It’s That Important!

The pastors of Grace Community are hoping that every ministry leader and every small group leader, co-leader, and apprentice in our church will attend the Community Conference at Grace, on Friday Night & Saturday, October 17th & 18th. The conference is a big part of our Leadership Development Program for this ministry year at Grace. We feel it is so important for you to attend that the ticket price for Grace leaders has been reduced to just $20. We will pick up the rest of the cost if you will sacrifice the time. We encourage you to invest in your ministry and your own spiritual lives by joining us for this opportunity to fill up our souls for the coming year. Via satellite, several great speakers will challenge us from some of the most innovative and influential churches in North America. Specially priced tickets are being held for you at the church. Call or Email to reserve yours (240-553-1090 tickets@gracegroups.net ) or see us at the Open Doors Table in the East Lobby after this weekend’s services.

Check out these sites for more conference information.
http://www.gcconline.org/GraceGroups/GroupLife.html
http://www.willowcreek.com/events/grouplife/2008/ConferenceGlance.html

Tell Your Group...

If you have not taken the Spiritual Life Survey, please don’t forget. In fact would you remind your group this week? It might help if you sent them the link in an email. You can also find it on the front page at the church website. We are hoping for at least 100 people to take the survey. We are over a quarter of the way there. If every adult in a small group would take it we could have over 1400 responses. Thanks for your help.
http://www.revealnow.com/slsurvey?uid=5072


Also tell everyone to stop by the Mark Norman’s Open Doors Blog and respond to the posts by our pastors and directors. Tell us what the messages and small group studies are making you think about.
www.opendoorsatgrace.blogspot.com

Week 2 – What you need to know…

I am happy to say that the majority of our groups are taking part in the Open Doors Study. You have probably noticed by now that there are six weeks of study in the DVD and Participants Guides you have already picked up. But, there is seven weeks in our Fall Series. Week 2 we are going to press into the question of Christians and Politics a little closer than the group study goes. It seems appropriate for this special election year to take a more in depth look at how much a believer should be involved in the political process. So…

We have added an addition study for Week 2. There is a special DVD and Discussion Sheet you need to pick up on Sunday. Just like every week, your group will watch two DVD segments during group, interacting around discussion questions after each section. Drop by the Open Doors Booth in the East Lobby to pick up the supplemental study for Week 2. Then you will need to make copies of the Discussion Questions for everyone in your group. You can also get the questions from the Leaders’ Section of the Grace Groups Website – Click Here

Your 7 weeks should look like this:
Week 1 – Chapter 1 from DVD & Participants Guide
Week 2 – Supplemental DVD & Discussion Sheet
Week 3 – Chapter 2 from DVD & Participants Guide
Week 4 – Chapter 3 from DVD & Participants Guide
Week 5 – Chapter 4 from DVD & Participants Guide
Week 6 – Chapter 5 from DVD & Participants Guide
Week 7 – Chapter 6 from DVD & Participants Guide

Any questions? Just email me. michael@gracegroups.net
See you on Sunday.

Spiritual Life Survey

I hope that everyone who is in a small group at Grace will take the Spiritual Survey that Mark has asked us to be a part of. Would you talk to your group and encourage them to take the 20 or 30 minutes necessary this week, before we gather again on Sunday. Everyone who participates will literally be a part of shaping Grace Community’s future. Our goal as a church is to help each and every member, every season, take new steps of growth in their relationship with Jesus. You can help us see where we are having success and in what areas we could use some improvement. The survey is completely anonymous and you can find it at this link - http://www.revealnow.com/slsurvey?uid=5072 .

Therapeutic & Recreational Riding Center

Last fall dozens and dozens of Grace members spent their Saturday practically redoing the landscaping at the Therapeutic & Recreational Riding Center in Western Howard County. This organization that selflessly offers such a great service to local children was very appreciative of the “new look” we were able to supply with your help. This month is their 25th Anniversary and we would like to go back and freshen up the work we did so that it will look great for their celebration. We need 25 people to step up and help on Saturday, September 27th. Can your group, or a part of your group, give a few hours to this project? Step up to serve if you can. Contact Debbi Nichols deb.nichols@juno.com or 410-489-5359.

The Books Are In!!

All group leaders, the Participants Guides and DVD's have arrived at the Small Groups Office. You can pick them up anytime. Remember each group needs 1 DVD (provided free) and a participants guide for each group member ($8). "Open Doors" begins on September 28th with the first weekend messages. Your groups will follow each week. Open Doors consists of:

1. Weekend messages from AM Services, Fusion (Young Adults), CPR (High School), & Light Company (Middle School).

2. Small Group Personal Application Study each week for Adults and High Schoolers

• groups will watch DVD segments together and discuss questions provided in guides, and do some homework from guide

3. Two Open Forum Discussion Nights at Grace - for those who want to explore even more deeply the topics we are studying. Mark Norman will host these Sunday Nights in a Q&A and discussion format. (October 19th & November 9th - 7:30-9:00pm)

4. Open Doors @ Grace Blog - Mark and other leaders at Grace will take the topic even deeper online. We hope the whole body of Grace will use this online forum to get involved in the conversation each week. We hope to get lots of feedback from you and your group members on this blog. You can find it at www.opendoorsatgrace.blogspot.com

Once again we are hoping every small group at Grace will participate with us. Let me know if you have any questions.

Guard Well Your Relationship to Him

One of my favorite authors of all time is Oswald Chambers. Read this quote from one of his writings and tell me what you think.

"The water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water" (John 4:14).

The picture Our Lord gives is not that of a channel but a fountain. "Be being filled," and the sweetness of vital relationship to Jesus will flow out of the saint as lavishly as it is imparted to him. If you find your life is not flowing out as it should, you are to blame; something has obstructed the flow. Keep right at the Source, and - you will be blessed personally? No, out of you will flow rivers of living water, irrepressible life.

We are to be centres through which Jesus can flow as rivers of living water in blessing to everyone. Some of us are like the Dead Sea, always taking in but never giving out, because we are not rightly related to the Lord Jesus. As surely as we receive from Him, He will pour out through us, and in the measure He is not pouring out, there is a defect in our relationship to Him. Is there anything between you and Jesus Christ? Is there anything that hinders your belief in Him? If not, Jesus says, out of you will flow rivers of living water. It is not a blessing passed on, not an experience stated, but a river continually flowing. Keep at the Source, guard well your belief in Jesus Christ and your relationship to Him, and there will be a steady flow for other lives, no dryness and no deadness.

Is it not too extravagant to say that out of an individual believer rivers are going to flow? "I do not see the rivers," you say. Never look at yourself from the standpoint of - Who am I? In the history of God's work you will nearly always find that it has started from the obscure, the unknown, the ignored, but the steadfastly true to Jesus Christ. One of my favorite authors of all time is Oswald Chambers. Read this quote from one of his writings and tell me what you think.

— My Utmost For His Highest

Help for Route 1 Day Center

We received a call today from Judy Clark, one of the faithful volunteers from Grace who is giving much of her time to the Route 1 Day Center. (more info here). She said they are in great need of some groups or individuals who could help provide meals and serve from 4-8pm, the 1st Wednesday of the month at the Center. I told her I would put the word out to everyone and see if anyone could help. Could your group help in this service project to the homeless of Howard County? If you have any questions she can be reached at (301) 725-6993.