By Mike Conaway on 8/28/2008

Greg’s first call came through today at 5:30 PM. It was 12:30 AM on August 29 in Tanzania.

He called from the lodge they are staying and reported that the group of 9 hikers arrived safely from various places, including Dubai, Amsterdam, and South Africa. There was a time of sweet fellowship to reacquaint with old friends, meet new friends and think about the goal ahead… to reach the peak of Mt. Kilimanjaro.

The climb will start approximately 9:30 AM on the 29th with their English-speaking guide named Fred.

From a small group perspective, Greg spoke of the excitement of getting ready to work toward the common goal with people you just met and how excited he was to tackle the mountain.

I can’t help but think about our own small groups that will soon be starting and wonder how many people, and maybe ev ... Read More »

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By Mike Conaway on 8/22/2008

Last night we held our first small group ministry night of prayer of the semester and what a powerful night it was!

Those in attendance we honored and humbled by our Elders who prayed over each of our leaders, prayed for each group and for those looking for community through small groups.

I feel so blessed to serve as small groups minister at a church where the leadership believes so strongly in small groups that they took time out of their meeting to pray with our group leaders.

Thanks to our eldership, our church leadership and to our group leadership who took time out of hectic schedules to be part of such a powerful time of prayer.

For those that could not make it, we will meet again, be watching our small group calendar of events for details.

For now, I ask you plan to attend our leader breakfast Sun ... Read More »

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By Mike Conaway on 8/7/2008

The July session of leader training is in the books. It was a fantastic month as we averaged almost 20 people per week! Overall 79 people attended the 4-week session and here is what Walle Waters had to say about the sessions “We have just finished a 4-wk Small Group Leadership Program, and I feel this was a very beneficial training program.   I truly believe in continual improvement, especially when it comes to teaching, mentoring, and counseling in small groups.   This program should be taught as a refresher course at least twice a year along with the main Leadership Conference at Heritage. Thanks for a very intelligent and rewarding 4 week session.”  Another attendee said “I enjoyed the last four weeks of training and found it very effective in not only helping me to understand the objectives of the small groups, but also to prepare for things that will most li ... Read More »

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By Mike Conaway on 7/20/2008

Wow, it has been a busy summer around the office. This is my summer since going on staff full time and it has been packed full of many new and exciting things.

Phil Fincher has left to begin his new ministry at Savannah, it is a lot quieter in the modular these days, I miss Phil, I haven’t really heard a good, side-splitting, funny story since his departure… maybe I’ll email him.

Dave Damron is busy not only with the Step into Africa exhibit that is coming, but also preparing for Matehaula mission trip.

We have Battle of the Praise Bands coming in August as well. You can learn more about both of these events by reading the weekly bulletin, e-newsletter or by visiting the small group web site www.lifegroups.com

The small group ministry has also been slammed. We are so excited about what God is doing wi ... Read More »

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By Mike Conaway on 7/12/2008

This morning was our monthly Men’s Breakfast. I was excited as always to see the guys, some of which I only see at this event, and spend time with old friends, meet some new ones, and hear a quality speaker.

We have had a great year this year with our list of speakers. We have stayed on the leadership track this year and today was no different.

Hollis Harris was our guest today. If you do not recognize the name, Hollis retired in 2004 after 50 years of Airline Management, serving as President, COO, and Board Member of Delta Airlines, Chairman, President & CEO of Continental Airlines, Air Canada, World Airways and Calljet.

He shared stories of 50 years of directing some of the largest corporations in our history. Hollis explained that his success is because of his priorities. He always kept God first, family second, and career third. Admitt ... Read More »

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By Mike Conaway on 7/11/2008

It’s 4:30 am on July 11, 2008 and I am posting my first ever blog to the small group web site.

Wow, have we come a long way? Just a few short years ago, we communicated with all our small group leaders by phone and fax. Today we have instantaneous implementation of information by posting a blog and having you subscribe via RSS feeds. I am amazed at what we can do these days.

I am also amazed at what God is doing here at Heritage. Many of you are responding to the call of leadership and have committed to leading new groups. We have restructured our ministry to encompass a wider range of groups and we will soon be adding another person to the ministry team. More on the new guy later………