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Tag Archives: Community Groups

//COMMUNITY GROUPS @ ENGAGE

September 16, 2011 – 8:47 am

So why should I join a community group at Engage? Community groups really do form the backbone of Engage. This is where friendships are formed and relationships develop (BE), where we go a little deeper with each other and interact on more personal level about life’s issues and have fun together in community (Explore), and it is where we learn what it means to follow Jesus better (Inspire Life). People come to Engage for many reasons, but one of the main reasons they stay is that they become connected to a community. No matter where you are on your journey of faith you are welcome to be a part of a group.

So what do community groups do and where do they meet? Community groups meet at regularly planned times every week or every two weeks for a period of about 2 hours. Meetings typically take place in a home or other comfortable setting. Often groups may share a meal. Childcare may or may not be provided. Each group will look a little different, reflecting the style and interests of those involved, but each meeting will include the following core components:

1. Checking In- a casual time for connecting and reflecting on the week(s) since the last meeting

2. Study or Discussion-often revolving around a passage from the bible or involving a deeper look into the topic from Sunday’s sermon.

3. Prayer-spending time sharing needs, hopes and dreams before God.

4. Service and Outreach—this may include caring for individuals within the group or joining with groups serving within the larger community. Our desire is that everything we learn would have application and impact in the world beyond ourselves.

So when can I start? Everyone is welcome to join a group at any point in a semester; in fact, we encourage our groups to keep multiplying and inviting in new members. We invite you to check out each group individually so you can decide which group is a good fit for you and your family. Check out our church calendar via the church website @ engagecommunitychurch.com for more information.

By jon hand | Posted in Community Groups | Also tagged | Comments (0)

//EnVision May 1: Looking back to move forward

May 5, 2011 – 11:38 am

Below are celebrations of how people have been experiencing the growth of Jesus-shaped lives at Engage since January. As you scroll down you can read people’s hopes, dreams, and prayers of how they could envision God using them to impact our community with Jesus’ revolution of love.   How awesome it is to be a part of this movement of Christ at Engage. We have much to be thankful for.

pictures of baptism and envision celebration

Vision from Envision Meeting May 1st

How have you grown spiritually in the past four months:

· I do not attend Engage regularly, only when I am in the Harrisburg area. What I am blessed by every time I attend Engage is how God helps the church to grow. It has helped me in my spiritual walk as I contemplate what it means to pioneer or initiate a God-inspired effort.

· I realized that I had stopped loving people and had taken an attitude of selfishness. Through the lego lab and tearing my mcl I’ve realized how well God actually put me together and his power in that. I’m looking forward to his help as I move into a somewhat unknown future.

· I have grown in leaps and bounds! But I know that God has so much more to do… and I look forward to that- It’s exciting!

· I learned to have peace in God’s love and faithfulness when going through a time of uncertainty. I learned that God is a master at creating beautiful things out of nothing.

· I’m learning the blessing of peace in uncertainty. I still have no idea what I’ll be doing in a month after graduation but surprisingly and thankfully, God is leaving me with a sense of “it’s ok”

· This time has allowed me to realize that God can redeem me no matter how much I fail

· I have grown by stepping up to be in charge of set-up.

· I have grown by learning a lot of the things I was taught when I was younger. Now it actually means something.

· Through the support of others and scripture, I’ve grown more confident in my faith to do the “uncomfortable” things

· Deepening of faith through walking out Christ’s love purposefully in everyday actions. Ex. Our journeys can become self-absorbed, but I am making a conscious effort to see and seize opportunities to bless/ help people in my path.

· I have been given opportunities to trust God will provide for people. I have seen Him provide for others. Also, thinking about what it means to pursue joy and how to help others in this season of life.

· I have grown through the sermons – which don’t seem like sermons- Jon’s gift of helping one to understand the Bible.

· I feel like God has brought me here. Every Sunday I walk away from the service realizing that God has met me where I am. That has meant so much because you don’t find that in every church.

· I learned how to be married. My husband found that God loves him. I learned to deal with conflict. I learned to judge myself according to God’s judgments.

· My relationships with people have become more God-centered. I’ve connected spiritually with new friends. God has opened doors to minister to my co-workers and those around me.

· Engage has helped me to dive deeper into my faith by bringing it to me in a way I can relate.

· I was someone burnt out by church and Christianity. I thought that the church mission in America failed and was a sinking ship. Engage has shown me that God is still real.

· I have grown in men’s prayer group

· Engage has given me opportunities to serve and get involved in ways I have never been able to do in church, using my gifts and abilities. The sermon’s have been in the word and are helping me look at the Bible in new ways.

· I’ve come to see that getting connected and growing in Christ’s work is a very organized process. It happens one invitation at a time, and before you know it, you’re part of the family.

What do you want to see happen at our Church next Fall?

· My friend at Banch Creek has started a ministry called, “The Image Project”. I don’t know much about it, but I know that they host community events with the intention of integrating and bridging the gap between the religious and nonreligious community. They host dialogues at Barnes and Noble, organize community block parties and town festivals. I’m going to join that and do what I can to learn enough to bring it back to Engage.

· More Potluck’s. When I first met a friend, their church has their service and then a potluck each week after service. Church is an all day affair. I always enjoyed the intimacy and connection the post-service meals brought to the people at the church.

· I want to see people be more willing to make themselves emotionally available. I pray that God will continue to work in the marriages of others.

· Maybe a women’s support group

· I have told family and friends about Engage. Some have attended and learned so much. They want to return. I want to see this church have more people attending. Reaching young families who don’t know God.

· Continuing to invest both in those within the church and outside of it. I am graduating in two weeks. My attendance and involvement at Engage will change, but I hope that I will be able to stay connected/ involved in some way.

· Activities outside of church to fellowship with believers and connect with members of the community (depending on the activity) (trivia night at the pub, or hikes)

· Neighborhood BBQ

· Childcare network for single moms, to provide babysitting for them

· Married couple date night co-op

· Paint over graffiti

· Roller derby team

· Block parties

· Build margin into our lives for non-Christians/ outsiders

· Gift card drive to give groceries and gas to families in need

· A “program” to help discern people’s calling and/or ministry fit

· Invite others to do “ordinary” things for Christ. Picnics, boating, community service, mini golf, etc.

· Discovering passions in groups

· More involvement in the community we’re in

· Free car wash

· Engage swap( free stuff)

· Mom’s group

· A coffee meet and greet

· I would like to see a regular set of youth group members

· Coat drive for the homeless

· Mitten/scarf drive

· We could have people from church have kids over for breakfast.

· Email conversations with members

· Connect school students with the Engage community. Maybe as simple as a family having them over for breakfast once a month/ week. Or something like a big brother setup.

· Have a similar “college Day” in September

· A better understanding of global community and ways in which God is working outside of the US, celebrating what God’s already done in the lives of Engage members

· Continue having Greenfest to reach out to environmental people

· Have a tutoring program for students in local middle and high schools

· Offer instrument lessons to the community

· Over the summer I would like to see a group that meets at a local coffee shop to discuss the Acts study, in a relaxed setting where I could invite unchurched friends

· Meeting with people once a week to discuss what Jesus is doing in our lives

· Have a mentoring network

· Get groups of men to do hands on work with people in the community.

By jon hand | Posted in blog | Also tagged , , , | Comments (0)

//Calling all Community Group Leaders at Engage

October 7, 2009 – 2:26 pm

Watch the following video for some fun filled info about Community Groups at Engage!!

Hey Community Group Leaders,

Over the last two weeks Jon and I have been talking, scheming and praying about Community Groups at Engage. I’m very excited about the potential for growth and relationship-building within the groups, and have a passion for the kind of community that is fostered within groups like these. If our Sunday morning gathering are like the front porch, our community groups are like coming into the living room. This is where we find friendship and go a little bit deeper, interacting with the Bible and what’s being talked about on Sunday mornings, and care for one another. Our desire is to see authentic relationships and real community develop at Engage, and Community Groups are an important avenue for these things to happen.

Over the next week I will be contacting each of you individually to connect about what’s going on with your Community Groups, talk about ways that Jon and I can support and resource you as leaders, and share some of the vision that we’re developing for the groups. We also want to meet together with all of you soon, and so are inviting you to a gathering of Community Groups leaders after our Sunday morning time on Nov. 1. Here are the details:

Community Group Leaders Meeting
Sunday, Nov. 1
11:45am - 1:00pm
Lunch and childcare will be provided.

A big thanks to all of you for serving as Community Group Leaders. I am praying for each of you and your groups, and looking forward to hearing more stories about how God is working in the groups.

Kevin Barr (Director of Community Groups @ Engage)

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//6 months in…here’s how it’s playing out

August 5, 2009 – 11:07 am

Wow, It’s been six months since we started meeting on Sundays following January 11, 2009.  Since that time God has been writing the story of Engage. God has done some very exciting things as the story of Engage continues to be lived out. So let’s start with the numbers:

-163 people have visited Engage at least once  since Feb. 22nd.
-98 Average attendance on a Sunday from May to July.
-43% of those attending Engage do not have any prior meaningful church experience.
-57% of those attending Engage would call themselves growing Christians.
-25 the number of backpacks we just provided for Project FunFest
(in partnership with Project Share and other local churches to provide school supplies for every student   with a need).
-31 the average age of those attending Engage on a regular basis.
-1185, the number of dollars Engage needs each week to make ends meet (not counting the generous support of $1050 we receive each week from our family of churches called the Brethren in Christ Church www.bic-church.org).
-$2791, the accumulated amount of money we have received  from May - July exceeding our weekly budged projection.
-$1000, the amount of money we have raised outside of the Engage Community to go towards the hiring our an Engage Kids coordinator. (we need a total of $5000)
-30, the average number of kids in the Engage Kids Environments on Sundays this Summer.
-4, the number of community groups we are starting this summer. Community Groups are groups that meet outside of Sunday Morning for the purpose of support, serving the community, spiritual friendship, and spiritual growth.

But numbers aren’t everything…though they are important. Numbers represent people, and movement, and energy, and relationships, and real lives finding greater life in the context of faith in Jesus.  So here’s what some people are saying these days:

From a second time guest at Engage:
“I have never felt so comfortable and welcomed at church before. The non-judgmental attitude (I have never had in the past) is refreshing. Keep up the great job.”

From a person who has been at Engage for 5 or more months:
“I have never been a part of a group of people who made me feel so loved and accepted for who I am, no strings attached.”

Engage is a safe place for people to explore faith, ask questions, and begin to experience what the message of Jesus looks like lived out in everyday life.

I think back over the past six months and can name person after person who is experiencing transformation in the way they see themselves, others, God, and the world we live in.  I think of the new connections that are being made this summer in our community groups. I think of the ways people at Engage have supported those within our community who have had financial needs or needed a last minute babysitter or needed a car to borrow.  One of my friends at Engage told  me that one of  the big  reasons why they are drawn to invest their lives through Engage is because of the unique ways they have experienced people at Engage supporting each other.

Engaging our Community:

As you read earlier in this email, Engage provided over 20 backpacks and 2 large boxes full of school supplies for students whose parents struggle to resource them with what they need to return to school later this month.  Engage is committed to Engaging our Community.  Part of resourcing needs in our community is to experience those needs firsthand.  It’s easy to buy a backpack and put it in a box on a Sunday morning. Maybe you need to start there, that’s ok. But the next step beyond that is actually seeing the needs firsthand, learning the stories and struggles of what leads to those needs, and being reminded of the importance of real people right here in our backyard.  So please pray for Engage and pray the community    Engage finds itself a part of.  Prayer reminds us that we are often the answer to the prayers we pray on behalf of others.  JOIN us this Saturday from 10:30 - 1:30 p.m. and volunteer as we join with others at Project Share Fun Fest and help us  distribute  school supplies.  5 North Orange Street in Carlisle. When you arrive to volunteer  please ask for Diane Baltaef. She will find you a place to serve.

I am excited to see God’s story play out that  in your life, my life, and the life of Engage.

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