New Summit News

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Read more of September 17 Newsletter here. Weekly Newsletter - September 17, 2015                                From Pastor Dave Dear Friends,  As our partnership adventure continues, one of the main ways in which we will connect with one another will be through smaller groups. My hope is that several of these will be starting by the first week of October. The groups will all be covering the same material for the first part of fall.  Next week I'll have a training opportunity for group leaders. As of right now, we have the following groups available:  Monday evenings: at the home of Corey and Erica McDonald in Raintree.  Tuesday evenings: at New Town Bike and Coffee in Pleasant Hill.  Thursday noon/early afternoon: at New Summit. This is a group that has called itself the Lunch Bunch. Each week they've gone over to Leawood to share lunch with one of our elderly shut-ins, Carolyn Irminger. They will have the group meeting following the lunch. You'll be welcome to come for the group meeting or to join them for lunch as well.  Thursday evenings: at New Summit.  I believe there is enough interest to have a group that meets on Sunday mornings at the church, and also one on Sunday evenings at a home. In addition, I'd love to see a group develop that works off of a twice-monthly schedule. We have a number of people who, due to their shift work, might find that a more feasible schedule. Finally, Wednesday evenings could also be an attractive option for a group.  Starting this Sunday we'll make some sign-up sheets available. You will not be locked in to the time and place you choose- the groups will be open.  If you are interested in leading a group, please contact me.  The development of these intentional communities will represent one of the bigger changes we are making as part of this new adventure: a move from a program-driven congregation to one that is centered around intentional community. The first six weeks of meetings will help outline what it means to be a member or a covenant partner of the new congregation. Groups will be asked to share the same study material twice each year, for about 6-8 weeks each time. Beyond that, each group will have some autonomy to plan outreach, share in mission efforts, or choose group activities. Our hope is to foster the development of spiritual formation, healthy relationships, and multi-generational interaction.  Please let me know if you have questions about the group focus on our newly emerging congregation. I'm excited about the possibilities, and looking forward to being in a group!    In Christ's Love,  Pastor Dave