Outdoor Recreation Group: A New Kind of Community Group

We are launching our first Common Interest Community Group this fall, which is a group that shares a specific interest that bonds them together. These groups will meet together in a home to discuss the weekly message, while also enjoying their interest together at various times throughout the year.

Our new Common Interest Community Group is an Outdoor Recreation Group for Couples (for those in their 40’s and 50’s). This group started meeting weekly together as a community group in the fall of 2019 and were quickly drawn together by their love for outdoor adventures. Throughout the year, they have enjoyed hiking, kayaking, and other adventures. This group is officially launching this fall as our first Common Interest Community Group and will be led by Fain and Shannon Sutherland.

A couple already a part of this group is Kurt and Stephanie Saxsma. In the blog below, they share how their experience in this group has been a source of support and encouragement… and fun!

What a difference meeting with other Grace Fellowship Church couples has made in my wife’s and my life! Having only lived in the Johnson City area for two years, we needed to connect with and share our lives with others. Through regular small group meetings, we have been able to experience fellowship in a whole new way. Getting into His word weekly has helped us reconnect to Him and rest in Him during the good and not-so-good times. Meeting regularly also allowed us to stay connected with each other, and has also reminded us how important it is to open God’s word often and the importance of praying for each other.

But, our community group is a little different. It’s quite active! And we love it! Some group activities we have been a part of include cookouts (s’mores a must!), hiking, kayaking, attending plays and musicals, celebrating special days at local sweet shops (one of our favorite group activities!), and sometimes just sitting in a group member’s living room or at a local restaurant talking, laughing, and just listening to each other. This group has given us the opportunity to take a deep breath and focus on God and others.

We look forward to continuing our involvement with our GFC community group this fall. How neat it is that God’s uses each of us to bless, encourage, challenge, and comfort each other. We have seen how God has used our small group to build real friendships, to be able to share common interests, and maybe even develop a few new skills! Most importantly, we are able to just enjoy His goodness as we do life together.

Joining a community group has been a huge blessing to us. God calls us to serve, encourage, grow, challenge, and invest in others… we know that He has used our group to accomplish this.

Thank you God.

Kurt & Stephanie Saxsma

 

Want to learn more about this group or others available this fall?
Visit our Groups page.