Adult Groups

February 2023

Lent season begins February 22 with Ash Wednesday. The church congregation is again invited to join in a small group study by Adam Hamilton entitled Luke: Jesus and the Outsiders Outcasts and Outlaws. Description of book: “Jesus came to lift up the lowly. Throughout his ministry to his final days on the road to the cross, we find stories of his relationships with ordinary flawed and unexpected people. …Jesus brought the good news of God’s kingdom to those who most needed to hear it. …In this study bestselling author and pastor Adam Hamilton explores the life, teachings, death and resurrection of Jesus as told in the gospel of Luke. … As we study Luke and see Jesus’ concern for those who were considered unimportant we hear a hopeful and inspiring word for our lives today”. This will be a six week study with an accompanying DVD series for each week’s session. The ongoing small groups will pause their study and join in this study. All members of the community are welcome to join any group that fits with their schedule. Books are available through Amazon, Christianbook.com, and Cokesbury.com books online and can also be found in local bookstores. It is published in hardcover and Kindle (ebook) format. If you would like the church to order you a book and then reimburse the church you may do so. Books will range from $12 for hardcover or are available as ebook for $10-14. The church will order a limited supply when requested. Notify a group leader if you wish the church to order you a book. There will be small groups held on Monday mornings at 10:00AM at the church or on Zoom (Senior Saints); Monday evening with Gary Vance and Laura Bibby leading and Monday night Men’s group led by Richard Grugin at the church; Wednesday evening Women’s Group (Suzette Betts leading) at 7PM at the church. Please contact one of the leaders or the church office if you are interested in this Lenten series study We would love to have you join us!

We are excited to announce that we are beginning a Book of the Month small group study in February for anyone interested in joining. The plan is to select a book at the first of each month with members reading the book throughout the month and then meeting as a group to discuss at the end of the month. We will meet on February 1st at 6PM at the church to discuss the group setup and introduce/answer any questions. For our first selection, we will be reading The Stranger in the Lifeboat by Mitch Albom. Participants will purchase the book on their own from a source of their choice. The synopsis of this book is as follows: “Adrift in a raft after a deadly ship explosion, ten people struggle for survival at sea. Three days pass. Short on water, food and hope, they spot a man floating in the waves. They pull him in. “Thank the Lord we found you,” a passenger says. “I am the Lord,” the man whispers. So begins Mitch Albom’s most beguiling novel yet. In The Stranger in the Lifeboat, Albom keeps us guessing until the end: Is this strange man really who he claims to be? Are the survivors in heaven, or are they in hell?….” If you wish to join us or just check us out the first month, contact Kristie Ballard (our church Librarian) (515 250 9297) or Suzette Betts (641 919 1008) If you can’t make the first meeting you can still read the book and join us at the end of the month for discussion! That date is to be determined later.

If anyone has additional small groups they would like to see initiated, please contact Suzette Betts, we would love some new ideas! Small groups can have an important impact on deepening your faith and building community!
– Suzette Betts

November 3, 2020

Advent small group study

Stay tuned for details about our all church Advent study that will cover the subject of Angels. The book we will be using to guide our study is titled ANGELS, Standing Guard; author Douglas Connelly. If you would like to go ahead and purchase the book early, that would be great! Participants will be responsible for acquiring their own book for this study. It is available through Amazon for $5.99. We hope to engage several of you in this important small group study which will correlate with our Sunday morning sermon series for Advent. We will offer several different groups and time slots to accommodate your schedules. 

Suzette Betts

October 1, 2020

Small Group Update
The small groups ministries committee continues to reimagine the numerous ways we can hold small groups while keeping all participants safe. Most of the groups beginning in October will meet via the ZOOM video conferencing. If numbers of COVID19 cases drop or level off, we hope to hold sessions with 10 people or less in backyards, driveways, possibly the church meeting rooms, or inside person’s homes. Also we hope to assemble small groups in neighborhood clusters based on geographic locations to reduce number of persons in each group.

We are pleased to announce that some of our established small groups began classes in September. Ongoing: Senior Saints meets via Zoom on Mondays at 10:30AM with a new book “Love Thy God” as the last book in the series for this class. Contact Kathy Boyd if you are interested in joining this lively group. The
Monday Night Men’s group also resumed their weekly classes September 14th with a study of the book by Adam Hamilton titled ”WHY?” and centers around guiding participants to make sense of God’s will. There is a video session and study guide that leads the group. Contact Richard Grugin if you would like to join. Wednesday Evening Women’s group plans to start again in early or mid October with a book study, “Twelve More Women of the Bible” by Lisa Harper. The group will be meeting in the Adult Education wing of the church, in group of 10 persons or less and will be wearing masks the entire time. Contact Suzette Betts if you would like to join. The Wednesday morning Men’s Bible study is meeting via Zoom year round led by Dick Bornkessel. The Path to Discipleship, a popular study led by Laura Bibby and Gary Vance, began meeting again via ZOOM on Monday September 14. This is an in-depth study that will deepen and strengthen your faith.

Pastor Beth will lead a new small group study delving into racial issues with the book written by Latasha Morrison entitled “Be the Bridge”. This is a spiritual based look at racial tensions in our country and how we can all help to ‘bridge’ the divide between races. This will be a ZOOM type study beginning October 1 at
7PM and conclude on November 19. Contact Pastor Beth if you would like to join this group.

In November we will begin an All Congregational study for the Advent season and our excited to have our topic be on Angels. This will coincide with the sermon series that will highlight our Advent season. Information on the specific book will be available soon for all to purchase for the study.

We hope to begin a Beginning Bible study in January with Pastor Alecia leading the group. We are also hoping to start meeting with the Creative Christians group after Christmas. We plan to offer a few 2 hour time blocks for education on the topic of the Preparation for End of Life Transitions hosted by Pastor Alecia in the winter.

In the new year, we hope to begin a new concept of Mini Classes on topical subjects that will consist of a short (five minute) presentation from a professional on such topics as Childhood regression, grief support, depression, single parenthood, suicide, caretaking duties for young and old, etc. Then there would be a 15 minute question and answer session for participants to ask the speaker. A new concept that we are excited to begin.

Contact myself or any others on the committee for more details or stay tuned with weekly Companion News.
Suzette Betts

Women’s Group Update

The Wednesday Evening Women’s Group will begin a new study “Twelve More Women of the Bible-Life Changing Stories for Women Today” by Lisa Harper on SEPTEMBER 30th at 7PM. The book is available on Amazon for $8.79 paperback and $6.99 Kindle version. This is a 12 week study, but will be divided up into two parts, so we will meet for 6-8 weeks going through the first part of the book. There is a weekly DVD video that corresponds to each women’s story that we will view together.  We hope to meet in person in small groups and would love to have you join us!  If we cannot meet in person due to COVID19 restrictions, we will meet via the ZOOM app until restrictions are lifted. Each participant should order their own book. Contact Suzette Betts at email slbetts@netins.net or call/text 641-919-1008.

“And let us consider each other carefully for the purpose of sparking love and good deeds.  Don’t stop meeting together with other believers, which some people have gotten into the habit of doing. Instead, encourage each other, especially as you see the day drawing near.” Hebrews 10:24-25 CEB

We offer a number of Adult Groups throughout the year.  Topics include bible study, spiritual exploration, creative hobbies, and building community in addition to Ongoing Fellowship Groups.

Current Adult Groups

Our adult groups have been re-imagined during COVID-19 in 2020. Please contact the church office to find out what is currently being offered.