{"id":2739,"date":"2012-08-30T08:00:41","date_gmt":"2012-08-30T08:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/?p=2739"},"modified":"2016-01-06T14:09:44","modified_gmt":"2016-01-06T14:09:44","slug":"better-together","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/50plus\/better-together\/","title":{"rendered":"Better Together"},"content":{"rendered":"

Where did you spend the summer? I was fortunate to spend mine in California\/Nevada doing the LA, San Francisco and Las Vegas triangle. It was a trip of a lifetime that I will never forget.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>One of the highlights was the opportunity to visit Saddleback Church<\/a> in Orange County. Since I\u2019ve been a fan of Rick Warren for a long time, this was a modern-day pilgrimage for me.<\/p>\n

Saddleback is a mega church by any standards. It\u2019s a wonderful campus of landscaped grounds and different venues (or tent pavilions), which share the message from the main auditorium (pictured above) but have individual worship styles in each tent.<\/p>\n

The children\u2019s building is amazing: the network of classrooms and modern facilities are above and beyond anything I have seen or could\u2019ve dreamed in a church.<\/p>\n

Welcomers were dotted around the campus offering ice-water bottles with the latest campaign wording: Better Together<\/strong><\/em>.<\/p>\n

Fully appreciating the dangers of isolation in a mega church, Saddleback has a hugely active small group network emphasizing the need to live our lives together and with divine purpose.<\/p>\n

Steve Gladen is the pastor of Small Groups at Saddleback and has published a book this year called Leading Small Groups with Purpose<\/a>.<\/p>\n

If you are leading or thinking of leading a small group you might want to check it out.<\/p>\n

I found it a goldmine of inspirational ideas, clearly arising from years of experience. It made me smile, cry and cringe as I recognized my own shortcomings and failures in leading a group.<\/p>\n

I give thanks for the blessed refreshment of holidays and for the opportunity to look afresh at my small group, its structure, format, members and their unique giftings and issues. I pray that we all would be truly better together this coming year.
\nIf you are not a member of a small group: why not join one this autumn; if there isn\u2019t one nearby, September is a great time to start one!<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re already leading, be encouraged in Steve Gladen\u2019s book\u2019s final words:<\/p>\n

\u201cYou matter to God and leading and building health in your small group is an incredible and eternal privilege.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

 <\/p>\n

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