Community Groups

Our small groups will no longer be called Missional Communities. Instead, they will be called Community Groups. We originally used the term “Missional” to reinforce the idea of continually living on God’s mission of restoring all things to Himself through the Person and Work of Jesus Christ. We have spent a lot of time understanding that the Bible presents all of God’s people as missionaries. Your current context is a mission-field. Our Missional Communities were designed to ad us in living this way, but somewhere along the way, our groups lost the practice of mission as a core.

Wade and I have spent a lot of prayer and time trying to best encourage and equip the Church of the Cross family to first understand all of life this way and then actually live that way. In the pursuit of this, there are currently no more groups. Please know that we did not make this decision lightly. We have seen some truly Gospel-centered relationships develop and we know that many of you are sad to see your current groups dissolve. But that doesn’t mean your relationships dissolve. Instead, it provides opportunity for you to continue them in a number of ways.

Beginning the week of January 10, we will re-launch with three Community Groups. Please understand that very little changes. We will go from 2 groups to 3, each group will still meet weekly for a meal, to encourage and equip each other for mission. What will change is that each new group will be centered around a tangible mission. Many of us simply stand like deer in the headlights when we consider that Church of the Cross’ mission is to see the West Valley transformed by the Gospel. Where do we even begin?! However, when we live together on a specific mission, things are much more manageable.

Community Groups are the heart of Church of the Cross. This is where we seek to build Gospel-centered relationships, where we learn to bear one another’s burdens, where we are accountable, where we are equipped and where we live on mission together. Each group will focus around a specific and tangible mission with the end-goal of making disciples of Jesus.

In addition to the weekly gatherings for equipping, at least once/month, each group will have some activity that seeks to further this mission. Instead of looking for a group that meets your needs, we encourage you to prayerfully consider which group might best give you opportunities to serve. With that in mind, our new groups will be (leader and mission):

Robert and Oksana Gilliland will be targeting local college students. Robert will be enrolling in at least one class at Glendale Community College and if possible, we would love to see others follow his lead. However, you don’t need to be a student to be part of this group. Other ways to help are by opening your home for meals to local college students as others build those relationships. There are many other ways we are considering this opportunity. Please be a part of this exciting chance to see the Gospel flourish on our local college campuses.

Wade and Tanya Myers will be targeting their neighborhood. Again, you don’t need to live there to help. Wade and Tanya have done a great job building relationships with many of their neighbors and finding opportunities to tangibly show God’s love. Their group will help them further the Gospel through these relationships by helping them serve their neighborhood in a variety of ways.

Brent and Kristi Thomas will be ministering to the many families involved Adams Traditional Academy, where Miles and Owen attend school (as well as the Ruwald children). We will seek ways to help the school and build relationships with the families of faculty, staff and students.

There will sign-up sheets tomorrow at Gathered Worship. We encourage you to prayerfully consider which opportunity provides the best way for you to grow and serve. We are so excited about where God has led us so far and where He continues to lead. We are excited to see these groups live on mission and multiply. We are excited to see these groups become Jesus, hands and feet to a hurting world, transforming culture for His glory. Please contact Wade or me with any questions.

— Brent Thomas
Church of the Cross
623.203.6509
www.churchofthecrossaz.com