Spring 2019

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Connect in a Group: Adults WHY NEW TYPES OF GROUPS? Have you heard about missional communities or huddles? POP is responding to God’s prompting, cultural shifts, and group evaluation. We reviewed… …what other churches were doing to address similar concerns, asked our P.E.A.C.E. Group leaders to anonymously rank their groups on various attributes, and sent staff members to conferences to learn more. We found… 1. The culture continues to shift. Simply inviting people to worship or a Bible study is more difficult. Yet, people outside of the church are hungry for Jesus and hope to see the humility and authenticity in the lives of Christ-followers. They want to make a difference in the world around them. Building authentic relationships with people outside of church is the best first step. 2. People increasingly value life-on-life discipleship (making disciples who can make disciples). 3. P.E.A.C.E. Groups experience success in many areas: sharing of life, safe place to share struggles, learning from God’s Word, seeing tangible signs of the Holy Spirit changing lives, group members using their gifts, and showing care for one another. Praise God! 4. Current P.E.A.C.E. Group challenges include outreach and leadership development. New people are not coming in, and new leaders are not being cultivated. We will… ...continue to provide quality P.E.A.C.E. Group experiences while looking for ways to invite people and develop new leaders. To do this, we will experiment with new types of groups! Missional Communities are mid-sized groups of 20-40 people which focus on fellowship and service with a missional purpose. They provide an easy first step for people outside the church to join a group. Huddles are small groups of 3-8 people with a concentration in life-on-life discipleship. Participants are invited in and directed by a leader for approximately 18 months. They learn what it means to be a disciple and how to disciple others. Huddle participants may begin their own huddles after their training, multiplying huddles over time. Keep an eye out for more information as these groups develop! 8 PRINCE OF PEACE LUTHERAN CHURCH | SPRING <strong>2019</strong>
Connect in a Group: POPTeens During our Explore God series last winter, the youth raised many questions and doubts about God and about God in their lives. What does all this mean to me? Why should I believe in this? I know all this, but I’m not sure it’s real. Many small group conversations became one-on-one discussions. After a group meeting one night, Pastor Matt chatted with a participant named Dylan* about who God is, what God did, why the Bible is true, and what Jesus’ death and resurrection means. Part of the conversation went like this: Dylan: How do God and faith become personal to me? Pastor Matt: Did He die for you? Dylan: Yes! Pastor Matt: How do you know that? Dylan (laughing): ‘Cause the Bible tells me so. It’s a song! Pastor Matt: And the song is right; it does. Dylan: But how do I know the Bible is right? [Pastor Matt shared how all of Scripture is proven with other writings while Dylan nodded and thought about what he said.] “How do God and faith become personal for me?” Pastor Matt: That is why faith has to move from your head to your heart. That is faith. It is heart knowledge of what Jesus has done for you and how much he loves you. Dylan (with tears running down): I know, but that’s tough. Pastor Matt (teary-eyed): That’s why we work at it each day through prayer, reading Scripture, daily devotions, and so much more. Hours had passed. Pastor Matt and Dylan prayed about walking with Jesus and growing a life of faith. One general question may lead to personal questions, which will lead youth (and adults) to a deeper, more intimate relationship with Jesus. That is what develops heart knowledge. What a beautiful thing! *Some names and identifying details have been changed to protect the privacy of individuals. SPRING <strong>2019</strong> | PRINCE OF PEACE LUTHERAN CHURCH 9
Page 1 and 2: Peace Offering BI-ANNUAL REPORT SPR
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Page 19 and 20: POP Financials Prince of Peace’s

Spring 2019

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