Small Groups

Often times the physical world we inhabit offers windows into spiritual realities. Because all truth is God’s truth we repeatedly find that concepts in science transfer to principles of faith. God’s world is consistent with His Word, and all of creation points to Him as Designer.

On Thursday, February 23, from 6:00pm-8:30pm we’ll be investigating the Physics of Small Groups at our annual Small Group Leader Spring Training. Whether you are a seasoned small group leader or you are just getting started in that role, you’ll want to attend this event. We’ll offer strategies to help you refine your leadership skills while equipping you with practical methods to lead your small group into deeper waters of spiritual maturity and spiritual enthusiasm. We’ll also cast vision for our ministry, set some goals for our groups, and group up with our huddles for discussion and prayer.  

As usual, dinner and childcare are provided with RSVP to Ruby (RubyR@wschurch.org) by February 17.

Our worship and technical arts teams have been hard at work creating a powerful and moving Christmas Eve experience this year: SHINE (http://www.wschurch.org/arena/default.aspx?page=3379&promotionId=809). Through a dramatic and interactive experience, SHINE will tell the Christmas story in a way that moves us to worship and celebrate our awesome God.

You may want to consider inviting your Small Group to join you at one of the Christmas Eve services at the church. Participating in a worship experience like SHINE can be a great bonding moment for your group. Consider inviting them to join you for snacks and drinks in Fireside Café before or after the service. You might also challenge your group members to each invite someone to join them at SHINE, and plan to all attend the same service and get together afterwards for a time of fellowship where you can introduce your guests to one another and the group.

Service times:

Thursday, December 22nd – 7:00pm

Friday, December 23rd – 7:00pm

Saturday, December 24th – 2:00pm and 4:00pm

I pray that you and your group have a very merry Christmas, recognizing the incredible gift we recieved at the first Christmas.

Maybe your group would like to provide dozens of cookies for this outreach.

• If so, consider hosting a cookie making and baking party with your group.

Would your group like to provide pairs of boots for kids at Harvard Park.

• Consider shopping together for the boots as a group.

Is your group interested in packaging and distributing the boots and/or food collected for this project?

• Then you may want to consider signing your group up in advance for one of the shifts. Space is limited in the packaging and delivery areas, but volunteers are needed. So, we’re providing an advanced sign-up for small groups to better provide your group with the chance to serve together.

Here’s what you need to do:

• Contact your group and decide which of the shifts (listed below) work best for your group.
• Contact Michelle Engle (mengle@illinicc.net) to request that shift.( All-church sign-ups for these serving opportunities are this weekend, so you may want to contact her prior to Sunday morning to ensure the best chance of getting your preferred shift.)
• Enjoy serving together

Volunteer Shifts:

Sunday   12/4,     2:00–4:00PM at West Side to check in boots

Monday  12/5,      6:00–8:00PM at West Side to check in boots

Sunday  12/11,     2:00–4:00PM at West Side to check in boots

Monday  12/12,     6:00–8:00PM at West Side to check in boots

Thursday 12/15,    8:00AM-? meet atWest Side, load boots and take to HP to distribute to classrooms

Saturday  12/17,   9:00– 11:00AM, 12:00–2:00PM and 2:00–4:00PM at County Market

Sunday    12/18,   1:00–3:00PM and 3:00–5:00PM at County Market

Monday   12/19,    8:00–10:00AM, 10:00AM–Noon, Noon –2:00PM, 2:00–3:30PM and 3:30–5:00PM at Harvard Park

Tuesday   12/20,   same as Monday 12/19

*Children 5 and up are welcome to participate; parents are responsible for keeping their children safe and on task.

The holiday season is upon us. In a few days many of us will be overstuffed with turkey and pumpkin pie. Stores have sent out their ads in preparation for Black Friday. Small catalogs of toys have mysteriously made their way into my children’s hands. Christmas decorations have been on sale in most department stores for over a month now. The weather is turning colder. And the nights are getting longer. During this time of year you may experience a nudge to do something kind for others. During the holiday season I find myself reflecting more on the blessings in my life. And during this time of year we may feel a heightened sensitivity for those in need.

In the spirit of our current series, generoUS, I want to encourage you to lead your groups in the path of generosity and service. Schedule a time for your group to serve together (maybe even in place of a Christmas party).  Challenge your group members to serve with their families or on their own.  And here are a few great ways to reflect God’s generosity and serve this season:

Celebrating Christmas by Feeding Springfield Families

• 300 low-income families from Harvard Park Elementary School
• 420+ children, spending two weeks at home during Christmas break with bare cupboards
• Hundreds of kids without winter boots to keep their feet warm and dry
• 1 generous church determined to feed and clothe them

When asked to identify the two greatest needs of Harvard Park families during the winter season, school leaders suggested food and winter boots.  This Christmas, West Side Christian Church will bring help and hope to our community by providing two-weeks of groceries for all Harvard Park families and winter boots for every Harvard Park child. 

Choose one or more ways to bring help and hope this Christmas:

• Donate money for food.

To ensure consistency among the meals and recipes provided for each family and to secure the most significant bulk discount possible, only monetary donations will be collected for the grocery portion of this project.  Approximately $30,000 worth of groceries are needed to make this goal a reality. 

• Bake Cookies.

Each Harvard Park family will receive two-dozen homemade cookies.  Willing to bake with love?  Let us know!

• Purchase snow boots for a specific child.

Select a specific child (name, age and gender provided) and have fun shopping for snow boots with them in mind.

• Assist with packaging and distribution

A variety of volunteer roles are available for people of all ages during distribution week:  Wednesday, December 13- Tuesday, December 20.

 To Register

Receive more info, register to participate or donate funds at the HOPE table in the concourse on Sundays at West Side, or at the church office during the week.

 Tell others!

Spread the word about Hope for the Holidays in your workplace or neighborhood. 

St. John’s Breadline

One small group recently assembled over 250 zip lock bags of toiletry items (toothbrushes, toothpaste, floss, soap, wash cloths, hand wipes, lotion, band aids, etc.). Then then distributed those bags at the Breadline, which is a good place to gain awareness of and access to the homeless in Springfield.  The Breadline is also in need of people to assemble and distribute gloves or mittens, stocking caps, or especially socks (which are good because they can also be used as mittens).

Inner City Mission

One small group has adopted Inner City Mission as their place of service throughout 2011, and will continue to serve there during 2012. They provide meals, coffee, and fellowship for the residents. They also serve meals to the residents.  Simply interacting with the residents there by doing things like reading to the children and sharing a cup of coffee while encouraging the moms provides a needed ministry.

Want to serve with other groups?

If your group would like to serve in one of these areas, but is unsure of going at it alone, don’t worry – we have groups who would love to partner with your groupsin these serving options. If you’d like to find a partner or mentor group, please contact fitz@wschurch.org.

The generoUS series begins this Sunday, November 20th.  The stand-alone one-session small group study that accompanies this series is available now. You can pick up the DVD* and Study Guide at either the Info Desk in the concourse or at the Church Office.  Or, your group may prefer to utilize the discussion guides found at the end of each week of the generoUS devotional.  In either case, I strongly recommend that you take advantage of the daily devotional during this series, allowing God to remind you of His astounding generous love, and letting Him direct you in new paths of generosity in all areas of your life.  Don’t miss out on this important transformational opportunity.

* The DVD is a short 4-minute welcome and introduction to the generoUS material, featuring Eddie Lowen.

I’d like to introduce you to Ruby Sherpinsky, the new Administrative Assistant for Small groups here at WSCC.

Ruby has served in the role of Administrative Assistant to the Student Ministries Team at WSCC for the past several years, and has now transitioned into the SG ministry. Here’s a brief interview with Ruby to help you get to know her:

Tell us a little bit about your family:  “My husband David and I both work at West Side.  We have been married for 4 ½ years.  In July, we (meaning I) had our first child Owen; he is 4 months old today!  We also have a Soft-Haired Wheaton Terrier named Hank. We love our crazy lives and wouldn’t have it any other way.”

 How long have you attended WSCC?  “8 years”

What are you most looking forward to about serving as the SG AA?  “I love change.  Going from student ministry to small groups is a big change.  I am also looking forward to working with Fitz and doing ministry with him as a team.”

What’s your favorite snack?  “Ice Cream”

What are your hobbies?  “Organizing, minimal craft projects, hanging out with friends, talk radio, watching reality TV”

What makes you laugh?  “Faces that babies make, and animal bloopers”

What are some of your loves?  “My God, my husband David, my son Owen, my family, my dog Hank, & Ross Isaac Lamb Chops”

Do you have a pet peeve?  “Nose hairs”

What’s your greatest fear?  “Living life on auto-pilot”

Please join me in welcoming Ruby to the team. You can contact her at RubyS@wschurch.org. I’m excited to work with her as we continue to amp up the Small Group Ministry here at WSCC.

New Resource Page

We’ve recently added a new Resource Link on the SG Leader’s Page. Check it out here: http://smallgroups.wschurch.org/resources/ . * You can also get to it be visiting the SG Leader’s Page and clicking the link to the left of the blog articles.  We’ll be regularly adding content to this site to better help you lead your group. Feel free to recommend any resources you’d like to see us include. Send your suggestions to fitz@wschurch.org.

generoUS series

The generoUS series begins November 20^th.  Be sure to pick up your curriculum either at the church office or the Info Desk. The curriculum will be available beginning this Sunday. The DVD intro for the series will be available at the church office and the Info Desk beginning next Sunday. Be sure to plan an evening to dig into this study – it’s the last component of the Fall Emphasis this year.

*The system accidentally sent an update message that you likely received the other day. Sorry about that. And I promise that this link actually works.

As you make plans for your small group for the remainder of the year, remember that we have a high impact sermon series titled GeneroUS that will begin on Sunday, November 20^th.

A four-week devotional with a small group discussion component that accompanies this series will be available. However, we recognize that most of our groups would have trouble fitting in another four-week study on the heels of WEiRD, especially during the busy holiday season. So…we’ve developed a stand-alone one-session small group study to accompany the GeneroUS series.

The guide will be available to pick-up at the Info Desk and the church office beginning Sunday, November 13. We’ll have a short DVD that introduces the lesson, available for pick-up at the Info Desk and the church office beginning Sunday, November 20.

I’m excited by what I’ve seen God do in my group and others during the WEiRD series. I’m excited to hear more stories of how God is moving in your small group during this season. And I’m excited for our groups to encounter and respond to the generosity of God in fresh ways during this series.

This is the week when we see that God’s design for sex looks pretty weird when compared to our culture’s normal approach to this subject. And, for the SG time associated with this week’s message, you may want to consider making a couple changes to the “normal” routine for your group.

If your group is comprised of both males and females, then you may want to consider splitting the group this week. I suggest having the men meet together in a separate room from the women. Because this is a difficult subject for many to talk openly about in public, I encourage you to thoughtfully create the safest possible context for conversation. The right environment will foster authenticity in the conversation. The wrong environment may prove destructive to the growth of the group. While some people may not have trouble talking about this subject, and they may find it weird to split the group up, other’s will likely feel a sense of relief and appreciation. May God work amazing things in your small group through the weird discussion you’ll have this week.

As of this week, Tracy Scarlette will no longer be the Administrative Assistant for the Small Group Ministry  at WSCC. She will be returning to the dental office where she previously worked (and which has been eager to have her return ever since her departure).  Tracy made this decision after much prayer and thoughtful consideration. So, it is with sadness that we say good-bye to Tracy in this important role. But, I take encouragement knowing that Tracy will enter her new role with a renewed zeal to minister to others. And, we celebrate that she will still be an active member of our church.

Please join me in thanking Tracy for the dedication and excellence she gave to our ministry. The Small Group Ministry at West Side Christian Church is better because of her.  She helped improve processes, refine systems, and raise the bar for how ministry is done. She served with humility and devotion, choosing to stay in a behind-the-scenes role while modeling servant leadership. When you see Tracy at church, around town, or maybe even at the dentist’s office, be sure to thank her for serving as the WSCC Small Groups Administrative Assistant and encourage her as she transitions from her role here. 

Tracy, thank you for serving us. May God use you beyond what you ask or imagine to further His kingdom work and advance His Gospel.

(Any small group communication that previously would have gone to Tracy may be sent to me at Fitz@wschurch.org)