Restart with GroupLink

In the New Year we plan to present something cool called GroupLink.  GroupLink takes place twice a year - in January and August.  Please set aside Sunday, January 13th (after second service) for a time to connect with those who have not yet enjoyed the Life Group experience here at Hydesville Church.  Lunch will be served.  We will hear a short video from Andy Stanley and then connect in community groups for eight weeks.  After eight weeks each group decides whether they want to continue on as a group or to assimilate into other groups.  Each group decides where and when they want to meet.  If you currently have a Life Group this is a great place to ask a couple others to join your existing group.  If you are not currently in a group, but have led in the past this is a great place to restart with a group for the new year.

Andy Stanley said something profound as it relates to his very large church in Atlanta and the Life Groups they have in their church.  You may or may not know Andy Stanley (son of Charles Stanley) has an incredibly popular ministry with the mission of creating a church that unchurched people love to attend.  Andy Stanley is personally very popular - he is a pastor, in demand conference speaker and and a very successful author.  That is why his words on this subject mean so much.  He said, basically, that if something terrible happened to his church building (like it was leveled in a natural disaster), and he was also suddenly not able to physically pastor the church would still go on because they would tend to meet in circles (groups) all around the city in their version of Life Groups.  The people are connected within the church community and would continue to meet without a church building or without Andy Stanley.  Said a different way, their church is constructed around "circles" (Life Groups) rather than "rows" (the worship service being the only point of connection). 

And so from Andy's illustration we can see why it is so important for our church to be connected personally in small groups...in Life Groups.  And, that is why we are restarting with GroupLink!