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Jun
1
F Leader , I Leader , Susan Hill

3 Summer Ideas for Building Community in Your LIFE Group

By Susan Hill 

We all know that social outings are a great way to build community in your LIFE Group. There is something about getting outside of the space that the group typically meets in that provides group members with an environment to build closer relationships.

With the summer months upon us, here are 3 ideas for social outings for your LIFE Group:

  1. Plan a picnic lunch after church at a local park. Pick a central location and ask everyone to bring a covered dish. Encourage group members to bring their children and extended families. This is a great way to get to know one another and get outside and enjoy the weather.
  2. Have a cookout at a group member’s home, preferably at a location where you don’t typically meet. For group members with limited space, it’s much easier to host a gathering in the summer months since outside yards and patios can be utilized. Also, this is a great opportunity to invite unconnected neighbors to meet people in your LIFE Group.
  3. Consider signing up as a group to serve in the community. Summer months offer more opportunity with local service projects that might include basic house repair for the elderly or yard projects. Check with Adult Discipleship or Missions for various ways your LIFE Group can serve in the community.

 
Summer months are a great time to plan activities outside of group and spend time getting to know each other. People attend LIFE Groups to grow in their relationship with Christ and to connect in biblical community. Also, social outings have the potential to be evangelistic in nature, because unconnected people will often attend a social gathering much quicker than they will agree to come to church or LIFE Group. Let’s be sure to provide multiple opportunities for people to connect.
 
 

May
28
F Leader , Jay Fennell , L Leader

Prayer Time in Your LIFE Group

by Jay Fennell

Prayer time in the LIFE Group gathering is a very important time. It’s a benefit of “life together” in community and comforting to know that other Christ followers are praying with you and for you. So prayer time must be considered important every time the LIFE Group gathers at their regular meeting time.
But In my years of leading a LIFE Group and interacting with other LIFE Groups, I’ve observed how leaders handle prayer time in many different ways. Some ways are effective, but sometimes prayer time in LIFE Groups can get out of hand….dozens of requests voiced and the real pressure to pray for each individual request. If you’re not careful or organized, this process can take over half the time your group meets.   
Is your group prayer time lasting too long and cutting into the teaching/facilitating time? Do you need to bring order to your prayer time?
Consider these 5 ideas:

  1. Move prayer time to the last 5 minutes of class.
  2. Ask members to write their requests on a sheet that is passed around. Have someone copy the sheet to share with the class; one person reads the list (always takes less time than persons telling their story) and prays.
  3. Pass out index cards; ask them to put requests and their names on cards; redistribute the cards asking the class to pray.
  4. Keep an ongoing sheet with the regular requests on it so they don’t have to be shared again every week.
  5. Divide into prayer groups (leader with 3-5 people) and ask them to take 5 minutes to share requests and pray.