Week 5: Dream Now For Our World
James Browning: Welcome to
week five of the Help for Host
podcast for the Dream Now series.
I'm your friend, James Browning,
and this week we will be talking
about dreaming now for our world.
Today we're joined by another
special guest and friend, our
online community campus, pastor
Charissa: Hello everybody.
My name's Carissa, and I'm
the online community Pastor.
James Browning: Uh, Carissa is
the online community pastor, but
she's new to this role because
Where did you come from before?
Charissa: I was on the online
team previously as the engagement
coordinator and also previously
as the groups coordinator.
And now I've recently stepped
into this campus pastor position,
James Browning: right, so we've
got people from the top with groups
experience here for you today.
Charissa: We love small groups.
James Browning: All right, so all
that to say, host, congratulations.
We are at the finish line, week five.
We do encourage you to do one more week
next week, but as a celebration, why
don't you tell us some tips for host
who might wanna be doing a celebration.
Charissa: Absolutely Week six celebration.
I think it's super important as we've
walked through Dream now together to
take a moment before we step out of it,
to really just take a moment to reflect
on what God has done or taught you guys
taught us through this series and through
this small group study, and to take a
moment to acknowledge and celebrate
the commitments that we've made together
as, as individuals and as a group.
So if you don't have any plans to
celebrate next week, I encourage you,
finalize those plans, talk about it
as a group this week, and then maybe
plan to do something fun next week.
James Browning: That's a great idea.
If you, uh, have not yet finalized
plans, this is your last chance to do so.
Don't leave it up to the last minute.
Remember, we've been talking a lot about
the primary job of the host is to be
prepared, not necessarily an expert,
so just guide the conversation to
figuring out what your next steps are.
Charissa: and.
James Browning: We've been
saying it for the past few weeks.
What should the next steps for
your group be beyond dream?
Now, if you have an existing
group, hopefully you've decided
what you're gonna study next.
As we've said before, we've got the what's
in the name series or the mark journey.
And if you're a new group,
we hope that your group has
considered becoming a small group.
Ongoing.
If you'll continue, make sure you let your
campus group team know on the weekend.
Go to the hub and let someone know
you'd like to discuss next steps.
Or you can email your campus, uh,
person at small groups@saddleback.com,
or you can go to saddleback.com/small
groups.
And click the starter group button
again, we recommend Basecamp as a
series for a new group that can be
found at saddleback.com/studies.
And the mark journey can be found
on your Saddleback Companion app.
If you'll not continue together,
encourage everyone to find a group
that will work best for the schedule.
After all, we are better together.
If you're an on-campus host.
this Is a great opportunity to
remind your table to consider
becoming a small group ongoing.
Carissa, that was a big info dump.
There's a lot of information.
If someone were in a group that
started during this series, what
would you recommend for next steps?
Charissa: If you are a group that
just started during the series,
I encourage you, highly encourage
you to keep going together.
You've already been meeting for six weeks.
You might as well keep going.
If it's a time that all works for you
guys to keep meeting, keep doing it.
You can even encourage other
people to join your group if you
want to, and open it up to others.
Um, share with your friends or your family
about how impactful this series has been
for you, and encourage them to get into
a small group themselves or maybe invite
someone else to join your small group too.
James Browning: One of the things
I'd like to ask you is how can a
small group make an impact for.
world shared vision for our world
or have a burden for our world.
What's some of the tips or suggestions
that you would recommend for a small
group host to pass along to their group?
Charissa: Yeah.
I think what's really unique about
small groups is that every individual
has different stories, a different
background, different workplaces that
they're stepping into, and so there's
a really awesome impact that we can
have in multiplication and going into
our communities and our workforces.
Whatever it may be.
And we come together as a small
group to encourage one another, to
build one another up, to dive deep
into the word and, and be rooted in
Christ so that we can go out and make
that impact in the world together.
And so I like to think of my small
group as, as this place that we can
get encouraged and equipped so that
we can go out into the world, um,
and make an impact for, for the Lord.
James Browning: I love it.
Carissa and I, I think you're right small
groups are honestly a great opportunity
to be evangelistic and to be the hands
and feet of Christ throughout the world.
I read a statistic in a missions class
in seminary that if every Christian had
a hundred percent success rate in sharing
the gospel with everyone that they knew.
That a third of the world would
still have never heard the gospel.
And the point that they were trying to
make in sharing that is that we tend
to have our individual circles, and for
us to truly reach the world, we need
to be willing to step outside of our.
Our own personal bubbles of relationships
and friendships and reach a handout
to someone else, and your small group
is such an easy step for someone
who doesn't have any connection with
Christianity or anything else because
you're just inviting them over to
spend some time with a few friends.
And that is such an easy ask and such
a welcoming ask to many people who are
looking for that kind of community.
Charissa: Yeah, that's awesome James.
I think it's so important and we get
to have the opportunity to welcome
people into our groups and, and be
that maybe first step into knowing
their first step into church or their
first step into hearing the gospel.
Um, it's a place that people can come
together for fellowship, but then get
to meet Jesus for maybe the first time.
James Browning: Thank you, Carissa,
and if any of you have any stories
from Dream Now or even from Immerse,
please feel free to send them to
us at small groups@saddleback.com
and if you have any questions.
Don't forget to contact us at
small groups@saddleback.com.
And once again, thank you for
joining us in the Dream Now series.
Thank you, Carissa.
Charissa: Thanks for having me.
Let's get ready to party.
