small groups, big opportunity

Representatives and leaders of Bethel’s small groups gathered recently to discuss the big plans for the upcoming church season being hatched by the Small Group Support Team.  While the fall may seem a long way off, great things take time to plan, and we think great things are going to happen come September.  

Here is what we have to look forward to:  starting in the new church year, we will be encouraging the whole church to become involved in a forty-day program of study and fellowship centered on the theme The Spirit-Filled Community.  It will kick off with a pot-luck banquet for all participants, followed by a series of six weekly Bible Studies based on the messages preached on Sunday mornings.  (Participants will be welcome to study the material with their current small group or join a new group especially for this purpose.)

People with a history at Bethel Church will recall the positive impact other forty-day programs have had on the church.  The Forty Days of Purpose and Forty Days of Community initiatives are still positive memories in the minds of many Bethelites.

All the small group leaders and reps have agreed to help raise up new leaders from their current small groups for this special thrust.  Our goal is to make room for absolutely everyone who wants to take part in the program—the whole church if possible.  We know that the more people who are committed the greater the potential to enrich the whole church, strengthen our current small groups, and create even more small groups.  Mark your calendars!  --Pastor Tom

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