I remember my first day at Vineyard Church of North Phoenix. It was August of 2004. I decided to go try out this church with a co-worker. I was instantly impressed with the worship and the message that Pastor Brian gave. I loved that Brian and Thora were both teachers before they worked full time for the the church. As a teacher myself, I felt drawn in by the way the message was presented. While I loved my experiences each Sunday, I realized that I needed more than just a message each week, I needed community. I heard many messages over the next year about small groups and being an active participant at church. I realized that active was a key word to feel connected. I decided that small group was my first step in being an active participant. My first step was taking a look at the small groups offered, and I chose a group that was a women’s group for young adults. At first my attendance was not regular at small group. I was a teacher and a coach, and I had to miss more Tuesdays than I wanted to. I also chose to not participate in the social outings the group did. I thought if I just went to the meetings where we discussed the lesson, I would feel plugged in; however, that was not the case. As time passed, I realized that I was still lacking the close connections that I desired. I had no family in Arizona and was lonely for people who would show family love to me. It wasn’t long before God put on my heart to start engaging in social outings too. Once I did that, God really blessed me in the area of friendship. Immediately God surrounded me with a group of women who got me through my pregnancy and the delivery of my daughter. My family could not be here for this very important time in my life, but God placed his family in my life to bridge the gap. Since then some of us have had to come and go out of this group, but we are still soul sisters. We would be there for one another no matter what the circumstance. From this group, I have been blessed with god sisters who are not only sisters to me but serve as God aunts to my daughter. I have even been blessed with a mother figure in my life as well. She is the mother of one of the girls in my small group. We spend many holidays together, and we are truly family through the highs and lows of life. I may not have my mom in Arizona, but God has made sure that I have a mom in Arizona. Now that is God’s provision my friend. The Lord promises us in Philippians 4:19 My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. If you are seeking true Christian fellowship, I pray you join a small group and see how richly God will bless you as you do life together in His name.
Blessings,
Jessica
So very true!!
So helpful! We went to a very large church years ago (from a medium to small church). I remember knowing if I wasn’t involved (they had excellent small groups w/retreats for them by age) I would be a nameless face who says hi to people in front and back of the pew. This also gave opportunities for service. I see more now how God meant for us to be in “community”, & like you said it does take effort. I just recently saw the emphasis on that in the OUR Father throughout the prayer–for years I heard it singularly. Duh!
So true. Small groups are such a lifeline!