Stepping Out: Part 4

Contributed by:
Eric Dunaway
small groups pastor

The month of November flew by, as we were caught up in the rush of Life on Purpose, and then thrown into the mix of holiday madness. Now that Life on Purpose is officially behind us, however, I wanted to offer a conclusion to the Stepping Out series, and share a few things I learned as my wife and I stepped up to host a group in our neighborhood this fall.

Stepping Out: Part 3

Contributed by:
Eric Dunaway
small groups pastor

As we've been anticipating our church-wide spiritual growth campaign, Life on Purpose, Amanda and I decided to host a new group in our home. If you haven't done so already, check out Part 1 and Part 2. I've shared about the fact that this was a little outside our comfort zone... but it has already proven to be a real blessing.

Stepping Out: Part 2

Contributed by:
Eric Dunaway
small groups pastor

Tonight we took the next step toward starting our Life on Purpose group for our neighbors. For a couple of weeks, now, we've had the invitation cards sitting around. A few days ago we actually finished filling them out with our group information. And after putting it off longer than we should have, we finally walked door to door and talked to the neighbors we had felt should be invited to our group.

Stepping Out: Part 1

Contributed by:
Eric Dunaway
small groups pastor

Well, this is somewhat of an unusual post for my blog. Usually, I try to write something that will bring depth to a concept, or provide practical insight to another concept. Occasionally I'll even post something that links to another blog that's loaded with even more depth and insight. This post, on the other hand - or possibly even a series of posts - will be more of a chronicle of sorts that records some our thoughts and experiences as Amanda and I attempt to step outside of our comfort zones a little.

Livin' On a Prayer

Contributed by:
Eric Dunaway
small groups pastor

The title for this may have less to do with the actual post itself, and more to do with my love for 80's hairbands. But it is about prayer, so that has to count for something. How is your group doing when it comes to praying together? If you're like most groups, you've probably experienced a few of the following scenarios:

Pusuing Life Together: Keynote Recap 5/15/10

Contributed by:
Eric Dunaway
small groups pastor

I wanted to take a moment to recap a few things that we shared at our most recent Keynote. If you've never been to a Keynote, or aren't sure what that is, check out this page that really explains what this environment is all about.

Sub-Grouping: Making your small group even smaller?

Contributed by:
Eric Dunaway
small groups pastor

We often talk about keeping our groups small enough for deeper relationships to effectively take shape. And at PCC, we say that a journey group can be anywhere from 2-12 people... and that's really patterned after Jesus' teaching and ministry practices. In Matthew 18:20, Jesus said, "For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them." And a majority of Jesus' ministry was targeted toward twelve people, with an inner circle of three.

Narrow the Focus

Contributed by:
Eric Dunaway
small group pastor

Do you know why you're group is meeting? If I were to ask you what the purpose of your journey group is, could you answer that question? Furthermore, if I were to ask what the focus of your journey group is, could you answer that question? Let's take this one more teeny, tiny step further and say that if I were to ask everyone in your group that question, would you all have the same answer?

Maybe you'd ask me a question in response to this: are we supposed to have a focus? And the answer is... YES. Yes, your group should have a singular, unified focus.

All of our groups share a common purpose:

Journey groups exist to create the environment where people gather in small groups to experience deeper connection and growth as we pursue life together.

And our groups all share the same number one goal:

To help people connect more deeply with one another, and with God.

Those things are true for every journey group. But what's your group's focus? What are the unique goals that your group will pursue as you do life together? In other words, what changes do the members of your group want to experience in their personal and spiritual lives as a result of your time together?

This is something that we haven't spelled out for you. In fact, this is something that your group needs to decide together.

The bottom line is spiritual growth. At Pathway, we believe that a genuine and growing Christ follower exhibits four things:

1. Living a transformed life.
2. Included in authentic community.
3. Focused on ministry partnership.
4. Engaging the mission as the hands and feet of Jesus.

We know these as the four signs of life. (Notice that they spell the word life. Clever, isn't it.) And it's no accident that we often refer to groups pusuing life together, because that's what you're doing. Your journey group, in some way, shape or form, is connecting you, not just to other people, but to each of these vital signs, as well. In fact, each of the four values of journey groups reflect these signs of life applied in community (watch for future posts that expound on our values).

We believe that every group should, in some way, strive to live out each of these values in the life of their group. Again, groups should be pursuing life together - and that includes all the signs of life. But which one will your group make your focus for a specific season? And how will you narrow the focus to a specific component of that sign of life so that it becomes more practical and attainable?

For example, one group may decide to make authentic community their focus as a group. That's a great start, but by itself is really too broad. You may find that group members are still a little fuzzy on what that even means. So, as a group it's important to begin to narrow that down to a specific goal within authentic community that becomes very clear, practical, and attainable. In this instance, a new group might make building strong friendships the goal within their focus. It's part of authentic community, but it's specific enough that it can be accomplished within a set amount of time. And when it's accomplished, it can be measured and celebrated - and those are important to do.

Here are some other examples of how groups can narrow the focus to specific goals within each of the signs of life:

• Living a transformed life:
  > Knowing Scripture.
  > Practicing prayer together and privately.
  > Learning the "basics" of Christianity.
  > Growing in faith/learning to trust.
  > (insert your own ideas)
• Included in authentic community:
  > Building strong friendships.
  > Increasing the level of intimacy to promote open dialogue.
  > Developing accountability among the members.
  > (insert your own ideas)
• Focused on ministry partnership:
  > Developing the discipline of tithing.
  > Discovering the Spiritual Gifts.
  > Developing a servant's heart.
  > Actively serving together.
  > (insert your own ideas here)
• Engaging the mission as the hands and feet of Jesus:
  > Understanding the Great Commission.
  > Growing into a lifestyle of evangelism.
  > Local and global missions.
  > (insert your own ideas here)

Again, some of these are things that should be happening in every group. But when you make any one of these things the focus of your group, you treat it a little differently. It becomes the mission that your group is striving to accomplish. And you set out to focus on that mission for as long as it takes. And as a group, you decide the steps that you'll take achieve the goals you've set together as a group. This will impact how your group does life together until you feel you've reached those goals. This will impact what studies you go through, what outings you plan, and how you'll put it into practice as a group and as individuals.

Here are some reasons why narrowing the focus in your group is an important part of group life. When your group has narrowed the focus:

1. It brings the group together around a unified mission or goal. This is something the group can rally behind together, and can increase the connectedness and commitment within the group.
2. It helps direct the group to studies that will hopefully take the group closer to achieving their goals. Every six to eight weeks, groups find themselves asking the question, now what are we going to study? When the group has narrowed their focus, this question becomes easier to answer.
3. It provides a way to measure the growth of the group. How do you know if your group is growing if you haven't established goals by which to measure? Narrowing the focus helps you accomplish this.
4. It provides clarity to the group as to what your time together will hopefully accomplish. This ensures that everyone in the group is on the same page.
5. It helps groups intentionally - and practically - realize the mission & purpose of journey groups and PCC. Pathway Community Church exists to influence people to seek a genuine and growing relationship with Jesus Christ. We believe a genuine and growing follower of Christ is someone who pursue the four vital signs of life. Journey groups are the environment where where we pursue life together. So narrowing the focus is what enables this mission to be accomplished.

Hopefully, you're beginning to buy into this idea that narrowing the focus can be instrumental in the health and effectiveness of your group. If your group hasn't done so already, take some time at your next meeting to discuss what your goals are as a group. And when you've landed on a focus and a goal that the group can rally behind, write that into your covenant. Solidify that as an essential to your life together for the present season. And then begin to explore ways that your group will see that goal come to fruition.

Questions or ideas? We'd love to hear them. Feel free to post a comment so everyone can benefit!

A Firm Affirmation

Contributed by:
Eric Dunaway
small groups pastor

One of the most impactfull experiences I've had in my journey as a Christ follower was when a friend and mentor offered a few words of affirmation. They came after a period of time where I had been through probably the darkest year of my life. I had lost my job, we were struggling financially, I had been running from the Lord, and all this was taking a toll on our marriage. For several months I had been opening up to my mentor, sharing my struggles, my fears, and my hurts. And after some time, healing began to take place, and I began to feel that God was calling me into full time vocational ministry. Of course, I immediately began to wrestle with a sense of inadequacy. After all, I had, as I said, been running from the Lord... my relationship with him had been distant, at best, for the better part of three years. And at times, I felt like an 18 year follower of Christ who was still just a spiritual infant. In spite of that, I wanted to at least share this with my mentor, and get his take on it. I still remember the conversation - it was only almost seven years ago.

I told him that I was beginning to feel called back into ministry, but on a full time basis. He asked me what I thought that would look like, and for the first time I knew what it would look like. Youth ministry, I told him. And here's what I expected him to say: That's great, Eric. Now, let's take a look at where you're at spiritually. You've got a lot of work to do to get ready for that calling. Let's take the next year to pray about this, prepare for it, and so on. I'm excited for you... I believe you can do it... but you're just not ready for it yet. 

That's what I expected him to say. But that's not what he said. What he said was, Eric, I wish I had the budget to hire a full time youth pastor... I'd hire you right now. 

Even now, almost seven years later, those words bring such encouragement to me. They were words of affirmation. They were words that said, I believe in you. You can do it. I know where you've been, but I've seen how far you've come. God is at work in you. Keep it up, and follow his lead. 

One of the great things about community is that it provides an environment where affirmation can take place. In fact, one of the things that we've included in the ten habits of journey groups is affirming one another. As groups pursue life together, they have the opportunity to impact the lives of those within the group through words of affirmation. This is one of the reasons why community is so powerful and life-changing. My life was deeply impacted by words of affirmation. Think of how your words of affirmation might impact those in your group.

God has placed gifts and abilities into each one of us. He's working on each of us in different ways. He's nudging each of us in the direction of his will and purpose for our lives. Sometimes all we need is the gentle nudge from a close friend who can speak loving truth into our lives. Sometimes an encouraging word of affirmation is all that's needed to move someone into action. Maybe your words - spoken into the lives of those in your group - will be just what they needed to hear, when they needed to hear it, and will change the course of their lives forever.

Group Facilitators: you have a unique opportunity as you lead your group. You have the opportunity to watch those in your group as they grow and mature in their relationship with Christ. You have the opportunity to observe the gifts and abilities that God has placed within each of them. And you have the privilege to be that voice of affirmation. When you see a gift in someone, acknowledge it. Celebrate it. You may have a future journey group facilitator in your group. Or a future KidCity story teller, or worship team musician, or greeter in your group. You may have a future pastor or missionary in your group, and all they need to hear is someone acknowledge those gifts for them to accept that they're there.

The point is this: affirming one another really can change someone's life. You're voice of encouragement really can have a dramatic impact on those around you. Allow God to use your journey group to be a place where affirmation breaths new life into each one of you.

Take a minute to reflect on a time when someone's words of affirmation impacted you. If you want to, take a moment to share that in a comment on this blog (see the link below).

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.

Unqualified Leadership?

Contributed by:
Eric Dunaway
small groups pastor

Lately, the Journey Group Leadership Team has been talking a lot about the leadership of our groups. How do we want leaders to emerge? What type of person should we encourage to step up and facilitate their group? How can we avoid putting the wrong person in that role? And once they're in that role, how do we resource, train, and equip them?

These are tough questions. In theory, it should be easy. You just write up a job description, promote the opportunity, and follow three easy steps to developing leaders, right? Then why is it maybe one of the toughest challenges I've faced in ministry? To simplify the answer, it's because the right people don't always step up, and the wrong people sometimes do... and that's if they step up at all.

At Pathway, we've identified journey groups as the environment in which we want people to end up. We've determined that because we believe it is the best environment for sustaining spiritual transformation through authentic relationships. But you can ask anyone who's had any involvement with small groups on any level, and they will tell you the same thing: groups are only as effective as their leaders.

We're in the process of redefining the group leader's role in journey groups. We're revisiting how we will raise up leaders, the process of putting them in place, and then how we will equip and enrich them as they serve. We're taking a very hard look at each of these things because we believe in the power of journey groups, and we believe that solid leadership is critical for that life-changing power to be realized.

I came across this article on smallgrouptrader.com recently, and I wanted to share it with you. When you get a chance, take a look at it. It's an excellent look at what we really need in order to be good group leaders. I hope it will encourage you and inspire you as you lead, or participate in, your own journey group. The link to the article is provided below.

www.smallgrouptrader.com

Adventures in Childcare

Contributed by:
Eric Dunaway
small groups pastor

About 10 years ago, Amanda and I were part of a small group of young adults that met every Tuesday night in our home. We were newly married, in our early twenties, had just purchased our first home, lived close to the campus where we graduated from college, and were excited about hosting and leading this group. For a little over two years, this group was thriving. We did annual camp-outs and trips to Cedar Point. We had deep Bible studies that challenged us to grow. We were growing and seeing as many as 25 college students and twenty somethings coming each week. We loved it!

And then something happened. We started having kids. A couple who were a little older than us started coming with their infant son. Soon after, Amanda and I had our first, Breanna. Shortly after that, another couple had their first. Suddenly we faced a whole new dilemma in this once care-free and spontaneous group: childcare. How were we going to handle this? We tried just letting the kids join us and play on the floor... bad idea. Didn't work. We tried having parents rotate and watch the kids upstairs while the rest of met downstairs... didn't work. We tried several other things, none of which worked well.

I wish I could tell you that we eventually figured it out, everyone was happy, and the group continued to thrive. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. We struggled through this issue while we continued to have more children. Eventually, after about four years of being together, the group ended. Now, I don't want you to think that it was our children who brought on the demise of this group... but that particular issue certainly changed the dynamics of how we did life together. And without a clear strategy on how to handle it, the impact was detrimental.

I'm finding that the dilemma with childcare is a very common one. In fact, in our Keynote meetings when facilitators huddle together and begin to share challenges and struggles in their groups, this always comes up. And we've experienced the same challenges in every group we've been a part of, from the first one to our current one. And we all know that this is a very delicate issue, and should be handled with extreme sensitivity. At the same time, however, we need to consider what's best for the group. So the challenge is to be sensitive, but still assertive with what is believed to be the best course of action for the group. If you're a married group, this will be an issue in your group - and any group you're a part of - so it's important to establish a precedent early in the life of your group.

First, I want to set the record straight regarding children in Journey Groups. If you're on the fence as to whether or not your child could, or should, be a part of your meetings, you need to consider a few things. When children are present in small group meetings:

1. They become barriers to general conversation and discussions. Infants and toddlers are demanding, and require constant attention. Even older children have difficulty recognizing boundaries, and often interrupt their parents who are engaged in conversation. They don't understand the seriousness or sensitivity of some group discussions.

2. They are exposed to adult topics of discussion that may not be appropriate for them. As group members become more familiar and more deeply connected to one another, the intimacy increases. This creates an opportunity for members to share more openly and honestly about their faith, marriages, temptations, struggles, etc. This is good. It opens the door for accountability, and that's a big part of what group life should look like. However, when children are present at these meetings it puts them in a position to hear things from their parents, or other adults, that are simply not appropriate for them.

3. They are expected to sit contently and quietly in an environment that was not intended for them. Children need an environment that's designed for them. We know that children require more interaction, have shorter attention spans, and aren't on the same wave-length as their parents. Their frame of understanding simply cannot comprehend what adults need to discuss in their groups. Married Journey Groups are not an environment intended for children. When children are present, it not only hinders the group, but it places unfair expectations on the children.

4. They are a distraction to the group - bottom line. It doesn't matter if they're being noisy or especially active. Most children (which I'm sure includes yours) are just cute and fun to watch, and are therefore a distraction. The bottom line is that when children are present in a group meeting, they will ultimately dictate the course of a meeting. They will determine how deep the discussion goes, how intimately the members are connected, the extent to which Biblical truth can be applied, and the depth to which members can grow together.

I don't want to sound like I don't like Children - I have four of my own! But these are simply things I've observed as I've led small groups over the past 10 years.

Here are some childcare options that some groups have considered:

1. Onsite childcare. This is what our group does, and it works very well. Our group has 13 children, soon to be 17, ranging from infant to 8 years old! Our host family has a basement, and we hire 2 teenage girls to come and watch all 13 children downstairs while our group meets. And we're not just trying to get them out of the way so that we adults can have our discussion time. We've actually tried to create a structured environment for them downstairs that includes video time, play time, snack time, and so on. Our group decided early on that this was how we were going to approach this. We also agreed together that we would pay the sitters $4/child for the evening. That means Amanda and I pay $12 for two hours of childcare for our three children (the fourth is still in the oven), which is very reasonable. Obviously, this approach means that you need a host couple with space to do this. It doesn't have to be a basement, however. It could also be a bedroom, playroom or family room that is separated from where the adults will be meeting. And the sitters need to be very careful about not letting the children leave their area.

2. Offsite childcare. We've been in previous groups where we did this, and it also worked pretty well. Maybe your host couple doesn't have the space to provide onsite childcare, but another couple in the group would be willing to make their home the childcare location. You could hire a sitter or two (or three depending on how many kids you have) to be at the offsite childcare location, and group members would just drop off their children on their way to group meeting. The downside, obviously, is that it requires more time to and from your meetings. And obviously, it helps to have a group who's members all live in the same general area.

3. Everyone on their own. We used this approach in our first Journey Group at Pathway because we were the only couple with children at the time (now they all have children... some of them now have 2!). We just knew that every other Tuesday we'd bring a sitter home to watch our children while we went to group. The downside with this approach is that several times we had to miss group because we couldn't find a sitter.

Here's something else that I think has been helpful for other groups who've gone through this. Your group may have already filled out a group covenant. However, it may be time to do a new one. The covenant actually addresses the issue of childcare specifically, and allows you to decide together as a group how you're going to approach it. Again, you may have 15 kids, or only one couple with children, but if you're a married group it will only increase the longer your group stays together. The covenant can provide a neutral discussion starter on the topic, as well. That way, hopefully, no one feels singled out.

As we know, this is a delicate situation, and we may need to accept the idea going into this that some couples may leave their group over this issue. We don't want to see that happen. At the same time, we don't want to see group life hindered because of an issue with childcare.

What's your group doing to tackle this issue? Where have you failed, and where have you found success? Share your stories with us so we can learn with you. Post a comment to let us know what you're doing with childcare in your group.

Envelopes and Water Pumps

Contributed by:
Eric Dunaway
small groups pastor

The more I continue to grow in my understanding of authentic, Biblical community, the more I'm confronted with the reality of it's power. I'm learning that community is so much than just relationships... but what can be accomplished through those relationships. Let me recap a few things that have happened recently as a direct result of community here at PCC.

1. Over 1,000 shoeboxes were collected for Samaritan's Purse.
2. Nearly 60 families were provided with groceries to feed them through the holidays.
3. Hundreds of coats were collected, most of them brand new.
4. $45,000 was raised to pay for Feed My Starving Children.
5. 1,000 volunteers stepped up to pack meals for Feed My Starving Children.
6. As a body, we packed over 206,000 meals, which is enough to feed over 500 children for a year!

I look at those statistics, and I realize that any one of us can do only very little to make an impact on those who are hungry and in need, here and around the world. But when we as Christ-followers come together in community, God begins to move through us, and the impact is so much greater than it could ever be on our own. Those stats aren't about what Pathway did, but about what God has done through us. What a blessing to be a part of it!

As we wrapped up our series entitled "Bring the Love" several weeks ago, we saw a video that featured one of our High School girls Journey Groups who had committed to do something together as a group. So they created a "Love Box" where they would collect money that would go towards filling shoeboxes for Samaritan's Purse. Our Journey Group had already been talking about what we were going to do in response to these challenges. After seeing this video, we were inspired to start our own "Love Box," though we called ours the "Love Pouch" ... it was an envelope.

We still didn't know exactly what we were going to do with the money we would collect. We felt that we'd all be more inclined to really give if we knew what we were giving towards. One of our group members had some interesting connections that intrigued us: 1) pump parts that we could purchase at cost - roughly $60 for a part that would cost $300 in a store. 2) a man who digs wells in Africa to supply local villages with clean water. 3) means to ship these parts overseas. So, as a group, we decided to commit to raise money so we could send water pumps to Africa that would provide clean water for the people. Our goal was 10 pumps.

The following week, we collected our money. After everyone had made their contributions, we opened the envelope and began counting... and what we discovered was that God had far exceeded any of our expectations. We had raised more than enough money to meet our goal of 10 pumps... in fact, we had enough money to send 20! As a group of six couples, we had collected more than $1,200!

As I reflect on that, it strikes me how shocked all of us were... there wasn't one couple there who wasn't utterly blown away at what had happened. I believe that God moved in a powerful way... I believe that he used our individual gifts, and then multiplied them in ways that were completely astonishing to us. What we were able to contribute was a small portion of that. But as a community of believers, the impact of our contribution was much bigger. And again, I don't share these things with you to draw attention to ourselves, but to celebrate what God did in our tiny little community of believers. That's the power of the community!

One of the values that we have for our Journey Groups is to serve inside and outside.

Focusing on ministry partnership mobilizes us as active members within the body of Christ. This moves us to serve together not only those inside our group, but outside as well. In community, we're aware of the needs around us, and we work together to meet those needs. As a community, we're resourced to address the needs outside of us, and we work together toward that endeavor, as well. Journey Groups connect us to this purpose.

I'd love to hear what your group has done to serve inside and outside. In what ways are you working together as a group to meet the needs around you, and beyond? And again, this isn't about you and your group, but about what God is doing through you. Let's celebrate those things together, and inspire others to jump in and do the same!

Please post a comment to let us know what you're doing.

Committed Volunteers

Contributed by:
Eric Dunaway
small group pastor

We have a running joke with the young adults at Threefold about the "maybe" button on Facebook event invitations. It's amazing how many of them always seem to check "maybe," which we all know really means "no." ... well, most of the time it means "no." Ultimately, it seems to be an aversion to commitment.

This past weekend at Pathway, my wife and I showed up at our third service - we even showed up early... that's worth blogging about in and of itself. Especially considering that we had our three children with us, including our 2-year old son, Gibson. Part of the reason we were sure to show up early was because we were meeting some friends from out of town, and wanted to make sure we caught up with before the service started. 

So I took the girls to their classrooms upstairs and hurried down to the lobby to meet Amanda after she dropped Gibson off in the two-year old class. When I found her, however, Gibson was still with her... the 2-year class had reached the maximum child to adult ratio, and they were waiting on more volunteers to show up... no one ever did. 

That meant that Gibson, along with several other children at Pathway that morning, had no class to go to while their parents had hoped to attend the worship service. At that point our options were to take him into the service with us, roam the atrium (along with several other families who were turned away), or go home. We opted to take him into the service with us, which brought on a whole new series of consequences. Gibson was bored (though he did pretty well - at one point, however, he did ask Amanda in a loud whisper if she had to go poo-poo), our ability to engage with the teaching was diminished, and Gibson was a distraction to others around us. On top of all that, in the midst of wrestling with Gibson and keeping him quiet, I forgot my Starbucks coffee thermos under my seat... I have a feeling it's gone forever. 

While I found this whole situation pretty frustrating, I realized it wasn't really about our children's ministry's crazy classroom ratios. Those ratios and policies are put into place to protect our children and create a safe place for them. I appreciate that. These things are not unreasonable... that's not the issue. At the root of this issue is their need for committed volunteers. I found out this morning that several volunteers in KidCity had decided to just not show up on Sunday morning. No phone call... no reasons... they just didn't show up. This sent the KidCity team into a frenzy as they moved volunteers where they could to try and fill some holes. They were able to do that to an extent, but obviously it wasn't enough. And as a result of even just a few volunteers shirking their commitment, several families weren't able to plug into the service this weekend. 

I decided to write this in an effort to raise your awareness to the need for committed volunteers. KidCity needs them; Student Ministries needs them; Journey Groups need them; Worship Arts needs them; First Impressions needs them. And when you serve in one of these areas, it not only enables these ministries to happen each week, but it also becomes a vital part of your spiritual development as you play a key role in the body of Christ. Unfortunately, we find that - when it comes to placing volunteers in these roles - we're competing with a culture that too many times doesn't honor their commitments. And what makes it even worse, they don't see anything wrong with that. 

What can you and your group do to begin serving at Pathway? Could your group - or even part of your group - serve together in KidCity one Service a month? Could your group serve together as greeters for just one service a month? ... or serve communion together? ... or serve students together?

Part of building authentic community is serving together, and I encourage you to take this back to your group. If you're not already serving together in some way, make that a topic of conversation. How will you serve as a group? Where will you serve as a group? When will you serve as a group? And when you do, stand back and watch the impact it will have on the relationships in your group, but also the body as you engage a need together. 

Here are some things to consider as you seek to serve at Pathway - as a group or as individuals:

1. Prayer: Ask God where He wants you to serve. If you have a specific area in which you'd like to serve, ask God to open those doors. Pray for his guidance and direction. And when that guidance and direction comes - when the door is opened - follow it. 
2. Passion: Don't just plug into a role out of obligation or guilt. Pursue a role in an area you're passionate about. Serve in a role that will bring some excitement and fulfillment. 
3. Pace: Don't commit to a schedule that you know you can't honor. Pace yourself. Serving once a month is sometimes an ideal schedule for people. Something else to remember with this is to not let your ministry involvement take you away from being able to participate in a worship service. Pacing yourself means you serve during one service, and you attend a different service on the same weekend. 
4. Promise: Don't say you'll do it unless you mean it. When you step up as a volunteer to serve, that's a commitment. People are counting on you. Honor those commitments. When you don't, that's really just a broken promise. 
5. Phone: We all know that things come up unexpectedly, and sometimes we have no choice but to back out of commitments. When that happens, just pick up the phone and contact your ministry leader. Let them know you won't be able to serve your shift, let them know why, and if possible find someone to replace you.

Here are some people you can contact for more information on how you and your group can get involved by serving together:

• KidCity - Kevin Frauhiger
• Student Ministries - Brad Bullock (High School) & Byron Von Gunten (Middle School)
• First Impressions (Coffee, Greeters, Communion, Etc.) - Deb Parish
• Worship Arts - Gordon Knapp
• Journey Groups - Eric Dunaway
• Care Ministries - Natalie Ward

Have other thoughts, questions or suggestions? Post a comment! We'd love to hear what you have to say.