Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Small Groups - A Great Way to Get Connected!

This entry is an excerpt from the MG Spring 2010 Newsletter, click on the title above to see more articles like this from the newsletter.

Pastor Jim is on a mission! He has taken on the task of visiting each of our Small Groups. Did you know there are approximately 25 Small Groups here at Myrtle Grove? And why is he doing this you might ask? Because he is passionate about creating a Community of caring Believers. He believes a Small Group must be more than a Bible Study to be a real community. And that Small Groups must be a safe place where: 1) We can grow in intimacy with God. 2) We can be in Deeper Community with other Believers. 3) And where we can be of significant influence in the world.

Recently Pastor Jim visited my Small Group (led by Jim & Betty Sabin along with Ken & Wendy Ramsey). Pastor Jim challenged us to become a cohesive ―community,‖ sharing and identifying in one another's pain. He also shared some alarming statistics: Researchers have found that the most isolated people were three times more likely to die prematurely than those with strong relational connections. And that people who had poor health habits but strong social ties still lived significantly longer than people who had good health habits but were isolated. In other words, it is better to eat Twinkies with good friends than to eat chocolate alone!

George Gallup, of the Gallup Organization, the most reliable and widely quoted research firm, states, ―Americans are among the loneliest people in the world. In the midst of our busy lives, overcommitted schedules and congested cities, we feel alone. We are acquainted with many people, but, known by none.‖
God says that it is not good for us to be alone. The issue here isn’t simply having more people around. It’s not even an issue of ―getting married,‖ in fact some of the loneliest people in the world are married. It’s simply an issue of ―being known.‖ God says it’s not good for any of us not to be known. We were created for community. We were meant to do life together. The truth is we only feel loved to the extent that we are known.

Looking for a way to get plugged in? Call Pastor Jim Glasgow, 910.791.6179, to see how you can get plugged into a Small Group.

Therefore Believers, don’t remain under the curse of sophistication. By God’s grace you can risk ―being known.‖ And it can begin by simply learning to be more honest and more real in your Small Groups.

For example, the Apostle Paul (2 Cor. 1:1-11) could have turned his pain into pity, but God converted his pain to power. His sufferings could’ve become misery but God converted them to ministry.

It’s not what you have gone through that matters most, but what you do with it. Will you allow God to make your misery a ministry?

Finally, if the Apostle Paul, perhaps the greatest Christian that ever lived, needed the support of a small group, how much more do we?
Get connected. If you are not in a Small Group, please call and let us help you get plugged into a small, caring community of believers.

If your Small Group has not yet heard from Pastor Jim, please call the church office and schedule a time for him to visit your Small Group. So get the coffee pot brewing, he’ll be coming around soon!

Yours In Christ,
Beth Jarrott