Collecting Fall group info
Sign up by Aug. 6 to host/lead a group this fall
I'm sending this to those folks who have been or are currently involved in hosting/leading small groups at Vineyard Church.
We are beginning to collect the info for our fall semester (Sept-Dec) - info that will go in both the Fall Grow Guide and the church website.
If you are planning to lead/host a small group, common interest group, class, or ministry this fall, please fill out one of the following forms no later than August 6th:
North Campus:
https://vineyardkcnorth.ccbchurch.com/form_response.php?id=1730
Brighton Campus:
https://vineyardkcnorth.ccbchurch.com/form_response.php?id=1728
Liberty Campus:
https://vineyardkcnorth.ccbchurch.com/form_response.php?id=1729
Here are a list of Approved Small Group Studies:
http://www.vineyardkcnorth.com/approved-small-group-studies/
(Note: If you have completed Vineyard 301, you may submit any study for approval.)
More info is below.
Blessings,
Roger Sodsod
Executive Pastor of Adult Ministries
Vineyard Church - KC North
http://www.vineyardkcnorth.com
Small Group helps: http://sodsod.com
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The details...
Dates
Deadline to fill out online form to get in Grow Guide and on website: August 6th
Group signups begin: September 2nd
Fall semester begins: Most groups will want to begin the week of Sept 16th and end their study by the first week of December. If you need to, you could start a week later.
Length of fall semester
The study you pick should be between 6-12 weeks long. We try to end groups by the first week of December because people start getting busy with Christmas parties and events in December.
Studies
We won't be writing a sermon-based small group study this fall, but feel free to check out the studies below and on RightNowMedia.org.
http://www.vineyardkcnorth.com/approved-small-group-studies/
If you don't yet have access to RightNowMedia, we will be happy to set you up with free access. We pay for the whole church to be able to access this resource. Simply fill out this form: https://vineyardkcnorth.ccbchurch.com/form_response.php?id=1368
Where will we meet?
You can either meet in your home, a friend's home, in the community, or, if we have space available and you are a north campus group, at the north campus. For home groups, we recommend rotating hosting responsibilities among your group members so that no one host gets burned out.
When can we meet?
You pick the day and time, however we've found most people want to join a group that meets in the evening on a Mon, Tue, Wed, or Thur. Group meetings are 1, 1 1/2, or 2 hours long (you decide). Groups that offer childcare usually fill up the fastest.
Where will my group be promoted?
If you have had at least Vineyard 201, we will put your group in the Grow Guide and on the Vineyard website. If not, we still want you to fill out the form so we can assign you a prayer warrior who will be praying for you and your group. And we encourage you to begin taking classes in our Discipleship Track (Vineyard 101, 201, 200-Series classes, 301, and 401).
Who will be in my group?
It will be a mixture of those you invite and those who sign up for your group. From our experience, most people join a small group because they were invited. So be thinking about inviting your F.R.A.N.K.s: your Friends, Relatives, work Associates, Neighbors, and people you know through your Kids.
How big should my group be?
A group really can be anywhere from 2 to 15 people. A smaller group can be better, allowing for more intimacy and deeper conversation. In a larger group, you get to meet more people. We don't want groups getting TOO large because we want everyone to get the opportunity to participate and be known by the other members of the group.
How do I get trained and what resources and support is there for me?
We have several online training videos for you to watch here: http://sodsod.com/new-host-training/
We encourage you to read through the Vineyard Small Group Leader Resource Manual and look through the small group resources here: http://sodsod.com/resources/
We will have a Focused Leader Training Breakfast on Saturday, Sept 2 (8:30am-12pm) in the East Auditorium, where we will train on a small group topic. Breakfast and childcare are provided at no cost to you.
Additionally, you will be assigned a prayer warrior who will be praying for you and your group every day this fall.
How do I secure childcare for my group?
If your group is a North Campus group and is meeting at church, you can request childcare when you fill out your online form above. You may or may not get it, depending on what other groups/events are happening at that time. If your group is meeting in a home, you can either hire a babysitter (or two if you have a lot of kids) or rotate among your group members who will watch the kids. An average fee might be $5 per family, but ask your childcare provider what they recommend. It's best if whoever is with the children can provide a small group experience (depending on the ages) for them as well. It might include a Bible story, a worship song, and/or some games. If you are interested, I (Roger) have some curriculum for leading small group with kids.