Archive for the ‘Small Groups’ Category

What Our K–5th Graders Are Up To In February…

It’s a great time to be an UpStreet kid at Buckhead Church! All through February, we’re learning about the Big Idea of PRAYER—having a conversation with God. We launched our Big Idea on February 5 in UpStreet (our Sunday environment for elementary-aged kids) and at KidStuf Live (our monthly interactive production for parents and kids).

It’s all part of our strategy to partner with parents and make it easy to talk about God’s big ideas at home. We believe that what happens at home is more important than what happens at church. Be sure to check out our ParentStuf app for a simple, free, and easy way to talk about prayer with your kids!

That’s not all! On February 4, over 350 of our UpStreet kids went bowling with their small group leaders at an event we call KidVenture. KidVenture happens twice a year, and it’s designed to give UpStreet kids and their small group leaders a chance to connect relationally while doing something fun. It’s amazing how sharing an experience bonds people, breaks down barriers, and raises the quality of small group conversations on Sundays. It was a great event because our kids and leaders got to connect in a whole new way—as you can see from the pictures!

Who Will You Do Life With In 2012?

Deep relationships are an essential part of the growth that God desires for us. We need a trusted group of people around us to celebrate our successes, support us through hard times, and encourage us to trust Jesus more and more.

That’s why we want you to take the step this year to join a Community Group.

Every year in January and August, we host GroupLink, a two-hour event where you can connect with other people in your stage of life and area of town to form a Community Group.

We hope you’ll join us later this month at one of the three GroupLink events here at Buckhead Church:

Men’s GroupLink is Thursday, January 26, at 7:30 p.m.
The groups formed at Men’s GroupLink are for single men or a mix of men at different stages of life: married, single, divorced, and those who are widowers.
Women’s GroupLink is Friday, January 27, at 7:30 p.m.
The groups formed at Women’s GroupLink are for single women or a mix of women at different stages of life: married, single, divorced, and widowed.
Married Couples’ GroupLink is Saturday, January 28, at 7:30 p.m.

Registration is now open at http://www.buckheadchurch.org/grouplink. Sign up and mark your calendar.

See you at GroupLink!

Jill Roberts & Misti Mancini ::: Groups Assimilation ::: Buckhead Church

The Links Behind GroupLink

This fall, over 1,300 adults in our church connected into community groups at GroupLink. Did you ever wonder who and what goes into making that happen here at Buckhead Church?

We thought so.

That’s why we’d like to introduce you to our “links” behind GroupLink as our staff profiles for this month . . .

Misti Mancini – Director of Assimilation

Hometown: Chicago

Jill Roberts – Director of Singles, and Men’s & Women’s Assimilation

Hometown: Atlanta (two miles from the current Buckhead Church building)

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How many hours does it take to prepare for GroupLink?

Misti: We start planning for GroupLink eight weeks before the event, so approximately 272 hours.

What exactly do you do on Sundays and during the week?

Jill: I correspond regularly with group seekers and also have a great team of volunteers who do this throughout the year. It’s more than just “putting on GroupLink” twice a year. I love getting to exchange emails with people who are often new to Buckhead Church.

What do you do when it’s not “GroupLink” season?

Misti: In a way, it is always GroupLink season to me. When I’m not preparing for or wrapping up a GroupLink weekend, I’m working on ways to make the connection process better at Buckhead Church.

What are some things you do behind the scenes that our attendees may not realize?

Misti: I’m the staff member who monitors the Access Group online registration process. It’s so exciting to watch the groups fill up; some might say I am addicted. I’ve been known to sit on my couch at night in my PJs and continuously hit the refresh button on our online registration just to see if anyone new has joined a group. It’s SO FUN!

What did you do before coming on staff at Buckhead Church? Where did you go to school?

Jill: I went to Furman University, where I majored in harp performance (strange, but true). Before coming on staff, I taught Pre-First at Heritage Preparatory School and also taught private harp lessons until my husband and I had our daughter, Lindy.

What do you do for fun when you’re not at BC?

Jill: I love eating at fun restaurants in town, going to movies, watching football, keeping up with celebrity news, and most afternoons I can be found walking through our neighborhood with Lindy.

What’s the best part of your job?

Misti: I absolutely love helping people get connected into small groups. My husband, Dan, and I have been involved in small groups since 1995, and it has had such an impact on our relationship with Christ and with each other. It’s where we are known. This was a way of life for us as a married couple even before it was my job, and I love being a small part of helping others experience that.

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Misti and Jill are ready and willing to help you go from a row to a circle here at Buckhead Church. Are you thinking about joining a group? Registration for Access Groups is now open. These groups meet for six to eight weeks and enable you to explore and discuss a specific topic in depth. This fall, groups will be meeting to discuss finances, marriage, and spiritual growth. For more information and to register, visit www.buckheadchurch.org/accessgroups.

I’m Not Alone

This is one of a couple posts from Buckhead Church attenders talking about what involvement in a Community Group has meant to them. Read their words, take them to heart, and consider joining us for GroupLink this weekend to get into a group.

About a year ago, I joined a small group, and it has made a huge impact on me. Before I went to GroupLink, I thought that being in a small group would only make my schedule tighter. I was worried about sharing my life with people I didn’t know and I wondered what the group would think of me. After a couple of weeks of being in my group, though, I actually was looking forward to our meetings. The time was a welcome relief in the week and I had found some great new friends. To me, it’s totally worth it, and it’s made such a difference in my life.

Over the last few months, I’ve reflected over how my life has changed since I joined a small group, and the Buckhead mission statement of “leading others into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ” just started to make sense. My group is a source of encouragement, accountability, and inspiration. I have gotten back into the habit of spending time with God through the studies that my group has done and we’ve challenged each other to continue to grow spiritually. I’ve also been inspired by seeing God at work in the lives of others in my group. My group has given me a place to share ideas, learn, see answered prayers, and become bolder in my faith because I know… I’m not alone.

::: Blake West ::: Men’s Small Group Member :::

GroupLink at Buckhead Church takes place from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. this Thursday, August 25, for men’s groups, Friday, August 26, for women’s group, and Saturday, August 27, for married couples. For more information, check out www.buckheadchurch.org/grouplink.

Life is better connected.

Why Go To GroupLink?

As the fall approaches, many of us view this new season as a time to start fresh. It may not be a new school year like it was as a kid, but there is something about fall (maybe it’s this brutal heat!) that makes us ready for a new season. Beyond the typical, work out more, volunteer more, and call my mom more often, there’s something else important that can change the way this fall rolls out for us all—be involved in a community group! The secular world has defined “community” as a group of interacting people living in a common location, and it often refers to a group that is organized around common values. While I could go more into the etymology of the word “community,” let’s be honest, you don’t really care.

So why go to GroupLink? What’s in it for you? While I can’t make any promises as to what your community group will ultimately bring into your life, I can tell you that my life would have been drastically different without mine. These are the kinds of friendships that last a lifetime—the first ones you call when you get good news, get a new job, move into a new place, and also in the hard times when your heart is broken, or you need to figure out life in general. They send you encouraging, Scripture-based text messages because you have a big presentation at work, love you through your poorest decisions and help you get back on track, stay up all night with you eating ice cream and watching movies, and maybe even help you plan your wedding and later become members of a married community group with you and your new spouses.

It’s about building on a foundation of Jesus Christ and having someone there to do life with. I’m sure I would be fine without having been in community groups all these years, but with everything these women have added to my life, WHY WOULD I WANT TO?

So, take a step this fall towards this thing called community. Come to GroupLink. I’ll see you there!

::: LeAnn Leagans ::: Community Group Member Since 2005 ::: GroupLink Volunteer

GroupLink Dates:

Men’s GroupLink: Thursday, August 25 at 7:30 p.m.

Women’s GroupLink: Friday, August 26 at 7:30 p.m.

Married Couples’ GroupLink: Saturday, August 27 at 7:30 p.m.

For more information, check out www.buckheadchurch.org/grouplink.