Estate Planning – 3 Generational Church Homes is a composition of documents compiled over years of attendance in Small Care Groups, Large Bible Study Groups and Church Attendance.  Our Prayer is that this material will be useful as:

The scope of this manuscript is to help others find their Place of Service within the Bride of Christ.  Yes, Heaven will be a place full of Music, Praise and Worship, but it will also be a place full of His Gracious Hospitality, Fellowship, Bible Studies and Prayer (constant Dialog with our God).

Our Prayer is that others and Church Leadership will benefit from this material in terms of organizing “Gatherings” and “Group Bible Studies” in such a way that the gatherings themselves become an “on the job training and equipping experience” for those choosing to participate in real life situations, drawing out gifts and desires (places of service) people did not even know they had within them.  The Lord has given us this material over long periods of time, calling us to operate as His journalists and artists, studying “views” and retreating for periods of time to draw and document what we have witnessed as “working” to the benefit of the Whole Body, The Bride of Christ.

This material can be used by 1 person seeking spiritual growth or by Church Leadership to help welcome others aboard by introducing them to Church Life and helping others to focus on their “Call to Service” and their “Place of Service” before our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, since we are all “Called to Serve Him” by serving others and by being “Faithful Stewards of our Time, Talents, Treasures and Testimonies”.   This material is suitable for Small Care Groups, Large Bible Study Groups or a Combination of Small Care and Large Bible Study Groups.  This material can be used by Men, Women, Singles, Married or Parents (since Parents can be either Single and Married).  This material can be used for Random Ad-Hoc Gatherings or for Structured Gatherings such as 10 Week Semester Courses or Full-Year Courses (with Personal Testimonies given every other week).  This material contains 10 Chapters with a combination of:

Introduction, Course Schedules and Course Formats are presented within Chapter 1 so this material can be reviewed with other Group Members during the Initial Group Meeting.  Each Chapter has been tested to verify that the material can be reviewed during the 40 Minute Bible Study time period.

Prayer:  May God Bless you all as we proceed to review this material.  May you enjoy finding details that interest you and help you move forward in your ‘Walk and Talk’ with our Lord and Savior.  With each passing day, may we all learn more about what it means to ‘live and move and have our Being’ in Him and to dwell within His Kingdom of Peace, Joy and Righteousness, In Jesus Name, Amen.

Thank you all in advance for your time and patience as we move forward to outline some methods that have proven to be effective and efficient in conducting Gatherings and Group Bible Studies.  Here is a synopsis of the documents that follow:

(1)   Semester Course Schedule – This is the recommended calendar schedule for the 3 different semesters:  Winter Semester, Summer Semester or Fall Semester.
 

(2)   Yearly Course Schedule – This is the recommended calendar schedule for a full-year course which contains Testimonies given every other week, along with a summer break and a winter break.  Please note that ‘Counselor’ means Small Care Group Leader and ‘Pastor’ means Large Bible Study Group Leader.
 

(3)   Course Format – This is the recommended time schedule, organized in such a way that time is not wasted and gifts are drawn out of those in attendance.  3 different formats are provided according to the size and shape of the Group Meeting.  Example:  Small Care Group Ministries may meet in the homes (hence an Evening Schedule is provided), whereas Large Bible Study Ministries may meet at Church (hence a Sunday School schedule is provided), and Combination Groups may meet in the evenings at Church for Men’s Groups or Women’s Groups (hence the Small Groups may meet together first for a time of course review and prayer with their Small Care Group Leader or Counselor and then all the Men or Women may come together as a Large Group toward the end of the evening for a word from their Large Bible Study Group Leader or Pastor).
 

(4)   Leadership – This contains the details that go along with following, organizing and managing the Course Schedule and Course Format.  These concepts can be used to present any material that a Group Leader may want to present or cover over a period of time.  This book has been purposely broken down into 10 Chapters to fit into this framework.  Any material or book review can be worked into this framework.
 

(5)   Small Care Groups – This is a listing of Bible Verses and Personal Questions emphasizing the Small Group concept and encouraging others to acknowledge Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.
 

(6)   Prayer Requests – This contains the details that go along with receiving and processing Prayer Requests.  A sample of simple Prayer Request Slips (with perforations for cutting into individual Prayer Slips) is provided and can be made available to attendees for the purpose of submitting their prayer requests in writing.  This is a very helpful procedure in drawing out personal needs, cares, concerns and praises to our God for His Faithfulness.
 

(7)   Socials – This contains the details that go along with planning and carrying out group socials.

(8)   Testimonies – This contains the details that go along with receiving and presenting testimonies.

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