“And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:25 NLT)
We want to leverage the holidays for discipleship, not lose discipleship during the holidays.
Three ways we can leverage the holidays for discipleship:
1. Plan ahead.
When we fail to plan, we plan to fail.
Look at upcoming dates and plan around them. (Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve, etc.)
Plan outreaches, dinners, and parties in advance. So you can let the group and those you are reaching out to know ahead of time for scheduling purposes.
Consider doing things with other Grace Groups so you can create community with others in the church.
2. Leverage what you already have to do.
Include evangelism and discipleship into the things you are already doing.
Not adding more, but being purposeful and inclusive with what you have to do.
3. Fight to keep meeting.
Do your best to meet consistently. Cancelling group is the LAST resort.
Think outside the box. Be willing to change the day and time so that MOST can make it.
Consider having a “recapture”, another pocket to get those who couldn’t make group. Allow your apprentice to lead group on a different day.
Upcoming Holidays:
Saturday, November 11 – Veterans Day
Thursday, November 23 – Thanksgiving Day
Friday, December 22 to Sunday, December 24 – Christmas Weekend Services
Monday, December 25 – Christmas Day
Sunday, December 31 – New Year’s Eve
Discipleship Questions:
Look at a calendar. What plans does your Grace Group have to leverage discipleship during the upcoming holidays? What are some ideas that you can do as a Grace Group?
Reflect and share experiences of successful activities done as a grace group.
What can you do personally to leverage the holidays for evangelism?