Thank you, leaders, for all you did to get your group involved enabling Serve Your City to have a great impact!  

Focus of your meeting this week: Our focus this week is to look back on Serve Your City and celebrate how God worked. You may want to plan a dinner with your group to create a more celebrative atmosphere, make it more of a social, etc. Plan on spending quality time in prayer over various elements of the projects. Note – Even if some did not serve during the weekend the questions can still apply in how we daily live out our faith in Jesus by serving others.  

• Watch Video: To start your meeting we recommend watching Chris Brown’s video about making a difference by meeting simple yet real needs can make in impact beyond what we know!  

• Tell us your stories and thoughts about the weekend: Capturing stories of how God worked and how people were impacted is an important part for North Coast Church and for others to see. Use this link to share with us your stories from the weekend. You can also email [email protected] or leave a voicemail at (760) 724-7074 x248. 

• Social Media – We’d love to see pictures and posts about your Serve Your City experience! Share them with us by tagging @nccommunityservice, @northcoastchurch and your campus.    

Leader’s feedback on the event: Your feedback, on the event, of anything you think we should add or change the next time we do SYC is also important. Please submit your thoughts when you do your weekly attendance, or email your Station-in-Life Pastor.  

Making a Difference: Watch this three-minute video from Chris Brown before your Life Group discussion this week. 

1. Reflecting on your experience, what was the most memorable part of your time serving at your project site?  

 If you haven’t already, I’d encourage you to set up a photo sharing album with your group to capture some of the memories.

2. During your project, did you learn something new about yourself or about someone from our group?   

These answers should be fun. In our group, I learned that we have one member with an irrational fear of horses and another who really does not get along with the outdoors. Now those are silly examples, but other answers may be along the lines of discovered skill, crazy amounts of patience, super fun kids, etc. 

3. Was there someone you served alongside who made an impact on you because of their attitude, skill, or posture during serving?   

This is a great opportunity to affirm and encourage others in your group. You may have had an experience serving with other North Coasters or people connected to the organization where you served who made an impact on you. As we talked last week, our attitude going into a serving opportunity can make or break the experience. Did anyone come in with humility? Did someone get to practice or exhibit a particular skill or set of skills? Was someone’s positive attitude keeping the group going when things got difficult? Have fun with this. 

1. While Serve Your City is an incredible campaign of thousands of North Coasters impacting our community in one massive effort, we still desire as followers and imitators of Christ, to live lives of daily service to God and others. Read Romans 12:9-13 which provides instruction on how we can love and serve well.   

Romans 12:9-13 New International Version (NIV)  

 9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.  

In what ways did you see these verses put into practice this past weekend?  

As you think about the community around you (family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, etc.), is there somewhere or someone in your life or on your path that might benefit from an intentional act of love this week?    

This is the opportunity to encourage application. Spend a minute thinking about it. No need to rush. We said “somewhere or someone” in this question so you could think through spaces and people. For example, maybe someone is feeling compelled to generally step up their service game at school or at work. For others, God may bring a specific person to mind like a family member or coworker. 

Additional Question: What’s a practical way you could be love in that space or show love to that person? 

2. We just had the incredible opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus in our community through our Serve Your City campaign. We moved from being hearers of God’s word to being doers of His Word as Larry encouraged us to do in this week’s sermon. Read the following verses. Just like we had a supplies list of what to bring with us for our Serve Your City project, what “supplies” can you add to your life’s toolbox from the following verses about God’s Word?  

James 1:22-25 New International Version (NIV)  

22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.  

Psalm 119:105 New International Version (NIV)  

105 Your word is a lamp for my feet, 
    a light on my path.  

Matthew 7:24-27 New International Version (NIV)  

24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”  

From these verses, what encouragement seems most applicable in your current season?    

Additional verses: Romans 2:13, Joshua 1:6-9  

Pastor Larry asked the question, “Is the Bible true?” Then, he went on to ask the second question, “Does my life match my verdict?” What is one area of your life that could be used as evidence of your verdict?   

I’d really encourage you to watch or listen to the sermon. Keep in mind, some in your group may not have done so. Basically, this question is poking at your Christian witness. How do the people around you know, through your actions and behaviors, that you believe in the Bible and live out what it says. The way Pastor Larry puts it is, not just studying the word to know it, but to obey it. 

Spend some time as a group thanking God for the opportunity to be His ambassadors in our community. Pray that the ripple effect of these last three weeks will continue to impact others.    

Pray for….   

… those you served – that they may see God’s love and take steps to know Him.    

… the specific organizations we partnered with in serving – that they may continue to be effective in meeting community needs.  

… North Coast – that we may continue to grow in our effectiveness in reaching our community for Jesus and be a place where people want to grow and bring their friends.   

… yourself – that you may know how to serve others with the attitude of Christ and have opportunities to tell others about Him.