 |
| City Lab Graphic |
Micro City Group Q&As
Below is a brief list of questions and answers in relation to how we pray for and strive to follow Jesus in His words and actions and love, serve, and share His abundant life with our friends, neighbors, and coworkers in the city of Worcester. Also, here is a previous post related to our gatherings: Emmaus City Church Rhythms | Why We Gather for Jesus + Others
What is a Micro City Group?
A Micro City Group (MCG) is a humble and hopeful community of people coming together to step into monthly rhythms of
loving, serving, and spending time with each other and others in the city.
What does Learning to Follow Jesus with Others
Look Like with a MCG?
We try to focus on three things Jesus lived by to help us be committed to His words, works, and ways:
Family | Growing Up in Communion with God: How are we growing in our understanding of and joy in the Good News of our relationship with God our Father through Jesus – resting in His love, communicating with Him through prayer, learning His story in Scripture, following His teachings – and loving each other as part of His family?
Servants | Giving in to Community in Service with God for Others: How are we humbly serving each other, our neighbors, and friends, and embodying the Good News of God’s grace together – opening our homes, giving time and resources to others freely, forgiving each other, helping with needs, etc. – like God opens His home by sending Jesus who did not come be served, but to serve us and give His life for us?
Ambassadors | Going Out to represent the love of God for the City: How are we intentionally caring for and spending time with others as we share the life of Jesus with them so they can experience His compassion, wisdom, and grace by His Spirit?
Another way
to look at this is through an UP |
IN | OUT lens on
how our life with Jesus is filled in relation to God, other people, and the
world He has sent us to be among and love.
Becoming more like Jesus is learning how to love God, love others, and humbly surrender all of life – work, play, rest, family – to His gracious and powerful way for the sake of others and the world. This learning or “disciple-making” involves:
Becoming more like Jesus is learning how to love God, love others, and humbly surrender all of life – work, play, rest, family – to His gracious and powerful way for the sake of others and the world. This learning or “disciple-making” involves:
UP | Passionate Spirituality: 1 John 4:13-21
IN | Radical Community: Acts 2:42-47, 4:29-35
Out | Missional Zeal: Titus 3:4-7; John 20:21-22; Micah 6:8; Mark 10:43-45; Matthew 25:31-40, 28:18-20
What Does the Rhythm of a MCG look like?
The rhythm of a MCG involves points of connection throughout a month as people are intentional in making space for God to move in their lives and to spend time with others.
These rhythms are shaped by a B.L.E.S.S. posture because God blesses us to be a blessing for others and the world.
These rhythms are shaped by a B.L.E.S.S. posture because God blesses us to be a blessing for others and the world.
Begin with prayer
Listen to and learn each others' stories
Eat with with friends, neighbors, and co-workers
Serve others freely and with no expectations
Share and show the Good News of Jesus with those who give you the honor to do so
Where Do These Planned Rhythms Happen?
Third Place: A place (i.e. pub, café, restaurant, park, gym, etc.) to connect, relax, eat, play, befriend, etc.
Community Meals: A meal where everyone and anyone can come together to hear a little more about Jesus, eat together, and be prayed for no matter what the religious background, life circumstance, or request.
Serve or Celebration Activity: An activity the MCG comes together to serve or celebrate with anyone in Worcester.
Ultimately, these monthly rhythms help us become a family of servants for the city and ambassadors for Jesus together through an UP | IN | OUT focus so we learn how to share and show His love for Worcester.
Who Do You Hope Will Be Involved in a MCG?
Anyone who is interested in Jesus and His impact on them as well the world (neighborhoods, workplace, city) around us. We want to join with Jesus in being among the
young and the old, the poor and the rich, the west side and the east side, the
university educated and the street educated, nonprofit and private sector
employees, public servants and criminals, technology and environmental leaders, and
multicultural and multiethnic people because the Good News of Jesus is
reconciliation between God and man, neighbor to neighbor, and humanity with
creation in every area of our city.
Our 5 new MCGs continue to explore how to love, serve, and share Jesus' life in 2020:
(1) W.R.A.P. MCG
(2) Freedom City Route 1 MCG
(3) YMCA MCG
(4) Fellow Travelers MCG
(5) Westside Welcome MCG
Key
Verses and Quotes
And (Jesus) said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim
the gospel to the whole creation.” + Mark 16:15, ESV
Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” And when He had said
this, He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” + John 20:21-22, ESV
The Lord has shown you what is good. He has
told you what He requires of you. You must act with justice. You must love to
show mercy. And you must be humble as you live in the sight of your God. + Micah 6:8, NIRV
You are a
chosen people. You are a Kingdom of priests, a holy nation, God’s very own
possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for He called
you out of the darkness into His wonderful light. + 1 Peter 2:9, NLT
The goal is living sent lives together in community moving towards Jesus' Kingdom reign. Our mission is to glorify Jesus in renovating the city holistically through the Gospel (Good News). That can't just happen with a Sunday morning service. If we just wanted to plant a service, we could do that, but the city would stay exactly the way that it is. For us, City Groups are frontlines for cultural, social, missional and spiritual engagement. We have a heart for our city. The Gospel is for others and not just for ourselves. + Leonce Crump
Life in the Gospel invites us into the bigger story of God’s redemptive work in the world. This Good News of reconciliation is an ongoing spiritual process involving forgiveness, repentance and justice that restores broken relationships and systems to reflect God’s original intention for all creation to flourish. + Brenda Salter McNeil
 |
| Sent Together by Brad Watson |
Next post: Our Story Starts with Jesus | Emmaus City Worcester, MA
Christ is all,
Rev. Mik "Sully" Sullivan
No comments:
Post a Comment