Ramblings--20091005

CHBC Ramblings
Monday, October 5, 2009

Life Groups (Sunday School classes) are important!
You have probably heard that we are using the term Life Groups now for our primary small group ministry. Of course, we will continue to use the term Sunday School as well, since it is so familiar and ingrained in most of us. But whatever we call them, small groups are necessary for balanced and continued growth in discipleship. The small group is where we most easily live life together. The small group is the most natural place for person to person love and caring to take place within the larger church. The small group allows discussion of how to apply the Bible’s teaching to life and provides a safe environment for questions to be asked. The small group is generally an ideal size for ministry projects within the community. The small group offers a warm, friendly environment in which to invite others to experience Bible study and Christian fellowship. The small group is able to multiply easily when it begins to turn into a “large” group—a few “missionaries” from the group can embark on the adventure of beginning a new small group! Let me encourage you to actively participate in a Life Group (Sunday School class) or another kind of small group here at Clairmont Hills Baptist Church. You will find that you will be blessed—and you will be a blessing to others. Need to know of a small group to try? Let us know!

Head, Heart, Hands, and Feet
In our seven part DiscipleLIFE Sermon Series, we are seeking to describe what a healthy disciple look like: there is balanced growth—head, heart, hands, and feet. In other words, a disciple LEARNS (head), a disciple LOVES (heart), a disciple SERVES (hands), and a disciple SHARES (feet). There are also stages of development: pre-birth, infant, growing, and mature.

Yesterday, we focused on the HEART: Disciples Love. Each week, a brief drama highlights the problem when a part of our development is missing. Yesterday we discovered that without the heart, we can easily do good things for the wrong reasons, such as promoting ourselves, as Paul alludes to 1 Corinthians 13.1-3.

We looked at the Great Commandments and were reminded that a disciple loves God, others, and self. We highlighted some dangers inherent when we are not balanced in our growth in this area. And we mentioned three habits that will help us grow in our love for God and others: Worshiping publicly, worshiping privately, and belonging to a small group.

Wonder how all these relate? If you missed the message, it will be posted soon on our website: www.clairmonthills.org. (By the way, all the messages for the past couple of years can be listened to or downloaded at our website. If you experience any difficulty, let us know.)

This coming Sunday, our emphasis will be on the HANDS: Disciples Serve.

Live on 90% for 90 Days
Are you taking the challenge? Our Finance Committee is taking the lead from the Bible to challenge those who do not by habit tithe to try it for the months of September, October, and December. “Test me in this,” says the Lord. (See Malachi 3.6-12).

Called Conference this Sunday afternoon at 5 p.m.
This brief conference is for the Leadership Team to present a list of committee nominations for the coming year and for the deacons to share the names of those who have been nominated, who have been interviewed by the deacon body, and who have agreed to serve on our deacon body. The list is available in the church office and will be distributed this Wednesday night and this coming Sunday morning.

“Harvest in the Barn” on October 18
The Fellowship Team is preparing another fun Sunday night fellowship on October 18. At 6:30 p.m. we will enjoy a barbecue dinner followed by a time of entertainment as “Patsy Cline” will be here with us. And it’s all FREE! Our regular classes will meet at 5:30 as usual and conclude just in time for the fellowship. If you are not participating in one of our classes this quarter, simply arrive in the Fellowship Hall at 6:30, ready for the fun!

Have a great week!