Ok, so we are not actually stopping small groups. Our small groups are a vital part of our church community. God’s word teaches us that having fellowship with one another is crucial to growing in our fellowship with Him (1 John 1:1-10). Small groups help us facilitate fellowship and grow together in the Lord as we take time to pray for one another, talk about life together, and create shared memories. So we aren’t stopping small groups. But we are taking a break from having them in July and August. Why?

As we live in an increasingly secularized culture, our pastoral team has a burden to equip people further to dig deep into the doctrine and practice of the Christian faith. While every Sunday, we are equipped through the preaching of God’s word, we feel that having an additional instruction time would be beneficial and needed. Also, a class format gives the flexibility to deal with certain topics more comprehensively and the ability to interact through discussion. However, we don’t want to add another thing to your schedule. We have a value as a church of having free calendar space to be with neighbors and other church people and enjoy organic friendship. So that’s why we are pausing Small Groups in July and August. We hope having more space in your calendar will allow you to prioritize being part of one of these classes. The classes are meeting weekly to minimize the impact if you have to miss one. You are welcome to take both classes for both months, but we encourage everyone to consider taking at least one class one month.

After praying and talking as a team, we have picked four classes that we think we need the most at this current moment.

July

• Tuesday Nights-Systematic Theology 1- Jeff Boettcher
  • In order to grow we need a solid foundation upon which to grow.  This class will provide a theological survey on several key topics for the Christian faith.

• Thursday Nights-Ministering to One Another- Matt Slingerland
  • God wants to use us to help one another follow the way of Jesus.  This class will help equip you to know how to spiritually care for your friends and help them grow in Christ.

August

• Tuesday Nights-How to Share Your Faith- Jeff Boettcher
  • This class will help you gain theological clarity on what it means to share our faith and give practical instruction on how to grow in doing so.

• Thursday Nights-Systematic Theology 2- – Matt Slingerland
  • This class will build upon Systematic Theology 1, although having completed ST1 is not a prerequisite.  

You can signup for these classes at https://christchurchsouthphilly.org/card/digging-deeper/