Don't forget the fun!

I don't know about you, but I want to be in the kind of Journey Group that laughs easily and often. There are certainly times when the group will be serious and maybe even somber, but hopefully that's not all the time. Having fun can be one of the greatest ways to lower our relational walls and help us open up with others. With that in mind, let me suggest a couple resources to help your group have fun... One great resource is website designed for student ministry (they definitely know fun). Their list of games and "crowd breakers" can be a great way to open your journey group time. Check out the website and see which ones your group might love to play.

Another great resource for fun is the "Minute To Win It" website. This TV show is a competition based on completing tasks within a 60 second window. Some tasks are simple and some seem to be based much more on chance than skill. It could be a lot of fun to pick on of these games and see which couple or person can do it the fastest or finish first. Check out their website for a list of games and supplies needed.

Looking down the road...

Hey Everybody, I hope you are all doing well today! As I'm looking ahead in the Journey Group year, I see a few important items that I want to share with you...

1. Even though our Journey Groups are just starting, I need help identifying people who can step up to lead groups in the future. We will be hosting a new leader orientation class in early November so that we can launch new groups for people in January. Will you help me by sending me names of people whom you think can lead a group? I'll follow up with them and see if they are interested.

2. Our first Leadership Development night is coming up on Sunday, October 3. We'll be meeting in EC 188 at the Old Mill Campus from 6:00 - 7:30 PM. This month we'll discuss the most important part of your leadership...having character that's strong enough to support your leadership.

3. As I am working to place new people in a journey group I am realizing how important it is to have up-to-date information on our groups (I can hear one of my co-workers cheering as I write this!) If you didn't respond to the group info survey sent out earlier, will you do so now so we can better connect new people to a Journey Group? You'll find the survey here. Thanks for your help in this!

If there's anything I can do for you or your group, be sure to let me know.

- Dave

Tips for getting started

In a recent blog post, Mark Howell suggested several great tips for starting a new small group well. Regardless of how long (or how little) you have been leading a Journey Group, I think you'll find something here helpful as you get your group off and running this year. Preparing for Your First Meeting

• Call your group members early in the week at a time when they'll likely be home. Don't just leave a voice mail message. At this stage, personal contact is critical.
• Enlist someone to help you make the calls. Increased buy-in is important.
• Ask each person to bring something (cokes, chips, etc.). This cements their attendance. They're much more likely to show if you're depending on them.
• When you call them your enthusiasm is very important. Get yourself ready to call.
• Make a map to your house and send this out a week ahead of time. Email can work great for this.

At the first meeting

• Recruit another member of two to be there early and help greet people at the door.
• Have name tags and markers ready at the door.
• Start your group off with an informal "meet and greet" session. The agenda for this meeting is all about helping people feel relaxed and comfortable with the other members of their new group.
• Arrange for an uninterrupted session (i.e., childcare needs, food prepared in advance, etc.).
• Make sure everyone knows the plan for the next meeting before you dismiss.

Follow-up after the first meeting

• Call or touch base with each person who attended the meeting to encourage them. This extra step helps them to continue to forge a relationship with you. Look for them at church. Any contact in between meetings will help cement them to their new group.
• Call all of your new group members a couple days before your next meeting. Don't assume that they'll remember. They need your encouragement.

The beginning of the year is the most critical time for helping people "stick" in a group. Whether they are joining an existing group or part of a new group, new group members need a little extra attention. If we help them past this hurdle, then we'll have the privilege of their involvement for the long haul.

Important Journey Group Dates

I hope you are enjoying the summer season with the long evenings, cookouts, and time with friends and family. And hopefully you have enjoyed a break from the rigors of leading a Journey Group. I for one, am thankful that God gives us times of rest and refreshment along with times of fruitful ministry. As August rolls around, that means that our season of rest is coming to an end and it is time to regroup and rally the Journey Group team for another year of strong discipleship. You will be receiving more detailed information from us in the coming weeks, but I wanted to drop you a quick note with these important dates:

Sunday, August 15 - this is the date for our Journey Group Leader Fall Kickoff event. This is a very important time to come together as Journey Group Leaders and Coaches to align ourselves around one mission and vision for the year as well as sharpening our leadership abilities. We want every leader to be there for this! We’ll send you an invitation with additional details, but you can plan on a 6:00pm – 8:00pm timeframe.

Sunday, August 22 (Old Mill only) – this is “promotion Sunday” for the kids and typically the first Sunday for groups that meet on the Old Mill Campus on Sunday mornings. Due to the holiday weekend on September 5 and the fact that the church wide curriculum does not begin until September 12, we will follow this schedule for the first few weeks:

August 22 - 2nd/4th Sunday groups meet (a relational time to reconnect) August 29 - 1st/3rd Sunday groups meet (a relational time to reconnect) September 5 - no groups meet (holiday weekend) September 12 - resume regular monthly schedule for groups and begin using the curriculum provided

Sunday, August 29 – this is the date for GroupLink this year. If you are launching a new group or your group has room for new members, we want you there to meet and mingle with people who are looking for a group. This is a very effective way to help people get connected into a group. If your group is already full, I invite you to give me a call to talk about ways to add a few more and multiply your leadership. GroupLink will be held in the Old Mill Student Center from 6 PM – 8 PM.

Sunday, September 12 – even though we won’t have a big party with fireworks and such, this Sunday marks the first official week of the Journey Group year. As a church, we will all be studying the book of Acts from September 12 – October 10 (only 5 weeks!) so please plan to use this curriculum in your Journey Group for those weeks. We will have the leader materials (if not the complete Journey Group material) for you at the Fall Kickoff on August 15.

I know there are more than a few Journey Group leaders that I have not met yet. I look forward to meeting each of you in time and serving along side you. If you have any thoughts, questions, or concerns that you would like to share with me, please feel free to call or email and we’ll talk.

Dave Irwin

New Journey Group Leader Orientation

Wanted to be sure we posted details about our next Journey Group Leader Orientation coming up Monday, June 14th and Monday, June 21st in the Student Center. This orientation is for any new leader who'll be starting their Journey Group this summer or next fall. Any leader who has not been through any form of Journey Group Leader training in the past as well as our coaches are encouraged to come as well! Here's a glance at the topics and the schedule. Also, please make sure that you have filled out an application for Journey Group Leadership and submit it to Dave Irwin before coming to the first session.

Session One - Mon, June 14th, 7:00pm

• Dessert, coffee and mingle
• Welcome from Dave Irwin
• Journey Group vision and development plan
• Break
• Images of Leadership (The Leader as Shepherd) - Tim Perry

Session Two - Mon, June 21st, 7:00pm

• Leadership networks and Coaching - why leading in community is essential
• Tools and Tips for a great Journey Group start
• The Life Cycle of a Journey Group
• Images of Leadership (The Leader as Sower)
• Ongoing leadership development plan
• Team Communication
• Dessert and a break in there somewhere this week too!

Week one of the orientation will be the best jumping on point for new leaders till we get kick off in the fall and have Group Link. The week in between the two sessions will be our opportunity to finalize the application with anyone who is still in the approval process.

You'll need to bring a pen and a notebook with you each week.

Lighten my Load as a Journey Group Leader

Just trying to get some good ideas out to many of our Journey Group Leaders who may have missed last Sunday's celebration. First of all if you couldn't make it, I wanted to pass on my gratitude to you for serving your Journey Group this past year. We celebrated with stories, smoothies and some encouraging words from our Lead Pastor Mark Ashton.

I wanted to make sure you saw this sheet that Mark covered with us when we where together. As we are wrapping up a year of Journey Group leading, it's a great time to think about inviting others into leadership. Here are a few great thoughts from Mark on how to develop an apprentice.

First of all, you need to be selective. Who in your group fits Mark's criterion here:
Faithful
Available
Teachable
Thankful
Enthusiastic
Respectful

Yes, you are looking for someone who spells FATTER! A great potential leader fits this profile!

Second thing Mark outlines are the steps you'll want to take to gradually bring that individual into leadership and ownership of the group.

The last and most important step: Keep looking for Apprentices in your group even if you've already found one. As your group grows it will push the need for more leaders and co-leaders. Keep looking for leaders! As you model giving away leadership, those you invite into leadership will learn that same skill from you!

I'll pull this sheet out again in a future post to talk about the other idea here: How do I actually divide my group?

Be looking for potential leaders in your groups and get their name to me and/or Dave Irwin! Thanks!

Journey Group Leader's Celebration

See you Sunday, April 25 from 6-7:30PM in the Atrium of the Old Mill Campus.

Don't miss the Journey Group leaders celebration! Tell stories from this year, get the summer and fall calendar information and hear the vision from Lead Pastor Mark Ashton. This celebration is open to current and potential Journey group leaders. Please turn in apprentice and referral names and contact information to Chris Reikofski at 938-1580 or chrisr@cccomaha.org.

dusty white transitioning from CCC

The following is an email that I sent out to all Journey Group leaders on February 19, 2010:

I hit “send” with mixed emotions as this email traveled to hit your inbox.

After seasons of prayer, attempting to listen to whispers from the Holy Spirit, lots of discernment, and many conversations, I have decided to leave Christ Community’s pastoral staff team at the end of March.

Over the last couple of months Jaci and I have been leaning into Jesus in deep and fresh ways. As a follower of Christ, as a husband, as a father, and as a pastor I want to consistently be living my life in great obedience to God and his pathway for my personal transformation and the transformation of those that I lead and shepherd. As a result of that long obedience, I have accepted a position at Coram Deo (www.cdomaha.org) Church, where I will be leading the discipleship movement with a Gospel-centered focus on spiritual formation and mission. I will be developing many things in this context: premarital and marital approaches, small group communities, counseling situations, and more.

The future of CCC is bright, clear, and strong. We have not made this decision because of strong discontent or a lack of future leadership opportunities at Christ Community Church. Rather, as followers of Christ, we must be willing to trade in our comfort for calling, our current focus for His mission, and our plans for His future in all things. If we trust Christ, we must go through life that way.

As your Journey Groups Pastor it has been an honor to lead and serve alongside of you. Your affirmation, trust, and faithfulness are among a few of the characteristics that I have cherished during our time at CCC. Your efforts are an asset to the kingdom, to Christ Community Church, and to those that you intentionally engage with for God’s advancement. Please keep leading well, engaging your people in discipleship, and assimilating well into what the future holds for CCC discipleship efforts.

Although transition is healthy, it creates extra work and discernment for those involved. Please be praying for the Discipleship Team. Pray specifically for Mark Ashton and Tim Perry as they trust God in provision of future leadership. Pray for Reid Brown, Lisa Brown, and Bonnie Borgum. You all know that these people carry a heavy load for the discipleship of CCC. I have been and will continue to pray for your future leader. I look forward to meeting him and partnering with him as we all labor together for God’s glory.

Although I will be taking some vacation time at the end of March, I am clearing my calendar to meet with you and others at CCC. All the way to the end, I will be giving my best days to God-centered conversations, helping CCC leaders determine strategies going forward, and assisting the ministry efforts as deemed necessary.

If you would like to grab coffee or lunch, don’t hesitate to email me. With 100+ leaders I won’t be able to make “all the rounds” but I will do my best!

As my Pastoral efforts transition, I echo the words of the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 2:2-5, “For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.”

Thank you again for your partnership in the Gospel and for allowing me to serve you.

quarterly training for Thurs 02/04/10 cancelled

Due to the leader retreat this past weekend, the JG leader training for Thursday, February 4th, has been cancelled.

Updates to the Fear Curriculum

After the release of the Fear curriculum, there were several corrections that needed to take place. Those edits have occurred along with a Leader's Guide placed at the end of the study packet. This Leader's Guide contains an answer key for three of the lessons.