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Stephen Ministry   

Importance of Small Groups

The following was presented by Mike Falarski at the Chapel Sunday worship service on Sunday 4/22/18 as the Invocation. We are repeating this on the web site because of the importance of Small Groups to the future of the Chapel. We encourage you to seek out Pastor Bill, any member of the Chapel Board, or any member of the small group that Mike belongs to:

                              Mike and Judi Falarski

                              Sherry Benz and Dennis Cullen

                              Brooks and Cindy Fuller

                              Katharine and Brian Dombrowski

                              Don and Joyce Kludt

Pentecost, the day the Spirit descended onto the Apostles, is on May 20 this year. Pentecost is generally recognized as the birthday of the Church. People tend to think of church as a place. In actual fact, ‘Church’ is the name given to people who follow Jesus, who meet together to worship God and learn to do what God asks of them.  The very first churches were formed by communities of people who met in each other’s homes. These early Churches had four primary characteristics: They devoted themselves to the Apostles teachings, to fellowship, to the “breaking of bread and to prayer.

So why mention this today? Because, I feel like I am in the midst of a new church. It is called a ‘small group’ which we helped form a couple of months ago. It consists of 5 couples that have joined together to grow closer to the Lord and each other. We pray together, we study the bible together, we support each other in troubled times. Does that sound familiar? I just think it must not be much different than the early churches. It certainly is transforming my sense of being a Christian and bring me closer to the Lord. I am beginning to understand the feeling of the Spirit being with me. I can’t help but want to share this with everyone.

I have been advocating small groups for years but never pulled the trigger to form one myself. I guess I always worried about being rejected, was just too busy, or was not Christian enough.  Pastor Bill asked me at dinner one evening when I was going to form a small group. I could not come up with any good excuse why not so our group was born. It turned out to be the easiest and best thing I have done in a long, long time. I love being able to share my thoughts and concerns with a group of friends and fellow Christians. We are a Church!! I anticipate sometime in the future our group will spin off into more groups just like the original Church.

I encourage you all seriously to get involved in a small group. You may be able to join an existing one but, if not, start one of your own. I am happy to offer my help. Don’t wait for Pastor Bill to ask you why you aren’t in a small group.

Welcome to the Villlages Community Chapel

The Villages Community Chapel is a multi denominational Christian Church serving those who live the Villages Golf and Country Club and the nearby Assisted Living Facilities in San Jose, CA.  Our weekly worship service is held at 10AM Sundays in the Cribari Auditorium in the Villages.

A Word From The Pastor

Wisdom With Age

Author: 
Senior Pastor Bill Hayden
Date Published: 
Friday, November 9, 2018

     Some say, "The older you get, the wiser you become" or "Wisdom comes with age." I'm sure there is some truth in those statements, however some people never learn.

     Situations occur in life whereby we can hopefully learn and gain wisdom, but not all experiences lead to that. If a person or something isn’t good for you why put up with that person or whatever it is, but we do, over and over again. There was a young man that came into my life during the late 70’s. His personality was over-the-top, and when he went home, it was as if all of the blood running through my veins was drawn from my body. I had to go to a quiet place to recuperate. My two young children did not require the amount of energy that he withdrew from my wife and I. He made it his business to come over around dinner time, full of complaints and hungry for my wife’s cooking. He was a young, single man requiring a lot of attention. Eventually, we had to wean him from his weekly visits. 

     Now that I’m older with some health issues, like some of us living here, I have learned to give people who are hyper a limited amount of my time in order to maintain a healthy balance for myself. I have to take care of myself so I can take care of others and not waste the little time I have on this planet. 

     If stress is contributing to your well-being, you have to take the appropriate action to protect yourself and it doesn’t matter if people don’t understand. It may appear to others, who disregarded the amount of your time you gave them in the past, that you have become apathetic. 

     Let’s be wise and value each other’s time because no one knows how much time the other person has. “Therefore, as we have the opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.”  (Galatians 6:10 NKJV)

     We will always value your time and not waste it! Please join us at the Villages Community Chapel in the Cribari Auditorium each Sunday from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Our chapel is a place for Needs to be Met, Faith to be Affirmed and People to Love. We would love to meet you. To learn more about the Villages Community Chapel visit our website at http://villagescommunitychapel.org/ where you can hear previous and current Sunday Sermons.