My daughter Necani is leaving for college 13 months from now. I have told both of my girls to stop growing up, but so far they have been very disobedient in this area.
There is talk of universities and even sororities in my house. Of course when I think sororities, I think hazing. If you are unfamiliar with the term “hazing” I have hyperlinked the word to wikipedia (only one step below Jesus as a source of all truth). I have done this because that’s just the kind of high-tech, thoughtful guy that I am.
But enough about me. Let’s move on to hazing. Some of you experienced hazing at college, but some of you have been hazed at your small group.
Imagine with me…
You’re traveling through another dimension — a dimension of sight and sound. You’ve just crossed over into… the Small Group Gathering Place.
You wake up from a dream to find yourself in a small group. The hazing begins. They want you to talk. They want you to share your feelings (or at least some “sizzle” from your life). They want to talk about messy topics of emotions and intimacy. One member of the small group tells you, “We’re all about being real and authentic here” (you know this is secret code for “we’re going to get all up in your business”).
Before you can disagree, the group wants you to discuss your past, confess your sins and unpack a scripture from Hebrews. One person asks, “your not one of those annoying NIV users, are you?” Then there is an awkward silence as you try to figure out what a niv is and how you would use it. Everyone has stopped their conversations and everybody is looking… at you.
You feel trapped. You’re just looking for a place to chill from the the frantic schedule of life, meet some new people, network a little, maybe get some free food and down a few chai tea lattes. Now all you want is a “get out of small groups free” card and put this inquisition of your personal life in your rearview mirror.
Ok, back to reality for a moment. Small group doesn’t really go down like that, but maybe that is your perception of small groups; a perception that has kept you from participating. We have the answer.
We don’t want you to miss out because of perceptions. So we have rewired Northstar Groups so there is a group for everyone.
We’re doing “Fun Groups” this semester. These groups are a great way to “get your feet wet” in a small group in a non-hazing, non spill-your-guts-to-15-people-in-a-living-room sort of way.
These groups do anything from training for a 5K, to book clubs, to softball to crafts to dessert to ________________ (just put your idea in the blank).
Over time, some of the friends you meet in your “Fun Group” will develop into meaningful friendships. But for now, give it a try. It’s painless.
Signups will begin on @ Northstar on Sunday, August 28.
Let the fun begin!
