As promised during our Sunday morning service, here is our lineup for our winter community groups.  Please note that due to the lengths of the studies, availability of teachers, and other factors that there are a variety of start dates.  To sign up for a group or if you have any questions, please email Kris or register online.

Here and Now...Then and There:  A Lecture Series on Revelation

Each week the class will discuss reflections on weekly homework assignments and view a 1 hour lesson from Beth Moore.  The goal in tackling this final and somewhat mysterious book of Scripture is to explore various interpretations of scholars and to see, on Beth’s words, how “God is as deliberate about what He doesn’t tell us as what He does.”  Most of all this study will enlarge the love of God in your hearts and increase the sense of urgency in sharing gospel truth with the lost.  This group will meet for 12 weeks.

Class Meeting times:

Sundays 1/16/11-4/3/11 from 5:00-7:00 pm at the home of Mary Ann Tyler

Thursdays 1/20-11-4/7/11 from 10:00 am-noon at the home of Mary Ann Tyler

Thursdays 1/20-11-4/7/11 from 7:00-9:00 pm at the home of Mary Ann Tyler

Thursdays 1/20/11-4/7/11 from 1:00-3:00 pm in the WSBC Dining Room led by dona Jarvis

Sent:  Living the Missional Nature of the Church

Throughout history, God has always been a sender. After all, He sent us His Son, who in turn sends us. With Sent: Living the Missional Nature of the Church, Ed Stetzer issues a call to a new kind of missional living, one that engages culture, enables Christians to live in the world while not being of the world, and motivates the purposeful sharing of the story of Christ.

Uncover the meaning of missional and explore where you fit into the overall purpose of the church.  This class will be led by Hayward Armstrong and will meet on Sunday Nights from 5:00-7:00 on the 4th floor of the main building at Walnut Street.  The class will last 5-7 weeks and will begin on Sunday February 6th.

Outlive Your Life by Max Lucado

These are difficult days in our world's history. 1.75 billion people are desperately poor, natural disasters are gouging entire nations, and economic uncertainty still reigns across the globe. But you and I have been given an opportunity to make a big difference.

What if we did? What if we rocked the world with hope? Infiltrated all corners with God's love and life? We are created by a great God to do great works. He invites us to outlive our lives, not just in heaven, but here on earth.

It’s not enough to do well. We want to do good. We want our lives to matter. So, let's live our lives in such a way that the world will be glad we did.

Join s for this 6 week study beginning Sunday February 6th at the home of Joe and Marilyn James at 5:00 pm.  By reading and discussing Lucado’s book Outlive Your Life, and watching a 20 minute video by Max Lucado each week, participants how they can live their lives to make a lasting eternal impact for God’s Kingdom.

Joshua:  Men of Character Series

This study for men will delve deep into the life of one of the most famous men from the Bible.  This study is part of a series that highlights the lives of men in the Bible and demonstrates that we cab still learn from their relationships-both with God and man.  Joshua faced trials, frustration, and failure, yet was inspired by God to achieve great things for His kingdom.  By digging deep into God’s word and studying the life of Joshua during this 7 week study, participants we will gain biblical principles and perspective on how they might lead their own lives to the glory of God and for the sake of His kingdom!

Class Meeting Times

Saturday Mornings at 8:00 am beginning February 12th in WSBC Dining Room led by Gerry Summerfield

Tuesday Mornings at 6:30 am beginning February 8th led by Kris Billiter.  Location TBD

Evangelism

The church is God’s plan for spreading the gospel, and there is no plan B.  This means God’s people must be committed to telling others the good news of Jesus Christ whenever the opportunity arises.  This class led by Dick Aylor will not only remind you of the biblical mandate of evangelism, but also equip participants to faithfully tell others about the hope found in Christ.  This class will feature of combination of lecture, book discussion, and activities to effectively equip participants to share their faith.  The class will start the week of February 27th with exact time and location to be determined.

One of the great blessings of going through David Platt's book Radical has been to hear the stories from many of you in our congregation about how God has used this book to make significant changes in your lives.  We have heard from those who have felt called to move into our church neighborhood to better minister to those around us.  We have heard from those who have felt God's call to adopt internationally.  There are those who have stepped out in faith in their giving.  Others have committed to being on mission both locally and abroad so that God's Kingdom might continue to spread.  Frankly it has been amazing to hear how God has moved in the hearts of many of our people over the past 3 months.

The stories we have heard have been wonderful, but we feel like we are just scratching the surface.  We know that there are countless other examples of people who have made new commitments as a result of God's use of Radical in their lives, so we want to hear your your story.  We are beginning the process of collection Radical stories from throughout our church. If you have a story to tell about how God has used this book in your life than we want to hear it.  By clicking here you can share your story with our church staff and we will be able to share it with others.  We believe that as others hear about the work God has done, they will be inspired to make commitments of their own, or follow through on the call that God has already laid on their hearts.

We look forward to hearing from you.  We can't wait to hear about what God has already done, and continue to see what God will do in the life of this church as we see individuals, this neighborhood, and this world transformed by the love and grace of Jesus Christ!

Scripture Memory Verse review: Heb 13:14 For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.

As we come near the completion of this study, begin to contemplate what, if anything, has changed in your heart and mind regarding what it means to follow Christ.

Next week we will have an opportunity for all who read the book (or did not read the book) to make a commitment regarding the Radical Experiment.

Are you ready to make such a commitment now? If not, why not? If not, would you pray today that God would show you how He would have you respond to this commitment?

Pray

Scripture Reading Heb 13:11-14

On several occasions some years ago, I heard preachers say, usually at conferences….”the safest place on earth to be is in the very center of God’s will.”

Now I read Radical. Platt says “We think, if it’s dangerous, God must not be in it. If it’s risky, if it’s unsafe, if it’s costly, it must not be God’s will….but what if the center of God’s will is in reality the most unsafe place for us to be?”

Why would any of us want to go out like he sends us…”like a sheep among wolves?” Jesus is telling us to hang out with the wolves. Is He crazy?

No.

Matthew 10 challenges us, causes us to deal with hard thoughts and questions.

Are you willing to make the sacrifices required to follow Him wherever He leads? How many times have you sung “Wherever He Leads” verse by verse? Did you mean it? Has the course of your life ever significantly changed direction as a result of your following Christ?

Pray

Scripture Reading John 15:18-25

Platt began the chapter with a thought from president Franklin Roosevelt…”Americans will postpone immediate gratification and even endure hard sacrifices if they are convinced their future will be better than the past. Americans are willing to take great risks, he said, if they believe it will accomplish great reward.”

He said that about Americans. Would he say the same today about the churches in America?

Pray