My guess is that, like me, you have some GOLD friends. You know, the ones who have known you a very long time, who have seen your good days, your bad days… and love you anyway! Oh, you are BLESSED by God if you have any deep friendships like that!
When I was younger, I learned a little tune that went, “Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other’s gold.”
For me, our Table Groups are about intentionally developing SILVER friends. No, not meeting silver haired ladies like me! (My preschool granddaughter calls it like it is when she says, “Nana, your hair is white!”)
Silver friends are new friends the Lord brings to enrich your life, and over time, they may develop into gold friends. If you are new to our church and are looking forward to meeting some of the incredible women God has placed in our church family, look no further…
The TABLE GROUPS are for YOU!
Here’s five things I love about our Table Groups:
It’s a short, simple commitment, just once a month for 6 months (with food!).
It’s strategically a multi-aged group of 6 or 7 women so I get to know and hear life stories from women whom I might see at our large church, have met, or talked with lately.
These new “silver friends” draw me closer to Jesus. We share our hearts over the Word of God, simple discussion questions, and pray for each other. (No worries if you have never prayed aloud in a group before… we’ve got you covered!)
I’ve watched God divinely place women in these small groups who discover a connection point and develop multi-generational friendships of encouragement and joy. I sure have!
I get NEW friends to watch for and greet at church, to meet for coffee, to pray for, and to love in Jesus! And THAT’s the goal.
The bottom line: Jesus wants us to love His flock. We can’t love each other if we don’t KNOW each other! The Table Groups begin those spiritual friendship journeys.
And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God. Philippians 1:9-11 (NIV)
Meet the Author!
Gayle Hadden and her high school sweetheart, Terry, love leading a home group for CRBC. They are parents to three wonderful adult children, their spouses, and are blessed with six adorable grandchildren. Gayle served for ten years in Moms in Prayer International as a USA Division Coordinator for seven states and is passionate about getting children and schools covered in prayer. She loves seeing the Word of God come alive in lives, watching God’s hand in nature, playing with grandkids, traveling, boating, birding, and chocolate (dark please!).