Hi All,

Hope everyone is doing great and have been having quality “silence and solitude” time.

We are planning on having a retreat recap gathering over Memorial Day weekend so that we can have a time of sharing and evaluation of the retreat.

We would also like to encourage all the small groups to meet at least once before Memorial Day weekend. It will be a great opportunity for you to share with the small group members that didn’t have the chance to go.

I will be sending an email out in a few days for your input, so please mark down your calender for May 29th.

Thank you and have a great Friday!

Fight On.

Wendy Says:

***Meeting is CANCELED***

Hey everyone,

Just got a call from Lori that Rev. Howard is feeling under the weather, so we’re going to be canceling tonight’s SPLIT meeting.

Even though we’re not meeting, let’s remember to pray for:

1.) The Chang family (esp. speedy recovery for all the boys in the clan!)
2.) Final retreat preparations
3.) Our hearts & minds be in tune with God as we enter into retreat weekend

See you tomorrow morning at Sunday Service!

Thanks ya’ll,
Wendy

Hi SPLIT! How is your week going so far? It was a week ago on Tuesday Timmy had his mishap with his finger getting dislocated while playing soccer at school. He is doing much better, but I think I’m still catching up from all the excitement!

Just goes to show that we all come from different life circumstances and situations. At the same time no matter what we’ve been through, when we do come together, we do so in Christ’s name. I would like to still meet this coming Saturday, even though we will have the retreat the week after. It’s a chance for those who can’t make it to the retreat to fellowship as a group too. Mainly we will focus on praying for each other, and for the retreat. We may need to clear up any last details as well. How are your small groups going? We can share about those as well.

So…Next meeting is MAY 1, 7PM @ FC201.

See you there!

Rev. Howard

Hi SPLIT!

I heard you had a very encouraging meeting last Saturday.  Thanks, Vincent, for sharing the devotional and to all those who helped out.  We are getting excited about the retreat as well in a few weeks.  Hope all of you who are going have turned in your registration and insurance information.

I want to encourage all of your groups to meet regularly. I would like to join you if I can too, and if I can’t to pray for you and support you in any other way I can.  If you can’t find another time to meet I suggest Sunday morning during CE hour (9:45-11:15am).  If you let me know in advance I can find a room for you in the church.

For this coming week let’s continue the theme of prayer, but this time focused more outwardly.

1. Share something you have learned personally/spiritually since the last time you met.
2. Bible Study—John 20:19-23.  This passage occurs after Jesus is resurrected.  Fitting given that we just celebrated Easter.  Answer the following questions (a) What was the mood of the disciples when Jesus came to them?  After they realized it was Jesus?  (b)  Why do you think Jesus repeated “Peace with you” to the disciples? (c) Jesus then says, “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you” (v.22).  Discuss what He meant—how has the Father sent Jesus?  What can we learn about how Jesus sends us from this statement?  (d) Where has God “sent” you in your daily life?  What purpose does he have for you there?
3. Share prayer requests:  Like last month, choose a prayer partner.  Share a personal prayer request AND share about someone you would like to pray for in your life.

John20 19On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.

21Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

Have a great week!

RH

Hi SPLIT,

This coming weekend is a special weekend for Christians, and for our church.  We will postpone our normal SPLIT fellowship meeting to attend the weekend’s activities:

Friday, 8pm  Good Friday Service

Sunday, 11:30am Easter Service

Sunday, 2:30pm Baptism/Membership Transfer

Most of the small groups should try to have their second meeting of the month this week.  Go ahead and use last week’s information/directions for your group this week if you did not meet last week.

Where are we going as a fellowship? Right now we are trying to establish the new small groups, founding the groups in prayer.  Out of these groups you will experience a faith community, centered on Christ, active in encouragement, care, accountability, Bible reflection, and service.  In our next big event, the SPLIT retreat May 7-9, we’ll further look at the vision and mission of the group–becoming an Authentic, Mission-Minded, Faith Community.  We’ll continue to examine these aspects of being a fellowship and small groups in the months to follow.

I hope you are as excited about these groups as I am.  I would encourage you to keep up with each other as Hebrews 10:24-25 says:

²⁴And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. ²⁵Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

May the peace of God rule in your hearts this week!

Rev. Howard

Last week I had the chance to visit ALL the small groups. I truly enjoyed the times we had and can see each group is so unique. Another encouraging observation is how open the sharing has been.

For this coming week we can do the following in our groups:

1. Personal Sharing: You can start with highlights and lowlights as before. Then share any updates from your last week’s prayer requests. Since you were partnered to pray for each other, have your partner share what your update it! (That means you need to ask beforehand ☺) Make sure whomever is keeping the prayer journal for your group keeps the updates.

2. Integrating Prayer into daily life: One thing we shared about is how to bring prayer into our daily life, such as between classes, when we’re driving (keep your eyes open!). Discuss one way you have/want to integrate prayer into your daily life. Record the sharing in your prayer journal.

3. Depending on Self: One reason we identified that we don’t pray is because we depend on ourselves. Meditate and discuss on how we can overcome this impediment. Also, discuss a familiar passage Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

4. Finish up from last meeting: If there is anything you didn’t get to last time you can use any remaining time to do so (prayer quotation, Romans 8, etc.) 5. Share prayer requests/pray as a group: Just like before. I will try to make it to the groups again so let me know when you are meeting. If I can’t make it then hopefully you can follow the outline I’ve provided.

Rev. Howard

HI All,

Since our next meeting falls on Easter Weekend I would like to push back our next meeting to Saturday, 4/10 at 7pm. I hope that works out for everyone. I’ll send more details later. If you can help out (worship, games, snacks, etc.) please email me.

I would also like to encourage everyone to join us for Good Friday service on 4/2 at 8pm in the main sanctuary. It will be a time of remembering the death of our Lord Jesus. We will also serve communion.

Rev. Howard

Hi SPLIT Small Groups,

I heard you had a great meeting talking about prayer this past Saturday!  It’s a great topic that we’d like to focus on this coming month of March in your small groups.  For your next small group meeting let’s do the following:

• Personal Sharing: In my college small group at UC Davis we would share our struggles/trials and then say, “That was hard, but good.”  Share about an area of life that has been difficult, but you see how God might be using it for good.

• Bible Reflection: Related to #1, Read Romans 8:18-30 (see below), focusing primarily on 8:18 and 8:28-30.  Share your thoughts on this passage (You can talk about “observations and questions”.)  If you’re stuck you can discuss the following questions:  (1) How does Paul see the sufferings and weaknesses we may endure (especially in trying to be faithful Christians)? (2) What does it mean that God works for the good of those who love him?  Does he mean that bad things that happen to us should be seen as good?

• Prayer Quotation: Discuss what you think about the following quotation: “To pray is to change. Prayer is the central avenue God uses to transform us. If we are unwilling to change, we will abandon prayer as a noticeable characteristic of our lives. The more we pray, the more we come to heartbeat of God. Prayer starts the communication process between ourselves and God. All the options of life fall before us. At that point we will either forsake our prayer life and cease to grow, or we will pursue our prayer life and let Him change us.” ~ Richard Foster.

• Sharing Prayer Requests: Each member think about personal prayer requests you feel comfortable sharing with the group.  At small group write them down on slips of paper then choose a prayer request/person to pray for until the next small group.  The next meeting share if God has answered your prayer request or any updates you might have.  Even better, have someone bring a notebook and write down all the prayer requests in the notebook and keep track of how God answers them from meeting to meeting.

• Corporate Prayer: Spend time praying together and for the person you are to pray for during the week.  Bring a supplication sheet from the Sunday bulletin and pray for the bullet items in there.

Don’t forget to copy the coaches on your small group plans.  We’d love to join if we are available!

~Rev. Howard

Romans 8:18-30

18I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 19The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. 20For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21that^[a^] the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.

22We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? 25But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

26In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. 27And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.

28And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,^[b^] who^[c^] have been called according to his purpose. 29For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

Thank you all who came out to what was probably the last time for me to lead / teach fellowship in SPLIT! I was really encouraged to hear the great feedback regarding the small group meetings you were having and will look forward to seeing them grow!

As for those who were not there, I made a special announcement and a prayer request which you will have to find out another time!

As RH and I have shared, we want to focus on a topic for each month and this month it is “Power of Prayer!”. We dove into the word and got some valuable points about how important it is to have the right attitude, to pray under difficult circumstance, how important it is to pray individually and as a corporate body! We’ll be sending the materials for this month’s small groups very soon. In the meantime, please find a time when your group is available to meet.

King