CoreGroup Guide | We Just Click - Part 4

From Pastor Charity
What a blast we had at the One CoreGroup One Day event on May 6! More than 250 folks gathered. In case you missed it, here’s the link to check it out.

From prayer, prizes, Crowded Table, communion, conversation and vision for Local CoreGroups – you will want to watch! Let’s get on the same page as we move forward for the fall. After watching, reach out if you have questions or ideas to help move the vision forward.

Save the Date
Even though groups are still meeting for another few weeks this semester, we’re already looking ahead to the start of a new CoreGroup season. Please put these dates in your calendar now!

• Sunday, July 20 – CoreGroup Lunch 'n Learn
• Saturday, August 2 – CoreGroup Leading Training
• Sunday, August 24 – CoreGroup Launch Party / Open House
• Sunday, September 7 – Fall CoreGroups Start!

Welcome
Welcome to the fourth and final week of our series called “We Just Click.”  In this series, we talked about how God designed us for relationships. We discussed marriage, dating, and single life in the previous weeks as significant aspects of our human experience. This week, we round out that discussion with a close examination of friendship. Friends are the kind of people who are safe to get silly with, who defend us when needed, and who provide comfort in tough times. Sometimes friends go the extra mile and sometimes they just show up to be present because you need that. This week, we will look at what the Bible tells us about friendships and how our faith can help guide us in those relationships. Let's first open this time with a prayer.

Opening Prayer
Lord, Thank you for gathering us together today. Thank you for this group and for the opportunity to discuss our friendships. Please bless our time together and open our hearts and minds to new understanding. It is in your name we pray, amen.

Ice Breaker
Think back to your very first friend. Do you remember their name? What was it about that friendship that drew you together? Are you still in contact with that person today?

The Head
The Bible is filled with references and examples of friendships. David and Jonathan, Ruth and Naomi, Paul and Timothy, Jesus and Mary, Martha, and Lazarus are all marvelous examples of friendship. While friendships can be wonderful, they can also have challenges like any other relationship. However, our scriptures this week focus on some positive aspects of friendships, beginning with a verse from Proverbs.

Proverbs 27:17

As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens a friend.

• How would you describe one person sharpening another?
• What are some sharpening behaviors you see in your current friendships?

John 15:12-17

This is my commandment: love each other just as I have loved you. No one has greater love than to give up one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I don’t call you servants any longer, because servants don’t know what their master is doing. Instead, I call you friends, because everything I heard from my Father I have made known to you. You didn’t choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you could go and produce fruit and so that your fruit could last. As a result, whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give you. I give you these commandments so that you can love each other.

• One of the central themes of these verses from John is the notion that we have been given direct guidance, through Jesus, from God the Father. How does this guidance influence your understanding of friendship?
• What are some other themes of friendship in these verses?
• Jesus mentions that he appointed his friends to produce fruit in a way that lasts. What do you think this fruit represents?  

The Heart
At this point, you have probably identified some key aspects of friendship from the verses we read and the discussion we just had. This might be a good time to pause and list those out.

• When it comes to friendship, what attributes are most important to you? 

In addition to scripture, there are other helpful resources to consider in discussions about friendship. One of those resources is a podcast discussion hosted by Brene Brown and authors Amintou Sow and Ann Friedman who published a book in 2021 titled Big Friendship: How We Keep Each Other Close. Of course the book can be added to your reading list (if you haven’t already read it) but the podcast offers a fun and lively discussion among close friends.

Of note, their discussion includes a few key points: The importance of allowing space for friends, the intention needed to build strong friendships, a willingness to be vulnerable in the relationship, the value in finding your people, the need to work on friendships for meaningful connection, and much more.  

• Why do you think giving space is an important thing to consider in a friendship?
• How is being vulnerable a benefit to a strong friendship?
• Why do you suppose friendships take hard work? How would you describe that work?
• What emotions are generated as a result of deep connections with friends?

The Hands
Intent is something that is important in friendships. Intent is implied with iron sharpening iron.  Intent is present when Jesus is telling his disciples that the things he told them from the Father made them his friends. Intent is a theme in the Big Friendship podcast too.  

• If we consider intent to be a deliberate cultivation, what actions does that include?  
• If you are on the receiving side of an intentional action by one of your friends, how does that make you feel? How does that influence your own intentful actions with friends?
• What intentful things can you do this week to help strengthen a friendship?

Closing Prayer
Hey God, Thank you for friends. Thank you for putting people in our lives to deepen our experiences and to help us feel loved. Please open our eyes to new opportunities to be the best friends we can be. Help us to recognize those opportunities and please forgive us when we fall short. It is in your name we pray, amen.

Going Deeper
Looking for a place to meet some new friends? Consider hosting or attending a Summer Hang at The Gathering!

References
Here's the podcast mentioned above: https://brenebrown.com/podcast/big-friendship/