Group Activities
Open Forum
One
of Search's most popular and dynamic events is the "Open Forum." The
Open Forum is a gathering of friends for the purpose of interacting
on significant life and God issues. Normally, it takes place in a home
or convenient daytime location for business and professional people
and lasts for four weeks where the guests enjoy eating, meeting each
other, laughing and sharing their thoughts. It is an authentic, stimulating
discussion about basic life issues, not a Bible study, lecture series,
or theological debate The objective is to create a safe atmosphere in
which people can examine their philosophy of life. Many people have
never carefully evaluated their beliefs or been able to have open dialogue
with others on the subject, and the Open Forum provides a comfortable
environment for just this kind of meaningful interaction. And since
the Forum is "open," you pick the topics of conversation!
Search sets up several guidelines to ensure a stimulating dialogue that is comfortable, affirming, and challenging. Three promises are reviewed at the beginning of each discussion. The forum is a group discussion, not a debate or a lecture, and no one person or viewpoint will dominate. The discussion is limited to one hour, to respect the time of the people who come. Informal conversations often continue afterwards. If and when appropriate, the Bible’s perspective on a topic will be offered as one of the opinions to be considered.
If you are interested in attending or hosting an Open Forum, please call Bill Howard at 615-300-1055.
Coaching
Throughout history we see mentor programs helping the next generation learn how to live productive lives. In a very mobile society we do not often have close friends who are willing to take the time to show us life principles or to help us be grounded in a fast changing society. We provide one-on-one mentoring to those eager to grow, and help people work through some of the difficult issues of life from a practical, Biblical and personal basis. We know this is often very sensitive, so our confidential mentoring is kept only between you and your mentor. Our goal is for you to experience the fulfillment, which comes from being all God meant you to be and to help you discover and use your talents.
Foundations
To help friends get started with God, Search has initiated and/or resourced thousands of small groups often beginning with the Foundations study. Foundations is a study intended for small groups or one-on-one discipleship. Chapters include:
- How to begin a relationship with God
- How to grow in your relationship with God
- How to communicate with God through prayer How to listen to God through Bible reading and study
- How to invest the resources God has entrusted to us
- How to tell others about our relationship to God
We use Foundations as a transferable tool for learning and applying the basics of our faith in Christ. It is also an exploratory resource for those who are currently investigating the claims of Christ. The Leader’s Guide was developed to assist a leader in the facilitation of a Foundations small group study. It is purposely designed with more information than you need to aide in study and preparation for leading.
The Questions Class
This is a 12-week course dedicated to directly answering Christianity’s toughest criticisms – Is there a God? Is the Bible reliable? Is Jesus the Son of God? Will God judge those ho have never heard about Christ? Why are there so many hypocrites? Why the innocent suffer? Do miracles really occur? Isn’t Christianity just a psychological crutch? What does it mean to believe? Can anyone be sure of heaven? How good do you have to be to get to heaven? Isn’t going to heaven by faith too simple?
Route 66
Many people have never read the Bible. Therefore many do not know what the story of the Bible is really about. Based off of the book "The Story of God" by Tommy Nelson, this study is a 12-week Bible study that gives a big picture view of the entire Bible. From cover to cover this study helps to understanding what God is doing on planet earth from the beginning of time until His return.