Small Groups

My oldest daughter, Abi, is currently in that stage of life where her precious smile is akin to that of a hockey player who lost too many fights. It seems like every few days she has a new wiggly tooth and every couple of weeks one of them ends up falling out. For the past couple of days she’s had a lot of fun flashing me her “holey” smile. She’s had a tooth that she could bend forward and stick out of her mouth in a pretty goofy way. She’s gotten a lot of laughs out of her snaggle tooth, her changing smile, and her increasingly toothless grin. Just this morning during breakfast she looked up at me and announced with a cheer, “Hey, my tooth fell out.” She and her sister celebrated the occasion with laughs and giggles.

It’s funny how such a seemingly small event in one’s life can lead to such celebration when life is lived with a joyful heart. I can only remember losing a couple of my teeth. I’m sure I lost them all, and then grew them back again. But it’s a passing moment. Momentous to a degree, but not quite on par with graduation or marriage or baptism. Not a moment I would have thought to celebrate. Not until I saw my daughter’s glowing joy from this passing moment.

And I fear that I miss countless moments like that every day. I’m a pretty relaxed and easy-going guy. I try to live in a spirit of joy. But I’ve outgrown that childhood spirit that celebrates constantly the little things. I want to regain that. I want our groups to regain that. I wonder if sometimes we miss celebrating some of the smaller victories right in front of us because we’re holding out for the “big” moments. Let’s remember to keep watch for little things: a group member who shares her heart unexpectedly, a group member that prays in the meeting for his first time, a group member who is reading her bible more, a member who has a tough conversation with his boss about integrity and ethics, members attending consistently. Look for the little things, draw attention to them, and celebrate them with your group – because sometimes those little things are really a lot bigger than we think. And, of course keep celebrating the big moments, too.

It’s time to get your group revved up for the Small Group EXTRAVAGANZA. On Thursday March 11th we’ll gather in Centennial Hall from 6:30-8:30 pm.* Dessert and childcare are provided.

This night promises to be full of fierce, fun, hilarious competition between groups. The competition will consist of numerous random trivia components coupled with a few skill challenges. By the end of the night we’ll know which group is the zaniest, the most creative, and the most knowledgeable of useless facts.

Points will be awarded that night for successful completion of skill challenges and trivia components. However, your group can earn BONUS POINTS ahead of time in a variety of ways…

BONUS POINTS will be awarded for:
30 pts. – Best uniform and/or mascot
20 pts. – Super early registration by noon on March 1st
10 pts. – Early registration by noon on March 7th
15 pts. – Get your group picture taken with Fitz & Eddie Lowen by March 8th
10 pts. – Get your group picture taken with Fitz or Eddie Lowen by March 8th
(15 additional pts. are available if your group is in uniform and/or with the mascot in these pictures)
10 pts. – bring 2 items/group member to donate to the Food Pantry

REGISTER your group for this event  by contacting Elizabeth Wenzel (ElizabethW@wschurch.org) or by stopping by the counter in the concourse on Sunday Feb. 28 or March 7.

*Please note the change in time. We’ve bumped it up a half hour to better accommodate groups with young children.

Here is the small group curriculum for week 4 of  the sermon series What Would Jesus Hate?  

wwjh – wk4 group member guide
wwjh – wk4 leader guide

Sunday, February 21, Noon-1:30 in Centennial Hall
Training Event for All Small Group Leaders and Apprentices

Training Topic – Shepherding Amongst Wolves

The single most important aspect of small group leadership is shepherding and caring for group members. The world provides a number of challenges to our role as shepherds. In this training luncheon we’ll explore some technology available to help us better care for our people by staying in better communication with one another. Josh LeVeque will be our guest presenter for this event, and he’ll be training us on the use of the Small Group Leader’s Toolbox. You won’t want to miss this.

Lunch and Childcare will be provided by RSVP. Please contact Elizabeth Wenzel to confirm your RSVP by Wednesday February 17:
ElizabethW@wschurch.org

If your small group is looking for a place to serve, and if your group wants to make a difference in the lives of some next generation leaders, then you might want to take a look at this. Every Friday night the Christian Student Fellowship at UIS and LLCC offers a free meal and bible study to college students. These meals are provided by local churches, families, and individuals who want to encourage and partner with the campus ministry. Your group could prepare a meal from scratch or order out from the pizza place. The options are wide open, and the college students aren’t too picky. Your group would be responsible for providing food, drinks, and paper products. In return for your service you’ll get a lot of thanks and a chance to help out and interact with some future leaders. If your group wants to serve in this way, or assist the campus ministry in any other way, contact Gretchen Magruder at gretchen@uiscsf.org or 217-498-7749.

Here is the small group curriculum for the sermon series What Would Jesus Hate?  

WWJH Week 3 Leader Guide
WWJH Week 3 Group Guide

Week 2 Group Guide
Week 2 Leader Guide

WWJH Week 1 Group Guide
WWJH Week 1 Leader Guide

Are you in a groove, or stuck in a rut? This is a critical diagnostic question. It’s good to be in a groove. There’s usually momentum when we’re in a groove. We tend to stay on track when we’re in a groove. The path is smoother when we’re in a groove. And life is good, even groovy (sorry, I couldn’t resist) there. We can feel pretty good about ourselves when we’re in the groove. Usually this means we’re doing a good job and that we’re on top of our game.

But then it happens. We wake up one day and realize that we’re no longer in a groove; we’re stuck in a rut. How’s it happen? It’s a natural tendency for people to let their guard down when things are going well. We tend to get a little lazier when we’ve been grooving for a while. We tend to get a little overconfident in our ability and trust too much in our performance. And then our groove, our smooth path, starts treading over the same ground. We don’t push ourselves to perform at the higher level. We don’t stretch ourselves. We take a little too long to rest in the comfort that comes with being in the groove. And we don’t realize that our wheels are slowly cutting deeper and deeper into the ground, changing our groove to a rut. And then we get stuck facing the frustration of lost momentum.

And the deeper the rut, the harder it is to get unstuck. There’s a principle in physics that states that it’s easier to keep an object moving than it is to get an object moving. This principle applies all the more to an object that is stuck in a rut than one that’s poised for movement on level ground. This principle applies to small groups, too. It’s easier to keep a group heading in the right direction than it is to redirect a “stuck” or frustrated group. So, it’s important to periodically check with your group members to get their input on how group is going. You can do this by talking with individuals over lunch or coffee, or even spend a session with the entire group evaluating how group is going. What you’ll likely find is that members identify the rut long before you do and help you avoid it by capitalizing on the momentum that’s already being generated.