Tip for the season:   Getting Around to it…

Mission is an important part of small group life. It is often stated that when a small group does not include mission at some point in its life, the group becomes ingrown and ineffective. How about taking some time to evaluate this particular ingredient in your small group experience? Whether you are a city church or live in a small community, there are many opportunities for serving one another. Within the context of your group members there is often a need for assistance. And your church offers many opportunities for support and helps. Here are a few ideas. Make an effort this spring season to implement mission into your group life.

• Assist a group member with a personal/material need
• Consider a church project that could use several helping hands
• Discover a need in a neighborhood represented by a group member
• Donate a Saturday to a community project in your area 
• Adopt a youth headed for a missions trip for his/her prayer and financial support
• Commit a weekend day to an outreach project such as soup kitchens or shelters

When we initially form our small groups, we should think about the four essential ingredients of small group life: nurture, fellowship, worship and mission.  We usually do well with the first three. “Getting around to doing the mission part” is often more difficult because it takes time to plan and to get people together outside the group. However, extending ourselves beyond the confines of our group and into a needy world actuates the mandate that we are to “love one another”. The options are numerous and diverse!  It’s a wonderful opportunity to bond closer to group members as well as model Christian love and care for others.

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”   John 13:34-35