What's in a Group?
November 6, 2019 | Andy Lynch
Seven guys sit in a circle in the living room and pray for each other. Each one takes a turn. Every man closes their portion of the prayer with these simple, yet profound words, “Thank you for putting this group together, God.” It’s a prayer that’s repeated week after week. It’s a group that was formed at the Men’s Retreat in January and is still going strong this fall. What an amazing story of LIFE. And the cool thing is, that’s just one of our 57 group stories at Kingsway (with more starting every month!)
Life is just richer when you do it with people who care about you. Just ask some of our Group Leaders.
Dana Qualls said that this year, “All of my ladies opened up and began sharing their thoughts and feelings and struggles more freely. Our prayers have become much deeper and more honest than ever.”
Don Ulrey’s group loved one friend well to the end. He shared, “We worked at her home to clean up her landscaping and add mulch. She was so appreciative since she couldn't begin to do it herself, and she passed away shortly after we got it done. It was truly a blessing to all of us knowing how she felt when we took care of it for her.”
Another leader shared how excited they were that their group was birthing another life group. Birthing seems like a good word – because groups become family. And just like our own families, it can often take time. It’s consistently meeting, week after week, until we know we can trust these new people. It’s time spent studying the Bible, as we get a chance to read what Jesus did and said, and figure out how it may apply to us today. It’s time spent taking trips together – to Wheeler Mission to serve, or to Cincinnati for a riverboat cruise. You live life together, you joke, you laugh, you cry. Heaven comes to earth because the Spirit of the Lord is in those people, in that place.
And all that time together becomes something so much more when one of the group members, perhaps the quiet one who sits in the corner, opens his mouth to share on a cold winter evening. The fireplace is crackling, and our friend shares more about his life in those five quiet minutes, then he ever has.
He knows he is safe. He knows we will pray with him and support him. He knows we will walk alongside him, down this road that God is leading him down.
Change is happening. Miraculous change. God is showing him a path; her a mission. Where real-life matters and these other time-fillers no longer mean as much. Where people find a purpose for their life and a calling to join forces with the Creator of the Universe in a life-giving adventure, greater than the ones we see in movies.
This is what it means to be a part of a group. These are the best moments of my life. Join us on this journey of LIFE! God has something special planned for all of us!
If you are interested in learning more about joining a group, click here.