Life Group Lighthouse Initiative

I've mentioned in other posts about the importance of small groups for Christians, so I won't do that here.  However, I did want to mention some of the initiatives that the Lighthouse Church, which is the English language congregation of the National Evangelical Church in Kuwait, is doing with life groups.

First of all, there will be a book series that all the life groups will be using for the next two years.  I think this is a great idea to have something in a book form that all life groups will be using.  The book is called Foundations for Living, and it's a series of four books written by Susan and Dick Driedger.  This will be exciting to have a clear method for all the life groups at the Lighthouse.

Second, these books are supposed to go through the Christian life, from being a non-Christian to having victory in the Christian life.  This is great because book one can be used to start new groups with those who are not Christians to introduce them to the gospel, and it can be used to help Christians get better at evangelizing and sharing the gospel.  The other books talk about who God is and basic Christian doctrine, having victory over patterns of sin in our lives, and how to live as a balanced and whole person.  These books go back to the basics of the gospel and what it means to be a Christian, and it can't be more emphasized or stressed to keep loving Jesus and what that means for us as believers.
 
Third, they flew the authors into Kuwait to conduct a  two-day training for all life group leaders and coordinators.  I thought this was a brilliant idea, to have the authors themselves explain how their books work and how to use them in a small group setting to maximize the impact they will have on ourselves and others.  The training was very successful, and there was a record turnout from all the other leaders.  There will be an additional training with the authors for those who could not make the initial weekend meeting.

Finally, there will be a life group presentation and an emphasis to for all the congregations to get involved in a group at all the Lighthouse services.  This will be Friday and Sunday on the 19th and 21st of September  There will be an encouragement from our senior pastor Warren about the importance of these life groups.  Additionally, there will be testimonies from different people who have been impacted personally and spiritually by being a part of a life group.  The pastor will also encourage people to join a life group, and there will be signups after every service for those who are interested to join a group.  The life group leaders will also be recognized, prayed for, and commissioned by the pastor of that service and the leaders will be available to help people sign up or answer any questions after the service. 

I believe this is the largest initiative that the Lighthouse church has done regarding small groups, so I want to encourage you to join one this year, or to get back together with your group from your summer holidays.  If you are not in Kuwait, please pray for our life groups this year, that the entire church would have deep relationships with one another and would grow in our love for Jesus!