On behalf of the ARC Consistory, Adult Discipleship Team, Ridder Team, and the Life Group Team, we would like to invite all ARC adult members, regular attenders, and anyone else from the community to participate in our upcoming GROW and GO campaign! The purpose of this important program is to provide a focused, church-wide effort that leads to greater connectivity, spiritual maturity, and community impact. Several years ago ARC participated in 40 Days of Purpose, and the memories and life-transformation from that time continue to live on. Our hope is to achieve a similar level of participation this fall and winter with GROW and GO. With God all things are possible!
What does GROW and GO mean? In September we will begin a 9-week preaching series on Peter Scazzero’s “Emotionally Healthy Spirituality.” This is the GROW component of our church-wide campaign. The ARC staff members have been studying these materials and have found them to be life-changing. The basic idea is that when we allow the Holy Spirit to help us work on our emotional health, doors open for us to grow spiritually, both as individuals and as a community. Most of us have many behaviors, emotions, thought patterns, and memories that keep us bound up, but if we work on these together and through the power of Jesus Christ, we will experience incredible growth. This series will last until around Thanksgiving.
Soon after the New Year, we will begin the GO element of our program, which will be another 9-week preaching series based on Hugh Halter’s “Tangible Kingdom Primer.” Whether you have read Tangible Kingdom or not, Mike’s preaching over the past few years will have made you very familiar with many of the concepts. The basic idea is that if we are going to be faithful to the great commission and reach the lost, we must share Christ’s love in tangible ways with the community. Through these efforts we build intentional relationships with unchurched people, inviting them to belong with us even before they believe. The primer will guide all of us into learning activities which will be life-changing for us and the people we meet as we GO.
Like 40 days of purpose, the absolute key to this program will be participation in Life Groups. You will have the opportunity to read each book with the fall (GROW) and winter (GO) preaching series, and follow along on Sunday mornings with messages that parallel the reading, but it will be in the laboratory of Life Groups where the real GROWing and GOing will take place. During the fall series we will build trust and a sense of community in Life Groups (GROW) that leads to greater courage, shared passion, and accountability as we work together to impact our community this Winter (GO) and beyond.
What do you need to do in order to participate fully in GROW and GO?
- Pray for God to give you a passion for ARC and the direction He is leading us
- Consider joining a Life Group and/or taking the Leader Training Course (Aug. 10) if you feel called to lead a group (talk to Ken Hup or Cory Grimm for more information)
- Obtain a copy of the books we will be using for GROW and GO (available in September)
- Fully engage with church and Life Group regularly this fall and winter, and expect God to do great things!