! Another strike for Grace.

 We should have taken more videos of this night. Oh well, this one is pretty cute. 🙂

Blessings on your homes, everyone!

Pastor Reg

Golf, Fantasy Football, Guns: Men of God

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I asked our elder, Tung Le, if he would reduce his address to the men of LCCC at the June, 2011 Men’s Breakfast to “blog size.” He accepted the request. Enjoy his well organized, thought provoking and challenging words.

God’s desire for every male Christian is for them to be real men of God. There are three specific areas in which men fail at this, and I want to look at these areas through the lens of three favorite topics of men: golf, fantasy football, and guns. 

Golf

Golf is serious business for many men. Golf lessons, Golf magazines, Golf on TV, etc. One friend I played golf with amazed me with his extensive scorecard system of tracking his game in every minute detail.

About a month ago, I played golf for the first time in a year and I was worse than I had ever been. And when I was spraying shots all over the course, I was getting frustrated, and I couldn’t understand why I was frustrated. It was if I somehow expected my golf game to be magically better after not playing for over a year. Why would anyone ever expect something to improve if they don’t spend time being intentional about improving it?

Question: If Christian men were as demanding of self-improvement for their faith as they are for their golf games, imagine how Godly men would be.

For some reason, the default belief of Christian men is that their faith and their relationship to God will magically improve and mature if they do nothing. If you don’t pray or read your Bible, if you don’t serve in ministry – why would you ever expect God to draw you closer? If you don’t model the fruits of the Spirit, if you don’t actively discuss faith with your children – why would you expect your kids to grow older and still embrace their faith?

Like the golfer who steadily sets goals of breaking 100 for the first time, then 90, then 80, then 70, we need to be intentional about our spiritual growth. At the end of each year, a man of God should be able to say “I was a better servant of Christ than when I began the year.”

Fantasy Football

Secondly, like golf, fantasy football is also serious business to many men. An article I read reported that almost 30 million people play fantasy sports each year, with an estimated 1.5 BILLION dollars spent in leagues. I played in a different fantasy league once – fantasy NASCAR. I didn’t know anything about NASCAR, so my weekly picks were random. After the first quarter of the season, I was dead last. At that point my competitive side kicked in, so I downloaded ten years worth of NASCAR data and created complex formulae to determine what factors determined a driver’s performance (their pole position, their history on the track, etc). I finished 4th that year, and won the league the next two years.

I spent a lot of time poring over spreadsheets trying to use the best information I had at my disposal to maximize my performance each week. All of us fantasy sports fans believe that by tracking information each week, we can maximize our results.

Question: If Christian men were as diligent about tracking and measuring their faith as they are their fantasy football teams, imagine how Godly men would be.

For some reason, the default belief of Christian men is that there is no need to keep track of your faith, and that the results will turn out for the best without effort. In Hebrews 2:1, Paul writes, “For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it.” You will not magically grow in your faith by not paying attention to it.

Like the fantasy football fanatic who pores over data, we need to be measure the actions that are related to spiritual maturity.

We need to track how often we read the Bible. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” We can’t be equipped for God’s work without reading the Bible.

We need to track our prayer times. God is not a God who tracks minutes, but someone who prays 65 min/week is indicating a devotion to regular prayer that says something about spiritual maturity over someone who prays 0-5 minutes per week. Ask your spouse to help you set goals and to keep you accountable to them.

Guns

Golf, fantasy football, and finally, guns are serious business to many men. In 2008, Americans spent $4.6 BILLION on guns. A few months ago, I had coffee with a friend who works in the gun department at Cabela’s, and he told me that he sells probably $10K worth of guns/day. He even told me about one customer who had saved up money for years so that he could spend $25K on an antique rifle. When men are passionate about something, they study and immerse themselves in the culture and lifestyle. They save up money to feed their passion. They let themselves be consumed by it, and express their passion through their words, finances, and everything they do.

Question: If Christian men were as passionate about their faith as they are for their guns or other passions, imagine how Godly men would be.

For some reason, the default belief of Christian men is that they can be more excited about things or activities than they are over God, and that He will be okay with it. They are wrong. The reason God says in Exodus that He is a jealous God and that we will have no other Gods besides Him is because He wants our passion on Him alone. He has wired men to be creatures that respond to our passions, and He wants that top passion to be Him. Can you imagine what would happen to our families, to our community, to our nation, and to the world if every Christian man had as their primary passion Jesus Christ?

Like the gun fanatic, we need to show everyone who looks at us that we have a deep and abiding love of God. In Galatians 6:17, Paul writes “From now on let no one cause trouble for me, for I bear on my body the brand-marks of Jesus.” Paul says that he wears Christ like he would wear a tattoo; he is marked by God.

We need to show that we are marked by God. And that means making going your church family a priority; and more than just going to church, but being involved in church. That means a father who leads family devotions because that is more important than watching TV together. That means sharing his faith to those around him rather than being silent about it. That means getting involved politically as needed, serving the community when the opportunity arises, and saving money to spend on missionaries rather than on your favorite hobby.

I am not implying that you can’t be passionate about sports or guns or your favorite hobbies; I’m saying that none of those should be a greater passion in your life than your passion for God.

Like a golf handicap, we should be working towards improving in each area. Like a fantasy football fanatic, we need to be disciplined trackers of our spiritual lives. Like gun enthusiasts, our greatest passion must be God and the things for which He is passionate.

And for those interested in intentional spiritual improvement, I say to you, seek discipleship. Whether you call it mentoring or discipleship, it will be immensely helpful to seek someone who can be by your side, speaking their life experiences and Scriptural wisdom into you to assist your growth.

2010-2011 Year In Review

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Today is the first day LCCC’s Fiscal New Year – the 2011-2012 Ministry Year. In honor of that, here is the last year, plus, of Lake City Small Groups in review.

Five Year Plan

Has it really been five years since we set out to become a “church OF small groups” rather than just a church with small groups? Before reflecting on last year alone, browse this list of landmarks we have set over the last five years.

  • Defining “Church OF Small Groups”
  • Understanding Christ’s bi-fold design for His Church gathered and scattered
  • Creating leader qualifications and job description
  • Establishing the priority of relationships
  • Training leaders
  • Developing personal, written and web-based tools for leadership, communication, spiritual growth, outreach, and much more.
  • Starting many new groups
  • Recruiting always needed new small group leaders (and when I say “always needed,” yes, I mean we need more new leaders right now! J)
  • Building a support structure
  • Creating an atmosphere of excitement about small groups in the entire church
  • Streamlining with other ministries
  • Unifying Small Groups’ vision with the church’s vision
  • Celebrating God’s work at checkpoints and victorious testimonies
  • Growing outward as well as inward (outreach, supporting missionaries, praying for the lost, living missionally)
  • Becoming increasingly intergenerational focused
  • Equipping families

Contact me if you’re interested to know more about any of these. Or better yet, come to the Small Groups/Family Summit on Saturday, September 17, from9AM—1PM – a half day of equipping for the 2011-2012 year of ministry.

Last Year

Now on to the report for the last year of ministry.  In preparation for the new Saturday night service which began last October, we knew more would be needed than just community promotion and staff scheduling changes. We needed to build an adequate infrastructure of discipleship and community for the growth we anticipated. The need for new small group leaders became greater than ever. We expanded our prayer efforts and implemented some new strategies. And God affirmed our requests! We increased our number of groups from 20 to 23, holding steady at over 300 total group members.

Let’s take a moment to recognize those who had a part in leading Lake City Small Groups this last year:

2010-2011 Small Group Leaders:

David & Kris Adam, Monty & Sue Bakken, Tim & Linda Bartlett, Bonnie Bundick, Jeremy & Jodi Durr, Chet & Eunice Ellis, Andrew & Nikki Gray, Bob & Wanda Hayes, Dennis & Michelle Hewitt, Charley & Chris Higbee, George & Cathy Hills, Clint & Tami Johnson, Tharon Kirby, Earl & Sue Kolb, Tung & Debbie Le, Dorothy Miner, Terry & Judy Olson, Tony & Niki Oury, Reg & Sarah Overstreet,   Karen Perz,  David & Kelli Pritchard, John & Shari Schock, Mike & Roxy Shaffer, Rick & Judy Smedley, Adam & Sharalyn Stenberg, Duane & Helen Williams,  Russ & Laurie Williams, Jason & Stephanie Woods

 Small Group Leader Support Team:

Reg & Sarah Overstreet, Russ & Laurie Williams, Pat & Larynda Kern

Thank God for these faithful men and women. It is an increasing joy to work with these ministry partners and friends; to mature together as leaders; and to see the fruits of their ministry in the lives of our church brothers and sisters.

The Future

God is graciously bringing together clarity, unity and perfect timing for our work this summer creating vision for the next five years. What’s it going to look like? Well, in short, it involves an ever increasing focus on the surrogate family qualities of Christ’s church; strengthening natural families; and growing in the Spirit’s power of transformation, Christ’s love for His Body, and the Father’s heart for the poor and the lost. Experience it all, by God’s grace, this fall, only in Lake City Small Groups!

Thank you beloved Ministry Partners and Church Family,

Reg Overstreet

Pastor of Small Groups and Adult Ministries

Maximizing Summer

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Maximizing Your Small Group’s Summer

Small Group Leaders and friends, isn’t it great to be in the ministry of shepherding people towards Christlikeness!? For most of you, the bulk of your work for the 10/11 season is over. But, don’t limp across the finish line! Fly across it like a champion by MAXIMIZING your summer!  Here’s how.

In my last blog post I attached this document (Here it is again): What Have You Got Planned This Summer.  I recommend you print it out for your next meeting, and make a note of your top ideas to suggest; then talk over with your group as you make plans for the summer.  

Sample Group Idea!! – Sarah and I were excited to receive some recent insight from small group leaders John and Shari Schock about how their group maximizes summertime. At the end of the small group year (which is about right now!) they pass out a sign up sheet for their summer get-togethers, which are twice per month.  Each group member or family plans whatever they want to do for their night.  In the past they have gone bowling, roller skating, served together, done a progressive dinner, and I can’t remember any more, but the list went on and on 🙂

This plan is wonderful: It is amenable to summer schedules; it’s fun and energizing; it helps share the leadership load; it’s welcoming to new members; and, maybe most importantly, it keeps the Christian community of a small group thriving.

Maximizing Our Church’s Summer

Another healthy use of your small group summer is pitching in to maximize the summer of our entire church. Here are a few things LCCC is doing this summer which all our small groups are needed to help maximize:

Summer  Community Outreach

Join in as a group with LCCC’s outreach events this summer, or come up with a few of your own.  Here are some suggestions.

  • Do “Servant Evangelism” in the community.
    • Our 2nd annual FaithInAction weekend is being planned for July 30/31, pending leadership. Would your group like to help head this up? Contact Pastor Jim!
    • Throw a block party in your host home’s yard and invite the entire street or neighborhood to party with you – Christian style! 😀
    • Other service project ideas are best identified by polling your group members for ideas close to their hearts.
  • Piggy-back on a local community event.
    • LCCC will have a booth at SummerFEST again, June 24-26! Last year we gave out almost 600 emergency preparedness packets and balloons, and painted hundreds of faces. The SummerFEST administrators are eager to have us back!
    • There are other summer events  in the area, such as American Lake Park. What else do you know of?

The sun is shining as I type this. Can you feel summer and the rush of serotonin coming?! Let’s use it to maximize our effectiveness with the gospel.

Blessings on your homes,

Reg

Finishing the Small Group Year Strong, 2011

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I am praying deeply and sincerely for all our groups to finish on a high note; for our small group leaders to finish strong!  

Two healthy ways to do that are to “celebrate your past” and “plan your future.”    

I.    Celebrate Your Past

Spend time in one of your last meetings reflecting on the God-glorifying victories and growth from your experiences together this year.  Have a couple of your own, or someone else’s with a compelling story, planned to “prime the pump.”

You might read one of these paragraphs to get started:

A.        The Bible is filled with so many exhortations to ‘remember’ what God has done in the past, whether through the device of ‘memorial stones,’ annual festivals, tassels, phylacteries, or the discipline of hiding His Word in our hearts. God further demonstrated this in the two memorials that will last in His church forever: communion and baptism. 

B.       “We are so immersed in the pressured flow of life that we move from one crisis to the next activity to the following event, seldom if ever pausing to reflect on what those experiences are teaching us.  Unless we stop and reflect on the formative experiences and relationships of our life, we will miss the transformative purpose that God intended for them.” –Andrew Seidel

II.    Plan Your Future

Also spend time in one of your final meetings planning your group’s future. This will set everyone at ease, and give you the satisfaction of knowing everyone’s expectations are set.

A.        Discuss the future of this group: Remain intact? Transfer leadership? Split into two partnering groups so more people can join?

B.        Plan your summer schedule: rest; service/outreach projects; BBQ’s!! – get them on the calendar!

C.        Make a serious challenge to your group members to step up and become leaders of their own groups this fall. Challenge them, and promise to work with them to do it. One of LCCC’s greatest needs is more small group leaders, thus this can be one of the greatest services you could give to your church. Make sure you let me know who they are, too, and I will thank you!

Blessings on your homes,

Pastor Reg

 

How Can I Get My Members to Talk?

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If someone is not participating in your group discussions, chances are they may be discouraged or frustrated by being in your group. Whether or not  everyone in your group talks, these ideas will help you develop your own facilitating skills.

(Copied from Mark Howell’s Blog; originated from Allen White’s)

1. How large is your group?

Quiet people tend to disappear in large groups.  The quick solution is to make your group smaller.  If your group has more than eight people, then sub-group during the discussion.  I do this with my group that meets in a restaurant.  When it’s time for the discussion, we divide it down the middle.  One half of the table turns toward each other to discuss, and the other half does the same.  It works.  Everybody can get their word in.

Another way to get quieter folks to talk during the discussion is called “Neighbor Nudging.”  It goes like this: “Okay, on this next question, turn to the person next to you and discuss it, then we’ll come back together again.”  Every person is at least talking to one other person.

If your small group is beginning to look like a small church, it might be time to think about sub-grouping on a permanent basis.  As Andy Stanley says, “It’s not a small group if it has a back row.”

2. Who tends to answer first?

If your more talkative members are the first to answer every question, then it’s time to have a conversation with them.  For some pointers on dealing with talkative members, check this post: They Keep Talking and They Won’t Shut Up.  If someone is dominating the conversation, then your quieter members won’t try to enter in.

If you, as the leader, are the first to answer the questions, stop it.  Count to 10.  Count to 100.  Give your group an opportunity to answer.  If you answer every question, the discussion will be inhibited because you have gone from facilitating to teaching.  The teaching gift is awesome, if you have a class. Your small group is not a class.

3. Get comfortable with silence.

Silence is deafening.  We don’t talk about awkward noise.  It’s awkward silence.  But, in your small group, silence is golden.  It allows people to think.  Silence also allows reluctant people to finally chime in.

4. Assume that your members didn’t prepare.

We used to say that statistically half of group members do homework and half don’t.  These days I think far fewer group members prepare for the meeting.  Don’t get on your soapbox, just go with it.  As the leader, you’ve looked over the questions and thought about the answers.  Since your group members are coming in cold, they will need a little time to think about the answers and respond.  Allow for a little thinking time.  Refer back to #3.

5. Talk to Your Quiet Members Post-Meeting.

If they didn’t have anything to say during the meeting, talk to them about the topic after the meeting.  Hear what they think.  Give them positive feedback about what they have to say.  (Don’t lie.) “That’s a really good point.  Wow, I wish you would have shared that with the group.”  Each touch will build their confidence to participate in the group.

The last thing you want in small group is yet another environment where someone can’t get their word in. The early church met in temple courts and house to house (Acts 5:42). The large gathering was informational and inspirational. The smaller gathering was interactive.

How are you going to help your quieter group members this week?

Easter Was Never Intended to be Just One Day

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Don’t we all agree that “Easter” is NOT to be celebrated only once per year? If you carry on your reflection and celebration of gospel events beyond this weekend in your groups and families, then this Easter blog will provide a few helpful resources for you.

 

Celebrating the Easter Season—Ideas for All Ages

(Derived from the Focus on the Family article by the same name)

“According to author Kim Wier, co-director of Engaging Women Ministries, Easter was never intended to be just one day. “For most families, including Christians, God gets an hour on Sunday, and we get the rest of the day to hunt eggs and feast on sweets.”

“The shame isn’t that we are celebrating Easter Day; it is that we are missing Easter Season.

How about your family? Ready for some cake? Try these faith-filled activities that go beyond Sunday morning as you usher in this Easter season.

Ages 0-3

Help your little ones stuff hollow plastic eggs with one chocolate heart, because Jesus came to give us a new heart toward God. Then allow your little one to hand them out to friends, neighbors, or people you meet during the day. You might include a note inside with the passage from John 14:1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.” – Jesus

Ages 4-7

Hold a neighborhood egg hunt, but award the large basket filled with candy for whoever finds the one empty egg, representing the empty tomb. When the child finds the empty egg he or she must call out, “He is not here he has risen, just as he said.” Be sure to conclude the hunt with an Easter story on the lawn. I’d recommend The Parable of the Lily, by Liz Curtis Higgs.

Ages 8-12

Sometimes the greatest joy is in the giving. Visit a nearby hospital or retirement home and greet one of the residents with a fresh Easter lily. You may want to attach a card with some encouraging words about the hope we have in our risen Lord.

Age 13-18

Children this age might enjoy a surprise field trip for a sunrise service at the park or a nearby lake. Be sure to bring a Bible, hymnbook or maybe even a guitar for a worshipful early morning celebration.

All Ages

Since there are many new visitors attending church for the Easter service, make a point to greet and invite someone to lunch afterwards. Then remember to make plans to sit together next Sunday at church.

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 The Story of Easter by Sand Animation

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Brief Easter Facts

The Date of Easter

Prior to A.D. 325, Easter was variously celebrated on different days of the week, including Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. In that year, the Council of Nicaea was convened by emperor Constantine. It issued the Easter Rule which states that Easter shall be celebrated on the first Sunday that occurs after the first full moon on or after the vernal equinox. However, a caveat must be introduced here. The “full moon” in the rule is the ecclesiastical full moon, which is defined as the fourteenth day of a tabular lunation, where day 1 corresponds to the ecclesiastical New Moon. It does not always occur on the same date as the astronomical full moon. The ecclesiastical “vernal equinox” is always on March 21. Therefore, Easter must be celebrated on a Sunday between the dates of March 22 and April 25.

When was Yeshua (Jesus) executed?

Passover was the most important feast of the Jewish calendar, celebrated at the first full moon after the Vernal Equinox. (The Equinox typically occurs onMarch 20, 21or 22 according to our present calendar.)

The Synoptic gospels (Mark, Matthew and Luke) stated that Jesus’ last supper was a Seder – a Passover celebration at the start of 15th Nisan, just after sundown. (Jewish days begin at sundown and continue until the next sundown). Jesus was executed later that day.

The Easter Bunny

The Easter Bunny is not a modern invention. The symbol originated with the pagan festival of Eastre. The goddess, Eastre, was worshipped by the Anglo-Saxons through her earthly symbol, the rabbit.

The Germans brought the symbol of the Easter rabbit toAmerica. It was widely ignored by other Christians until shortly after the Civil War.

The Easter Egg

As with the Easter Bunny and the holiday itself, the Easter Egg predates the Christian holiday of Easter. The exchange of eggs in the springtime is a custom that was centuries old when Easter was first celebrated by Christians.

From the earliest times, the egg was a symbol of rebirth in most cultures. Eggs were often wrapped in gold leaf or, if you were a peasant, colored brightly by boiling them with the leaves or petals of certain flowers.

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A Recommended Easter Bible Study List, from Mark Driscoll

“The following list of Old and New Testament Scriptures regarding resurrection is by no means exhaustive but is offered in hope of helping preachers and teachers [small group leaders] find a section of Scripture in which to root their Easter sermon[/lessons/meditations]:”
* Genesis 22:13 and Hebrews 11:19 show how the story of Isaac is a type of the resurrection.
* 2 Samuel 7:7–16 contains the Davidic Covenant, which promises that Jesus will rule over an everlasting kingdom, and Romans 1:3–4 shows the fulfillment as God the Father anointed God the Son as Davidic king at his resurrection.
* Psalm 16:10 promises that Jesus would not be abandoned in the grave.
* Isaiah 26:19 promises that the dead will rise.
* Isaiah 52:13–53:12 is the entire prophetic promise of Jesus’ life, death, burial, and resurrection, with the resurrection emphasized in 53:10–12.
* Ezekiel 37:1–10 gives an illustration of the resurrection of the dead.
* Daniel 12:2 is one of the clearest Old Testament Scriptures on the bodily resurrection of believers and unbelievers.
* Hosea 13:14 speaks of resurrection victory over death and is quoted by Paul in 1 Corinthians 15.
* Jonah 1:17 and 2:10 and Matthew 12:40 speak of Jonah’s three days in the fish as a type of Jesus’ resurrection after three days in the grave.
* Matthew 9:18–26 records Jesus resuscitating a young girl from death (unlike resurrection, in which the risen never dies again, resuscitation is followed by a second physical death). This passage could be used to show how one day Jesus will also cause believers to rise from death, despite mockery from the world as Jesus experienced at that event.
* Matthew 11:1–6 records that, as evidence of his divinity for John the Baptizer, Jesus appealed to the fact that he could raise the dead.
* Matthew 12:38–40; Mark 8:31, 9:31, 10:33–34; and John 2:18–22 all reveal Jesus prophesying his resurrection in advance.
* Matthew 22:23; Luke 20:27; and Acts 23:8 all report that the Sadducees denied the resurrection in arguments with Jesus.
* Matthew 28:9 and John 20:17, 20–28 all report that Jesus rose physically from death, not just spiritually.
* Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John all close with large sections reporting the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ from death, and any of them, or portions from them, could make a good Easter sermon.
* Luke 14:12–14 is a parable Jesus told about the repayment that will come to the just at the resurrection.
* John 5:19–29 records Jesus teaching that we will stand before him for final judgment and rise for eternal life or eternal death.
* John 11:1–44 records the death of Lazarus and Jesus resuscitating him from death. Jesus also declares himself to be the resurrection and the life who can also raise us from death.
* Twelve of the twenty-eight chapters in the book of Acts report that the continual refrain of the preaching in the early church was that Jesus had risen from death, and all or some of these sermon snippets could make a good Easter sermon.
* Acts 9 reports the dramatic conversion of Saul—who had overseen the murder of the early church deacon Stephen—when he was confronted with the risen Jesus.
* Acts 17:32, 23:6, and 24:11–15 report how belief in the resurrection can result in mockery and persecution.
* Romans 4:25 connects Jesus’ resurrection and our justification.
* Romans 6:5 says that we are united with Jesus by his resurrection.
* Romans 8:1–11 speaks of the new power we have, through the Holy Spirit, to say no to sin and yes to God because of Jesus’ resurrection.
* Romans 8:11 and 2 Corinthians 5:15 say that believers have the same power as Jesus did for his resurrection through God the Holy Spirit.
* Romans 10:5–13 speaks of how to be saved through Jesus’ resurrection.
* Romans 14:8–12 describes how Jesus is Lord of the dead and the living because he was dead and is now alive.
* 1 Corinthians 15 is arguably the most comprehensive treatment of resurrection in all of Scripture. While one sermon on the entire chapter would likely be impossible, there are innumerable options that could be emphasized in an Easter sermon.
* 2 Corinthians 5:1–10 teaches about the state between death and resurrection as well as the kind of body we will have after resurrection.
* In Galatians 1:1–2, Paul declares that the resurrected Jesus Christ gave Paul his apostolic authority.
* Ephesians 2:1–10 explains how we are dead in sin but made alive in Christ through his resurrection.
* In Philippians 3:1–11, Paul teaches that the resurrection is infinitely better than religion.
* Colossians 1:15–20 speaks of the preeminence of the risen Jesus over every created thing.
* Colossians 2:6–15 and 3:1 say that we have been raised with Christ.
* 1 Thessalonians 1:2–10 encourages Christians to wait patiently for the second coming of the risen Jesus.
* 1 Thessalonians 4:16 teaches us that at the second coming of Jesus Christ, the dead in Christ will rise like him to be with him.
* 2 Timothy 2:1–13 reveals Paul using the resurrection of Jesus Christ as motivation for a life of faithful ministry in the midst of suffering and trial.
* 2 Timothy 2:17–18 actually names false teachers who denied the resurrection, and Paul declares them to be heretics for doing so.
* Hebrews 6:1–2 lists the doctrine of the resurrection among the most elemental and essential of Christian truths to learn.
* Hebrews 13:20–21 reminds us that the same God who raised Jesus from death is faithful to keep his promises to his people as well.
* 1 Peter 1:3–9 speaks of the inheritance that Jesus has purchased for us through his resurrection and how our suffering in this life reminds us of him until we rise in his kingdom.
* 1 Peter 3:21–22 and Romans 6:5 explain how the Christian act of baptism shows us the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, which cleanses us from sin.
* 1 John 3:2 says that a Christian’s resurrection body will be like Jesus’ risen body.
* Revelation 1:17–18 reveals Jesus as the Alpha and Omega who was dead and is now alive.

MORE Great Testimonies from Lake City Small Groups!

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After so much positive feedback from the first round of inspiring testimonies from LCCC Small Groups, I’m happy to present several “MORE Great Testimonies from Lake City Small Groups!”

1.         Earl and Sue Kolb’s Group—Observing Small Group Communion (Acts 2:42-47)

Does communion belong in a list of creative ways to worship as a small group? OR, is it an intrinsic and central part to life as the “church scattered?” I am more convinced that the latter is truer to the New Testament’s guidelines.


Earl and Sue’s group was the latest to observe communion together. Here’s what Earl had to say about the experience:

“I conducted Communion with our Small Group on 4 Mar 11.  This was a new experience.  All the members were excited.  The plan was each individual would first share their testimony.  I started by giving my testimony and a couple of times I rededicated my life when my children were dedicated.  This set the tone, and I went around to each member who then gave their testimonies.

“I then read from I Corinthians 11, explained the purpose of communion and the symbolic meaning.  I then passed the elements to each person; then we prayed and partook of the elements.

“After a moment or so, I reflected back on what we had just done and asked for each member’s thoughts.  They felt it was good and were glad we did it.  One member stated the timing was perfect since we had just finished the Heaven Series and were now ready to go back to our study of the Book of John.”

2.         Terry and Judy Olson Group—Sharing Personal Testimonies within Your Group

Terry and Judy recently wrote this about their group’s sharing personal testimonies together: “The past three times we have met, people have been sharing their personal testimonies. This has been a very positive experience. It has brought the group closer together.”

Yes, sharing salvation stories within your group is an important activity which not only brings everyone closer together (Rom. 14:19), it also glorifies God (Ps. 118:21), reveals if each member is actually a believer (2 Cor 13:5), and ensures that all are able to share their faith (2 Pet. 3:15). Great job, Olson group, and others who have already done this!

3.         Clint and Tami Johnson Group—Active in Service and Outreach

My family had the pleasure of joining the Johnson group for an idea/planning dinner with the YFC staff at the Tillicum Drop-In Center. This group’s outreach commitment is inspiring. As a result of that meeting, the Johnson group has committed to partner with YFC by:

  • Hosting a large dinner for the kids, similar to last year, where we brought dinner for around 30-40 kids, served, ate and cleaned up with the kids.
  • Running a cooking class with kids at the center this summer.
  • Connecting with families of the community through a bike clinic (providing bikes, fixing bikes, putting on bike flags, and sharing Christ)

4.         Four Challenging New Studies (All of these are available for future use.)

 

1) Crazy Love – After the Hewitt group’s amazing experience with this Francis Chan study last year, the Oury and Johnson groups jumped into it this year, with similarly encouraging results.

2) Radical – Haven’t heard of David Platt’s book yet? You will. The Higbee group is pioneering this still unrefined small group study of one of the most challenging books of our time.

3) Vintage Jesus – The R. Williams group has been enjoying studying and discussing Mark Driscoll’s deep and different perspective on the Man who is God.

4) 10 Dumb Things that Smart Christians Believe – Three groups are working through this challenging little book, with some pretty interesting results.

A few future items that are sure to generate more great small group testimonies:

  • New draft of Small Group Adopted Missionaries is coming soon!
  • LCCC’s Second Annual Faith In Action (FIA), July 30/31 – Small Groups, Prepare!
  • GREAT IDEA: Someone to start a Saturday Night Group at 7:30pm, during the youth group’s new meeting time. Anyone interested? Just contact me at reg.overstreet@lc3.com.
  • End of semester party for anyone involved in leading small groups. Watch for more info about that, soon!

Blessings on your homes,

Pastor Reg