Life Groups

Life groups are how we do life together.  They are groups of people who meet weekly, spending time together discussing how their lives are going, where they can help one another, and what they can do to improve the communities around Raymore.  

The primary purpose of these groups isn't to get through a Bible lesson; they exist to help us find connections with people going through the same issues in life that we face.  

There's a lot more joking, sports discussion and kid-chasing that you might expect from a typical Bible study.  These are the kind of people you can turn to at any time to help with babysitting, borrowing a lawnmower, or just to lend a listening ear as you go through the challenges of everyday life.

Although the format can vary from group to group, these meetings usually begin with a meal of finger foods and casual conversation.  Afterward, they work through a section from the Bible, discussing how it affects their lives and how they can use it to make us more like Jesus.  These get-togethers usually last an hour or two (depending on the group), and kids of all ages are welcome to come and join the group or just play with the other kids there.  

"We have a Life Group that meets at our house on Sunday nights.  Although we take the time to clean up on Sunday afternoons, we know that everyone gets to see our mess.  It's important for everyone to feel comfortable in our home, but we also want them to know that we're far from perfect.

"Usually our Bible study consists of simply opening up the Bible and discussing what it says.  We start at the beginning of one book of the Bible and continue through until we get to the end a few weeks later, but beyond that it's pretty casual.

"I'm a lot more concerned with hearing what everyone has to say than I am about getting through a 'lesson.'  I know that I can learn as much from anyone else as they can from me.

"Our favorite part of the group is the way we support each other when we're not actually having a meeting.  Over time, we've become best friends with some of these families, and we've repaired each other's cars, watched each other's kids, and we're hoping to do something together to serve our community to make our city a better place for everyone to live in."

-John and Haley Regan