CGL Newsletter

CGL Connection Monday, March 21, 2016

Issue No. 1

Connecting with each other…

NEW APP - GROUP ATTENDANCE Small group leaders are a precious commodity -- people who are willing to lead a group of people, care for them and work to build community among them. We hope to make the tasks of being a small group leader easier, so the small group leader can focus their energy on investing in their group.

In this Issue: NEW ATTENDANCE APP Check out the new app that was just released by CCB on both the Apple Store and Google Play.

It's with this hope that Church Community Builder (CCB) has announced the release of the Group Attendance app, available now on iOS and Android. This app is designed for leaders of Members Interact groups.

All Members Interact

groups that you lead will show up when you login to the app.

When tapping into a group, you'll see three options: Attendance, People and Special Days.

CONNECT GROUP CORNER This begins a series of articles, ideas and tips for your making the most of your Connect group.

TIO Talk It Over is a great tool for Connect groups that are not using a curriculum. It follows the Sunday sermon and can be used as a stand-alone teaching or ice breaker.

Attendance For Attendance, the group's events from the past five weeks will be displayed, with the ability to take or edit attendance for each. Tapping on an event without attendance taken will take you to the people list to select those who attended.

Next, you'll be prompted to enter the number of visitors before finishing up by filling out the event summary and deciding who ought to receive it. As you likely see, the flow of taking attendance nearly matches the experience in the software.

People For People, you will see a list of all of your group's participants and a tap on their name will take you to their profile.

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Viewing a specific person will enable you to call, text and email the individual. The group leader will also be able to edit the contact information and profile picture for all members of their group.

Special Days Finally, we introduce Special Days -- a list of birthdays and anniversaries for your group members. them?

Want to reach out to

Tap on their special day and you'll be taken to their

profile to easily do so.

And, this is just the beginning.

We're excited to have you try

this app out and we encourage you to help get it in the hands of your group leaders. We're also excited about the features that we'll be adding to this as we work to make your group leaders more effective. Let us know what you think!

Small Groups That Change Lives: 5 Principles (Pt.1) The Starting Place of People Are the people where you live struggling with relational trust, loneliness, brokenness, insecurity or shame? What about these struggles: addictions, abortions, adultery, sexual attractions, anger … the list could go on. No one is perfect. Certainly not me. Certainly not you.

When I was in high school, my favorite community to hang out with was the Brew Crew. The Brew Crew got together on the weekends getting hammered drunk and doing drugs. For us, a 4.0 in school was not our grade point average … it was our blood alcohol level.

Jesus is comfortable with chaos of people’s lives. Are you?

But eventually, I recognized the pain I was causing myself—and others around me—was far outweighing the pleasure I was receiving from partying. Eventually, three of my best friends were in rehab for chemical and alcohol addictions. We were all totally out of control.

Interestingly, at the same time I was in the Brew Crew, I was also in a Small Group. It might seem odd to you that I would go to a Small Group, but I did. Some friends of mine invited me to attend a large weekly gathering of Christ followers that met during the week. It was a big group of about 100 or so kids. The ministry leaders of this big group would do skits, songs, talk about the Bible, etc. In this crowd of kids, I heard about a Small Group led by a young professional named Scott, so I decided to join one with some buddies .

I was reluctant about the group at first because I didn’t grow up in a Christian family. I didn’t have a biblical frame of reference for life. I didn’t know anything about spiritual practices, how to find a Bible verse or what to say in a prayer. I was insecure about the expectations of needing to know about these things.

Scott was new at leading, but he was a great Small Group leader. He created a safe place for everyone to be real about his or her life. I felt like I could be authentic about who I was. I was open about the parties I went to and the craziness of my lifestyle. I never felt judged or confronted by anyone there. Scott helped me feel like my presence in the group was really important. It was through the relationships in this Small Group, and with Scott, that after three years I put my faith in Jesus and started actively following him.

What I want all of you to hear is the power of a Small Group community and what God can do when you create the right culture. Jesus was the master at creating the right culture for messy people. Jesus went to the party at Matthew’s house in Matthew 9 where the sinners were partying: the Brew Crew. Jesus is comfortable with chaos of people’s lives.

Let me try and summarize some of the things Scott did well that made his Small Group so effective and life-changing. Here are five principles that you can use as a new Small Group leader in creating a culture where “No Perfect People are Allowed” and life change can happen.

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Talk It Over BREAKER If you had to give up one of your senses (hearing, seeing, feeling, smelling, tasting) which would it be and why?

SAY: This week David Garcia (guest speaker) preached a powerful message titled, The Ultimate Comeback. He reminded us of the ultimate comeback, Jesus’ comeback!

READ: “Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. 2 But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. 3 Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments.

5 Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, 7 saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’”

Luke 24:1-8 NKJV

Monday, March 21, 2016

Week of 3/20/16 trust Him. What do you believe that pending comeback is in your life?

2. What has been keeping you from making that comeback? Why have you not given it to Him? 3. We may not feel equipped or “good enough” for that comeback but knowing now that He doesn’t expect us to be ready or perfect what can you do this week to assure the first step in your comeback? Pray for one another ***Announcements:*** • Invite your un-churched friends to church and to Connect Group.

• Please take pictures of group meetings and email them to George @ geo4961@gmail.com

REMEMBER TO INVITE!

SAY: David used Jesus’ comeback to show us that the same power (Holy Spirit) that was a part of His comeback is the same One that is a part of our comeback. Despite our past and shortcomings we have a glorious and blessed future in Him. David stated that, “God did not consult with our past when he wrote our comeback!”

1. God wants to be part of our comeback. Whether it’s a career, school, or relationship; He wants us to give it to Him and simply

Connect Group WIN When…

The Group Leader ministers to those who come to the meeting.

The Group Leader prays for the meeting.

• Make sure each person feels welcome, valued and cared for.

• Minister to those who are at the meeting and others will come.

• Don t rebuke people for low attendance.

• Pray for those you invited. Pray for their health, their marriage, their children̶ everything!

• Pray outside the meeting.

• Pray for those who always have excuses.

• Pray on the way to the meeting.

• Pray during the meeting.

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The Group Leader invites new people.

• Appoint greeters.

• Introduce people publicly and privately.

• Everyone s favorite subject is themselves.

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