• All Sites:
  • Pastors
  • Leadership
  • Kids Ministry
  • Student Ministry
  • Groups Ministry
  • Women's Ministry
  • Worship Ministry
Lifeway

Group Ministry

Conversations on Group Practices

  • Blog
  • Podcast
  • Bible Study Insider
  • Groups Resources
  • Free Bible Teaching
Group Leadership
June 9, 2016

Don’t Forget to Keep Community in Your Summer Schedule

By Laura Magness

Every year when summer rolls around, we can’t help but feel like we’re back on summer break, even if our 9 to 5 work schedule doesn’t change a bit. The sun, the vacations, and the longer days are good for our souls.

For many of you, summer also means a break from leading or hosting your small group. (And let’s be honest, that break is a well-deserved and much needed one!) Just because you aren’t meeting regularly with your small group doesn’t mean you should lose touch completely, though. Take this summer break to build in some fun and continue to strengthen the bonds of community you formed throughout the year.

The people you are ministering to work hard every day, and whether their work involves heavy labor, cubicles, or chasing toddlers, summer break is never really summer break. The ups and downs of life don’t stop when your group year ends, so make it a point to stay connected over the summer months. You still need one another.

So get out the calendar and send off an email to your group. Try to find one weekend afternoon or evening a month to get together for the single purpose of enjoying each other’s company and staying connected. Here are some ideas to get you going:

  • Host a cookout.
  • Go to the lake or go camping.
  • Try out a new restaurant in town.
  • Play softball, kickball, volleyball, etc.
  • Have a game night.
  • Throw a birthday party for all the summer birthdays in your group.

It really doesn’t matter what you do, it just matters that your primary objective is togetherness and fun. Proverbs 17:22 tells us very clearly that “a joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.” There are way too many dry bones and broken spirits all around us—we all could use some joy instead.

And one last thing—have fun yourself! You need it as much as they do.


Laura Magness is a content specialist for Lifeway’s Discipleship in Context and smallgroup.com. A graduate of Samford University and Dallas Theological Seminary, she now lives in Nashville, TN, with her husband and their 1-year-old son.

You may also like -

  • Gearing Up for Fall: Ways to Promote Your GroupGearing Up for Fall: Ways to Promote Your Group
  • Start the School Year Off RightStart the School Year Off Right
  • Four Keys to Keeping Your Group Energized in the SummerFour Keys to Keeping Your Group Energized in the Summer

Filed Under: Group Leadership Tagged With: Community, Group Dynamics, Summer, The Meeting

Comments

  1. Roger Carr says

    June 12, 2016 at 8:40 am

    Laura,
    Life doesn’t take a vacation so it makes sense that there should continue to be a connection and influence from small group members who we are doing life with. Thanks for the reminder and ideas for connecting during the summer.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Subscribe to Group Ministry

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

previous arrow
next arrow
Slider

Subscribe to Podcast

Google PodcastsAndroidby EmailRSS

Follow Group Ministry on Facebook

Follow Group Ministry on Facebook

All Ministry Sites

Leadership
Kids Ministry
Student Ministry
Groups Ministry
Women’s Ministry
Worship Ministry

Digital Resources

Ministry Grid
Lifeway Worship
Digital Church
KidEvent Pro
MyCurriculum Manager
Simulcast Manager
Lifeway Reader eBooks
Generosity
WORDsearch
SmallGroup.com

Lifeway Network

Lifeway Research
B&H

Copyright © 2021 · Lifeway Christian Resources · All Rights Reserved