New Story of Redemption with "Princeton" Group

[James Nored]

Hello all. Tonight we began a new Story of Redemption seeker small group over at our house. This group includes:

• Charlie and Kelly - Charlie and Kelly are a young family with two kids. They live in Princeton, a small town outside of McKinney. Charlie works as a paint body specialist. He grew up going some to a Methodist church and has never been baptized. Kelly grew up in Chruches of Christ.
• Summer - This is a single mom raising two kids. One of our other small groups met Summer when we were serving at a daycare center, out on mission. Summer did not grow up in a Christian home and has no church background. She and her mother lived on the streets for a time. Her mom died a few years ago, and she has no family. When we met her, her grandfather had just died, leaving her alone. She is very exhausted most of the time from being a single mom, and is too tired to really discipline her kids, and she doesn't really know how. She needs role models and life skills. She works as a dentist assistant.
• Lindsey - Lindsey went through the Story of Redemption a year ago and was baptized. She also is a single mom. She has reached out to Summer and really helped her. She looked for her when she came to visit us at church. She picks up her kids on Thursdays, as Summer works late on this date. When we had our meet and greet party for this study a couple of weeks ago, she took Summer out to dinner and encouraged her to come. Lindsey is going through this study again to share her newfound perspective and to be a friend to Summer. We could not be more excited about how Lindsey, as a new Christian, is reaching out to and serving others.
• Chris and Alma - This is a young couple that was recently married. It is his second marriage. Alma is a preacher's daughter (Churches of Christ). Chris went for a brief time to a community church and was baptized. However, they have relationship struggles and many life stresses. They live in Princeton.
• Joseph and Natalie - This is a young family that I have really only met online and corresponded with through email. They have visited our church. Natalie grew up in Churches of Christ, whereas Joseph has no church background whatsoever. They live in Princeton as well.

At this first meeting, Chris and Alma and Joseph and Natalie were unable to come due to sicknesses. But the rest of the group was here. We had a great discussion as we went through part one of the Story of Redemption, talking about creation, the fall, and God's plan to redeem humanity, prophesied in Genesis. It was notable to me that when I went through some of the different aspects of redemption that appeals to them, they had different answers. Summer was looking forward to the end of death and disease, pain and suffering. Charlie liked the idea of eliminating the tendency and desire to sin. Kelly liked the restoration of the peace and beauty of the Garden of Eden.

Here are some keys to this particular study:

1. Putting together a good mix of seekers and Christians - Ideally, in a seeker small group, there should be at least 1/3 to 1/2 that are seekers. This mix allows seekers to feel comfortable, and it provides opportunities for the seekers to learn from the Christians in the group.
2. Putting together a group that can bond and feel comfortable with one another. This means putting together people with like backgrounds, socio-economic level, life situation, etc. In this group, a number are from Princeton, and therefore have a similar socio-economic experience. They all have kids. They can relate to one another, with good personality mixes.
3. Babysitting - We have asked our other small groups that we lead to rotate a week in watching the kids that come to the study. Tonight, one of our incredible empty nest couples, Sandy and Cindy, watched the kids. This was so helpful in letting us have the study. They are loving, experienced parents and grandparents. They are also the type of people that can teach life skills to people like Summer.

I have two other couples, one a young married couple, and another, an empty-nester, that live out in Princeton to join the study. They are both great role model types, and after we complete the study, they may be able to incorporate the new people in this group that live in Princeton in to their group. I am looking ahead for the next step for those in this group after our study.

Please be praying for this study! 

What experience do you have with seeker small groups? What insights do you have to share?

[James Nored]

We met again tonight and went through part 2 in the Story of Redemption. This lesson goes through the stories found in Gen. 11 and the cycle of sin, punishment, and grace that is found. One of the questions that again generated a lot of discussion, as it usually does, related to the people's Noah's time. The world had become full of violence, and God decided to destroy the world. I asked the question, how does today's world relate to the world of Noah's time.

I am amazed at how many people think that it is actually worse today than back then, which several of them indicated last night. Many people are bothered by the moral decline in our nation, and they are concerned about the world their children are growing up in.

There are also personal themes of grace and forgiveness in one's family that often come up in this lesson, and these themes came up again last light. 

Chris could not come due to his work schedule. And Joseph and Natalie apparently will not be joining us. Joseph is afraid of being judged. Of course, this would not happen, but since I have not been able to meet them in person, I can understand why a truly unchurched person might be concerned about this.

Jeremy Byers, who is part of one of our small groups and whose wife, Marti, was baptized earlier this year, came and helped watch the kids (Sandy and Cindy Detherage had done this the week before). This is such a huge help to having the study. Please keep this group in your prayers!