Dear saints of Campbelltown,
My assumption is that most/all Growth Groups will have a two week break in line with the public school holidays. This is helpful to give the leaders a breather as well as the group members. It’s not that we go on holidays from God but that we can sustain a better all-of-year program by having these scheduled breaks.
During this time, perhaps you’d like to start reading through the book of Jonah. This is where we’ll head next in our sermon series. It is a short book and so reading it several times through would make such a difference to your preparations. Over these two weeks, I aim (God willing) to write ahead for the Jonah series so that the blogs may come out in a timely manner. Please pray that I can get ahead in this way.
Reading through Romans has been a great spiritual growth time for me personally. I hope that you, as a leader, have grown through preparing your group time. What an amazing book! It has sharpened my picture of God’s great plan and how we as a church fit into it. I have also loved thinking through and reflecting on the words joy and peace – both of these the world craves and both of them God gives freely and affectively if we stop and listen and trust him.
On the 5th of October, at your usual Sunday church service, we’ll be celebrating the time we have spent in Romans together as a church. There will be some people reflecting on what they have learned, there will be time to stop and meditate on what you have learned and a good memorable service is being planned. We are aiming to praise God for this chapter in the life of our church and thank him for his love and mercy and abundant grace lavished on us Gentiles – who are now called saints!
So, enjoy your small breath from Growth Groups and I’ll write again toward the end of this break.
Your brother in Christ,
Simon Twist