Right now in kid’s church, they are learning about God’s Big Story.  They are learning how sin entered the world, and completely distorted a perfect, and in fact “very good” creation.  More than distorting it, sin has really messed things up and if left unchallenged leads to death and total destruction.  Adam and Eve, who once walked openly with God, now hid from him, their Father.  They once walked in complete openness and vulnerability – after sin, they hid themselves from each other.  Even the earth itself seemed to reel with the effects of this rebellion.

However, God immediately hatched a plan of redemption and restoration (you can read Gen 3:15 for the first glimpse of a plan).  He wouldn’t allow sin to have the final say in his creation.  Jesus, as our children are learning, is God’s response to sin.  Our journey as followers and imitators of Jesus, is towards Christ-likeness.  It’s really a journey back to the beginning.  We were created in God’s very image, sin distorted that image, and Christ came to make a way for us to live into that again.  To walk and talk once again with God our loving creator.

In a big sense, this is what the Outer Circle is all about.  It’s our attempt to create just enough structure while leaving room for plenty of flexibility to help us on our journey towards being like Jesus.  It’s the task of discipleship.  It’s the joy and the work of submitting our wills, habits, desires, our very lives to God, who takes them and forms us into the likeness of his son.

If you are interested in joining the Outer Circle process, now is the time, but you have to commit to the process.  Read more about it here or pick up a copy of the Outer Circle manual at the info table.

If you are currently in a Triad, now is the time to make your plan for the coming year.

The first Outer Circle gathering of the new year is Saturday, January 17 at 5:30pm.  At this time all Triads need to be formed and everyone needs to have gone through their own discernment process.