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EXPERIENCING GOD
LEADER INFO & FAQ
LAUNCH & INVITING
Online sign-ups start this Thursday, August 27, but please start inviting people now. Personal invites are the best way to get the people who God wants to build into your group. Invite now and keep inviting until your group is full. Click here to see a template of a great invite email that you can send out. Pray and ask God to bring people to mind that you can invite.
YOUR GROUP ONLINE
Starting Thursday afternoon, August 27, your small group can be accessed and managed here using the same account that you use for online giving. If you do not have an account yet or are new to leading, please follow the instructions here. You can email your group from this account, update the meeting details (location, day, time), as well as add or remove group members. Please note that anyone can request to be added to your group via the online portal, but you have to "allow" them to come into your group. Once your group is full from online signups, please let us know via an email to jodi@gracelife.com so that we can close your group. We won’t close groups until you email us to let us know.
GROUPS AT HOMES
If you are hosting your group at your home, thank you! In our current landscape it is very important that you communicate exactly what you are requiring in terms of masks and physical distancing. There isn't space online to have each group post their requirements, so please email people immediately once they sign up for your group what you expect from them in terms of masks and socially distancing.
MEETING SCHEDULE: Here’s the 70-minute schedule we recommend for your first small group meeting (for both online or in-person):
Meet, Greet, Mingle (5 minutes)
Warm-Up Question & Introduction (5 minutes)
Play Video (20 minutes)
Group Discussion (20-30 minutes)
Pray Together (5 minutes)
Wrap It Up (5 minutes)
LEADER GUIDE & VIDEOS
You can find your Leader Guide that has the link to the videos, discussion questions and much more at http://gracelife.com/egguide. Please look it over and get familiar with it, as well as note that the guide is web-based only.
WORKBOOK
For the Small Groups we will be using workbooks. The workbooks have notes in them for the video each session as well as a 5-day per week devotional. The workbooks are available for pick-up at the Grace Building Monday - Thursday 9am - 4pm, if you want to pick up a copy. The Small Group Leaders get the workbooks for free. Participants pay $10. It can be purchased on Amazon for $16 here (it's the updated workbook that we are using).
HOMEWORK FOR THE FIRST MEETING
Once people join your group, it’s important for them to know that Section 1 is supposed to be complete before the first small group. Please remind your group of this in email multiple times before your first meeting.
FOLLOW-UP
Please communicate to your group as soon as they sign up for your group. Cover the basics: day, time, location, workbook info, reading assignment, vision (growing spiritually), etc.
GROUP SIZE
You probably noticed that when you registered your group that you didn’t have to put in the maximum number of people that your group would allow. There was a reason for that. Since FellowshipOne doesn't allow limiting group size within the program (we've formally requested this feature from them) we are asking our small group leaders to keep an eye on their sign ups (since sign ups are only online this time, i.e. no clipboard sign ups) and to let jodi@gracelife.comor myself, adam@gracelife.com, know when you've reached your limited. Then we'll close your group on our end (since leaders can't close their own groups; we've requested that feature, too). To repeat, KEEP AN EYE ON YOUR ONLINE GROUP SIZE AND LET US KNOW WHEN YOU WANT YOUR GROUP CLOSED.
LEADER TRAINING SCHEDULE
Training this past Sunday with Pastor Kendrick was great! If you missed it, here’s his teaching. As he said, keep inviting people to your group. It’s what they need.
Our second training is this Sunday, September 6, 10:40am-11:10am on Zoom at https://zoom.us/j/4944730071. Pastor Jeff Little from Milestone Church will speak on growth in Small Groups. Don’t miss it!
PRAYER PARTNERS
Every Small Group leader will choose or be assigned a prayer partner. Most prayer partners will be leaders of other groups. Some will be co-leaders within your own group. The goal of the prayer partner is to have another leader who you connect with at least once a week to pray for each other and your groups.
ZOOM
If you are requesting to use a Grace Zoom account, please email jodi@gracelife.com. Here is a list of tutorials by Zoom to familiarize you with how to schedule a meeting, share your screen, etc. Enjoy!
How do I Join or Test My Computer Audio?
CHILDCARE
For those groups who are offering childcare, AWESOME! You will coordinate and oversee your childcare yourself, but email Jodi@gracelife.com for further instructions.
GRACE BUILDING USE.
For those groups who are using the Grace Building, you will be assigned a room. Please set up a time to be trained on the AV and building use M - Th, 9am - 4pm by emailing Jodi@gracelife.com.
For groups using the Grace Church building, we ask that you notify the people who’ve signed up about the Safety Procedures. We want your people to be informed and we want to be consistent so they know what is expected of them. (This information will be listed on the Small Groups FAQ page online so people have it ahead of time, as well.)
So what are the protocols for Experiencing God Small Groups using the Grace Church Building? They are:
If your group is using the patio at the Grace building, please physically distance the chairs. The members of your group are NOT required to wear a mask.
For groups meeting inside the building:
Please have members wear their masks as they enter the building until they sit in their seats in their assigned small group room and as they exit the building or get up from their seat to move around the building (just like we do at restaurants). Members can remove their masks once seated during small group time. Free masks will be provided at a kiosk near the South entrance of the building for those that need them.
Please use the cleaning solution provided in your small group space to disinfect the chairs, surfaces, and door handles before and after your group.
Please physically distance the chairs as much as the assigned small group space allows.
Your clear communication with your group is appreciated and will go a long way.
NEW SMALL GROUP LEADERS
If you are new to small group leading at Grace (you may have led elsewhere) a coach will be reaching out to you in the coming weeks to be a support and resource to you. Don’t be afraid. They only want to help you and get your career of leading Small Groups at Grace off to an amazing start.
EXTENDING YOUR GROUP
You may have noticed that Experiencing God workbooks and videos go for 12 weeks, not just 9 weeks. The reason we are only officially doing 9 weeks is for the syncing up of the Sunday sermons and the small group. The campaign is only 9 weeks. However, we did create resources and access to the remaining weeks in the Leader Guide, if people want to continue in their groups or on their own. So, yes, please continue your group past 9 weeks if you want to.
+ WHEN DO EXPERIENCING GOD SMALL GROUPS START?
Groups will start the week of Sept. 13.
+ HOW LONG DO GROUPS LAST?
Experiencing God Small Groups will last 9 weeks. They will most likely end the week of November 8th, but, if your group takes a week off, please end your group before Thanksgiving, Thursday, Nov. 26.
+ HOW DO I REGISTER MY GROUP?
You can register your group here before Monday, August 24, 9am
+ WHEN DO PEOPLE START SIGNING UP FOR EXPERIENCING GOD?
Sign ups start on Sunday, August 30. Sign up here.
+ WHAT IF THIS IS MY FIRST TIME LEADING?
If this is your first time leading, visit the new leader page here. Follow the 4 steps to become a Small Group Leader.
+ WHY ARE GROUPS CALLED EXPERIENCING GOD?
Experiencing God is a book written by Henry Blackaby. It is based on seven Scriptural realities that teach us how to develop a true relationship with God, as well as discern His will in our lives.
Experiencing God will show us how Knowing God comes through a relationship with a Person. Through this relationship, God reveals Himself, His purposes, and His ways; and He invites you to join Him where He is already at work. This 9 week series will help you to know God more, see His work in your daily life, and take steps of faith to join Him in His work.
+ WHAT MATERIALS WILL BE PROVIDED FOR MY SMALL GROUP?
Along with the weekly videos, you will be provided a leader guide and participant guides for your small group members. Those guides will be available for pick up at the Grace Church Building around August 23.
+ WHY AM I BEING A ASSIGNED A PRAYER PARTNER?
Each small group leader will have another small group leader as a prayer partner. You will pray with your prayer partner weekly during the campaign to encourage each other. Prayer Partners is very important for a season like this. Although you have your small group, it’s important to have another leader to share your experience with.
+ WILL THERE BE TRAINING FOR THE LEADERS?
Starting August 30, we will be hosting a weekly leader training over Zoom for ALL Small Group Leaders. The training will be held every Sunday from 10:40am - 11:10am until the beginning of November. They will go over all kinds of topics to help you GROW as a leader. We invite and encourage all leaders to attend each week.
+ WHERE CAN I ACCESS THE WEEKLY VIDEOS?
You can access an overview of Experiencing God HERE (This will be updated shortly). The overview includes links to the weekly small group videos, page numbers for the participant guides, as well as weekly instructions for your small group to make sure they are given the tools to progress in their walk with God and as a member of Grace Church. Videos will also be available on flash drives if needed, as well as on a google drive link (this will be available soon).
+ MAY I HOST A GROUP AT THE GRACE BUILDING?
Yes. We will have COVID-19 health and safety policies that will require you to sanitize surfaces as well as socially distance.
+ HOW DO I PROVIDE CHILDCARE AT MY GROUP?
Due to COVID-19 we will not be hosting childcare at the building. If you want to have childcare at your house, we will reimburse costs up to a certain level.
+ HOW DO I GET PEOPLE IN MY GROUP?
The best way to get people into your group is to recruit through personal invites. Contact people from previous groups. Contact people from your Dream Team, workplace, school, neighborhood, etc. Your inviting will make all the difference.
+ HOW DO I HOST AN ONLINE GROUP?
You can use any tool or app that you want, but for those who are unfamiliar, we have a Zoom account that you can use (Here is a quick guide to use Zoom). We will help you set this up, if you want help. Grace Church Zoom accounts are available to use as well.
+ HOW DO I SET UP AN USER ACCOUNT SO I CAN MANAGE MY SMALL GROUP ONLINE?
Go to https://gcrdunc.infellowship.com/UserLogin/New and create an InFellowship account (gracelife.com giving and small group info can be accessed with this account so it's really good to have).
Be sure to use your name and email address that Grace Church would have on file with exact capitalization scheme so that InFellowship knows you are the same person we have in our database.
Once you sign in select "Your Groups". This will pull up small groups that you lead as well as small groups that you participate in. If you are the leader of a group you can update the meeting details (location, day, time) as well as add or remove group members. Please note that anyone can request to be added to your group via the online portal, but you have to "allow" them to come into your group.
If online signups cause your group to be full, please send an email to jodi@gracelife.com to let us know so that we can close your group to further signups. We will automatically close groups that are full due to Sunday signups.
SUNDAY - 9:30AM | 11:15AM
Grace Church • 200 Sage Rd. Chapel Hill, NC 27514 • (919) 968-4120 • office@gracelife.com
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