Connection Story: January 8th

Contributed by:
Eric Dunaway
small groups pastor

Last night at GroupLaunch, we had a neat thing happen. I watched it from a distance, and several of my team members were talking about it later. It's the kind of thing that when you see it happening, it makes all the hours of preparation and hard work seem worth-while.

I had spoken with a Young Woman on the phone prior to GroupLaunch and listened as she explained that she was heading into a divorce, and had two small children, and really felt that she need a journey group. I told her that I thought GL would be an excellent way for her to connect. But I also informed her that there was the slight possibility that she may not find exactly what she was looking for. Singles groups continue to be a challenge to form at GL. But I encouraged her to come anyway, as we'd have a Connection Coordinator on hand to work with her in the event that she didn't connect.

As guests were signing in last night, I noticed her name tag and immediately put her face with her name. And then I watched another guest (we'll call her the Friendly Woman) run up and give her a hug - obviously, there was a pre-existing connection there, and it struck me as something that I really haven't seen at GL before. The Friendly Woman, however, was there to form a married group with slightly older children - a different stage of life than the Young Woman.

We continued through the program and reached the point where we begin to identify which types of groups will be forming at specific tables. As we surveyed the breakdown of groups represented, it became apparent to the Young Woman that she would, in fact, not be joining a group that night. Unfortunately, there just weren't any other women in her stage of life with whom to connect. She approached me and I talked to her about a few alternatives, but finally directed her to the table where our Connection Coordinator was sitting.

This is when it happened. The other tables were busy going through the steps of forming their groups. One of the groups, which appeared to be a group of married couples with slightly older children, was forming near the Connection Coordinator's table. This group included the Friendly Woman, who noticed the Young Woman without a group.

At that point, the Friendly Woman walked over to the Connection Coordinator's table, bent down, and began to invite the Young Woman over to join their group. The Young Woman kind of hesitated - she wasn't sure she was a good fit for that group - but the Friendly Woman insisted. And the Young Woman eventually conceded. The group welcomed her and expressed their approval of her joining their group. The Young Woman mentioned that she just wasn't sure she was right for the group, as she was going through a divorce. Immediately, a different couple in that group mentioned that they had "been there, done that." They were both on their second marriages. They told the Young Woman she needed to be in their group.

The Young Woman thanked them, and I'm pretty sure she had tears in her eyes.

Instead of leaving last night with the hope of eventually finding a group, she left in a group that had immediately accepted her and welcomed her with open arms. In addition, it was a group of old friends and new friends who will be there for her through some very difficult days ahead. That's what journey groups are all about.

Any time a group forms at GroupLaunch that appears to have solid connections and the prospects of continuing on, we see that as a win. What we saw with this group last night, however, was extra special, and I just wanted to share it with you.