Participation in a Community Group can help us get connected to other Christians in a vital way.
Weekly worship and sitting under preaching is crucial. But we believe it is vitally important for each person to do more than attend weekly worship service. Our desire is for you to develop into the person who God has created you to be in Him. This happens through worship, serving, and connecting with others.
Community Groups are designed to help believers CONNECT by building significant, gospel-centered relationships with one another. Our members span a wide variety of personal interests and life experiences, we're certain there's a Community Group where you can belong.
Curriculum
The curriculum is sermon-based, meaning that our Community Groups use questions that come directly out of each Sunday's sermon. **Currently, groups are on a break from sermon questions until a new season begins in the fall.
How Community Groups Work
Community Groups meet in homes throughout Crystal Lake and surrounding areas for 90 minutes to two hours on a weekly basis. They offer a place to connect on a deeper level with others, fellowship, study, prayer, care and usually snacks! Our Community Groups also partner with an EFCCL supported missionary or greater commission worker.
Because groups meet in homes, the size of the groups are determined by the group leaders and how many people they can comfortable seat in their home. “Full” means that the group literally doesn’t have enough space in their homes to add more to the group. We recommend a group being no larger than 15 people.
Groups can be made up of old and young, married, widowed, single, engaged, empty nesters or in the depths of raising children. We welcome singles to join Community Groups, even though we don’t have a singles group.
Group availability also depends on the number of leaders we have. We are always hoping for more leaders to accommodate the number of people looking for groups.
If we can’t currently find room in a Community Group to place you, we offer great Adult Fellowship Classes, Adult Electives, and ministry to men and women, including discipleship groups and women’s Bible studies.
Why Community Groups are Vital
Many Christians are unconnected. They attend church and leave each week hardly knowing anyone. All of us need community. We need to spend time around other believers who are spiritually hungry and eager to grow. Community Groups offer an opportunity to get into a smaller setting to grow spiritually and deepen relationships—while exploring sermon topics each week and spending time in prayer. Participation in a group can help us get connected to other Christians in a vital way. As relationships grow, a community fosters opportunities for us to love, serve, encourage, and care for one another.
Values and Goals
Community Groups value and work toward:
Gospel transformation: to live daily transformed by the gospel
Interaction with Scripture: to know God more
Prayer: to enjoy our dependence on God
True fellowship: to encourage, equip, and account intimately
Mutual care: to selflessly meet one another's needs
Contact:
Tim Bruns
Pastor of Adult and Care Ministries
815-459-1095 x 329
tbruns@efccl.org
Mary Pearson
Adult and Care Ministries Assistant
815-459-1095 x 337
mpearson@efccl.org