Thursday, February 17, 2011

Saying good-bye for now

As most of you know, we held a funeral service for Linda Harrold at the church. It was a beautiful service of which I had a small part. The auditorium was filled to capacity. It was a tremendous testament to the impact that Linda had on so many folks in this community.

I was extremely proud on how our folks worked together to provide both the facility and the meal following the service at the cemetery. It was a great blessing to Linda’s family as well as a witness to the community of our congregation’s sense of community.

As I mentioned in my words at the service, I did not really get to know Linda until I started leading the small group she attended at the home of Scott and Melissa Flack. This is incident reinforced in my mind and heart just how essential small group involvement is. As a group, we were able to walk through some difficult times in Linda’s life, and offer encouragement.

This past Sunday was the start up of our small groups. I could not help but think about Linda as we began our group. She will be missed. However, the opportunity for you to be blessed and encourage still exists. If you have not attended a small group, I cannot stress enough how important it is to your spiritual development.

There are three groups and plans for a few more. Our next small group meetings will be Sunday, February 27th at the following locations and times:

4pm – the home of Scott and Melissa Flack

6pm – the home of Jason and Rachel Smith (childcare provided)

6pm – the home of Troy and Kristina Yeoman

There are also plans being made to begin a small group specifically for singles that will launch in March.

Our vision is to become a place where people experience transforming grace in genuine community. Genuine community begins with getting involved in a small group and doing life “together”!