Preparing for Home Groups
At Garden City, we believe that corporate growth happens, not at a cost to the individual, but because of the God-given function of each person present.
Our belief is rooted in Scripture –Paul, a prominent author in the New Testament, wrote a letter to believers in Ephesus, encouraging them to live out the faith they had in Jesus.
He asserted that every person who has faith in Jesus (Christ) is made spiritually alive in Christ. The original language of the letter holds a collective reality – your individual “becoming alive” isn’t just a thing between you and Christ…it’s in cooperation with everyone else who has become alive in Christ (Eph. 2:1-10).
Paul depicted the corporate, living reality of believers as a body, a whole organism made up of many members…the Church.
You may remember from science class: one of the characteristics of a living organism is that it grows and develops. Paul didn’t take third grade science with Mrs. Ridder, but he knew that the living body of Christ, the Church, needs to grow and mature. The way the body of Christ grows is fascinating. Like a human body, the church matures when every part of the body functions according to his or her design.
Specific to the church, is that each member of the body is equipped with unique measures of grace given to them by the Holy Spirit. Many people refer to this truth as “spiritual gifts”. It’s incredible that God brought an incorporated body to life through Christ and then designed that body to grow by the participation of each individual part (Eph. 4:1-16).
The Church is not a system that you need to work hard to serve.
It is not a missional machine with job descriptions to fill.
Church is not an event to attend.
The Church is the corporate gathering of God’s people, each of whom are given gifts that cause the body to grow when they are shared. If you could be present with God’s people in a way that fits your design, I wonder what that would be like?
At Garden City, we want you to have space to explore God’s grace in you, and the unique ways you’ve been equipped to interconnect in the body of Christ.
We do not believe a Sunday morning experience is able to facilitate the working out of every person’s function in the Church, but we do believe that each person’s function is imperative for growth. For this reason, Home Groups will be a necessary part of Garden City’s DNA.
Home Groups will take formation at the end of a 5 week workshop beginning
Thursday, February 13 at 6:00 pm (location TBA).
We would love for you to join us on the 13th as we look at Scripture together, engage personal identity, and, through prayer and conversation, take a corporate approach to Home Group formation.
May we live set free & sent out!
Janna Segovia
P.S.
We’re excited that Garden City’s first public gathering is next Sunday at 9 AM!
Pray as we finalize our decision on which space to meet. We have a few options and expect to make a decision early next week. As soon as we know, you will know.
God has been providing every step of the way. We feel joy as we prepare. We feel excited for you to experience what we have been experiencing these last few months.
Mark your calendars:
What: Garden City Church
When: Sunday January 26, 9 AM
Where: TBD
We’ll save you a seat,