Back when I lived in Edmonton, Canada, it was literally winter six months out of the year. We used to say that there were only two seasons in Edmonton: winter and construction. So you could guess my excitement for those blissful summer months where it didn’t take a century to get in and out of the house with all of our winter gear, and I could just walk out with flip-flops! For some, summer is about jumping into a pool, with no worries, timelines, or meetings. For others, summer is about hiking, biking, being outside, and enjoying God’s creation. And still for others, summer is about getting those honey-do lists done. In any case, as adults, summer vacation is usually a couple weeks long, and then we have to get back at it and put our noses to the grindstone.
Although we all love taking a break in the summer, and the natural rhythms of life dictate our need for one, the one thing that doesn’t stop over the summer is our need for community.
So here is that infamous question that every small group or missional community needs to ask over the summer, “To continue, or not?”
Here are a few of my suggestions:
- Live life together; don’t schedule reoccurring meetings together. Take time to just live life together as a group. Go take a walk together, play games together, have a barbecue, or visit a summer festival as a group.
- Don’t feel the need to do a study during the summer months, but remember not to keep God out of the picture. Share about the things that God is doing in your lives. Have a worship time together as a group. Pray with each other, not just for each other. Go to a weekend service together as a group and then go out for a meal afterward, while eating, talk about the sermon.
- Invest and invite. Intentionally spend increasing amounts of time with the non-Christians that you live, eat, and play with. Be a blessing to them! Invite them to your group and to a weekend service.
- Serve one another. Don’t tackle those honey-do lists, home, and garden projects alone. Invite others from your group to help you out, even if you can do it yourself. This is a great opportunity to spend time with each other and serve each other!
If you do things like that during the summer months, just imagine the momentum that you will be able to build up for the Fall, when your group starts to meet up again on a regular basis.
Happy Summer Months!!