Awesome! Connect. Grow. Serve.

Last month, Maureen and I worked in “God’s Big Backyard” (Madison Park’s Vacation Bible School)(VBS). This year’s VBS was wonderfully conceived, superbly organized, and blessed, so far as we can tell, in every way. Hats off to Pastor Paula Spear, Children’s Ministry Director Lisa Ritchhart, and all those who made this ministry possible, reaching literally hundreds of kids. It was awesome.

One inescapable signature of “God’s Big Backyard” was the phenomenal staging. You remember: the larger-than-life tree house in the Main Auditorium, the white picket fencing, and all the rest. Honestly, when I first saw the collection in place I wondered if we had robbed Disney. Who could have guessed that paper mache could look so good?

When I asked where the tree house et al came from, I discovered that the VBS props were produced by a Madison Park Small Group—a circle of friends led by Paul and Lori Browning. “The Browning Small Group” learned of the VBS theme six months ago and decided to tackle the construction of “God’s Big Backyard.” Working week-by-week through the first half of the year, the Brownings and their fellow-groupies created the whole set (without blueprints) in their driveways. During the process, they found themselves drawn ever closer together as friends, as followers of Christ, learning, working, and serving together as a team. The rich fabric of their relationships, already established in small group Bible study, deepened as their small group stepped up to serve. Once more: “Awesome.”

In recent years our small group ministry has really moved to the center of our church’s life. In small groups, we connect to others, we develop relationships that transcend just the “coming and going” of Sunday services, we learn more about God, we find personal support in stretching times, and (as the Browning Small Group has discovered) we can do some really cool stuff that blesses the Lord’s work way beyond ourselves.

We have small groups that: have adopted children in developing countries, assumed responsibility for the preparation of Communion elements (no small task, when you think about filling 2,000 of those little cups!), provided food for people in need, provided transportation to doctor’s appointments for folks who otherwise had none, given birth to whole ministries (like the Lighthouse Café), taken the lead to support and encourage troops stationed abroad and their families who remain here at home, and … well, you get the idea.

Some people, of course, are not a part of a Madison Park Small Group—they don’t think they need one, until, er uh, well, they need one. Sooner or later, we all need one. We all need that point of personal connection that links us to the larger Body of Christ.

My wife and I are in a Madison Park Small Group (it actually meets in our home, every other Sunday evening). There are 18 in our group—mostly couples, some single. We’ve walked through the Bible and some other books together, but, mostly, we’ve walked through life together. When our kids succeed—or fail, when our health is good or not-so-good, when our marriages are strong or threatened, when the day is sunny or overcast, our small group has provided a safe place to be loved and understood. Never underestimate the power of honest, authentic conversation, covered by caring and intentional prayer.

It was, at first, a little scary for my wife and I to be a part of a small group. I mean, well, I’m the pastor. Can we really share? Can we really be transparent? The answer: “Yes, of course.” I’m not processing any church business in the group—Maureen and I are just like everybody else, finding our way as husband and wife, parents, friends, children, etc. I know: it can be a bit intimidating for you to get involved in a Small Group, too. But, don’t let your fears or sense of “I can’t add one more thing to my plate” rob you of the chance to really connect, grow, and serve.

Yes, yes, you can be part of a group that meets otherwise—a small group outside the sphere of your church family—a circle of friends “on its own.” But, when you connect to a Madison Park Small Group, not only will you find a place “to call home,” you’ll be exposed to many opportunities to grow and serve in the larger church family. Who knows, you might even find yourself up to your neck in paper mache one day, setting the stage for hundreds of kids to learn about Jesus in “God’s Big Backyard.” And, along the way, you’ll find friends-for-a-lifetime.

If you’d like further information about our Small Group ministry, if you’d like to know what the options are, if you’d like to join the 700+ adults in Madison Park Small Groups, contact Sarah Trick at the Church Office, (765) 642-2000 or strick@madisonparkchurch.org. She’s our Director of Discipleship & Education and she’s just waiting for you to inquire. Well, okay, she’s busy with ministry on several fronts, but, she’s still very glad to speak with anyone who is interested in small groups. Don’t wait for another day to go by … there’s a small group waiting for you, too.