St. Matt's News


Click for Events Calendar
Add Calendar Feed

Sunday Worship

7:30, 8:30, 11:00 am

Sunday School &
Adult Education
945-10:45 am


Daily Devotions
[here]


St. Matt's U:
Adult Education
& Bible Study

Men's Retreat
March 19-20
[more]


Music Ministry
News & Schedules [here]

Mission Trip
Information
[here]


Healing Prayer Ministry

April 1
(Maundy Thursday)
7:15 p.m. service
[more]
Library Hours:
Sundays
9:35-11:00 a.m.
Office Hours
Monday-Friday:
8:30-12:00; 1:00-4:30
Sunday:
9:45-10:45 a.m.
Office phone:
414-774-0441

Worship Services
Sermons
Adult Ed
podcasts
Listen on Your Computer

Weekly Events

News & Events Page
Events Calendar
Sunday Bulletin
The Voice

Follow us:
  

Small Group Ministry

 

Small Groups
These are small groups (7-12 people) that meet in individual homes or the church about once a month for fellowship, study, support and service. All are facilitated by lay leaders. Each group determines its own format, which may include Bible study, book discussions, topical studies, movies and discussion. A key element is also participation in service projects through St. Matthew’s and in the community.
Contact: Sue Swing

 

First Fridays Book Group
The next book for St. Matthew’s "First Fridays Book Discussion Group" (meeting April 9) will be Driftless by Wisconsin author David Rhodes (429 pages) (link to Amazon [here])

This group is open to everyone who loves to read and would be interested in discussing the books they have read. The Group meets at 7 p.m. on the first Friday of the month, October - May, with some meetings on the second Fridays due to conflicts. The Book List for 2009-10 is [here] to view, download or print. (NOTE: The list was revised in July with a minor change in book reading order.)
Contact: Danette Braun (email or 414-771-2512)
Fred Heim (262-253-0338)
Terri Kuhlmann (414-453-5966)

 

YOGA moves to Thursdays
By popular demand, yoga will continue during Lent, moving to Thursday nights, beginning this week. Yoga will be held on the following Thursdays from 7:00-8:15 p.m.

Men and women are invited to come. Need Child Care? Please let Kelly Kirtley know 24 hours in advance, so that a youth may asked to be available for that week. Kelly’s email is: tkkirtley@milwpc.com
(Our thanks to Kelly for continuing this popular class!)

 

Divorce Care Support Group for Women
Are you (or someone you know) healing from the dif­ficulty of separation or divorce? St. Matthew’s is forming a group to provide support and friendship to women. This group, led by Aleta Norris, will base discussions and Healing work on two books: Pathway to Purpose for Women and another divorce recovery book, yet to be determined. Aleta will be providing support, inspired by her own divorce recovery experiences. For more information, you may talk to one of the pastors, or you may contact Aleta directly at aletanorris@sbcglobal.net. This group will begin meeting in March.

 

Grief Group... Bereavement Support Group begins at St. Matthew’s
Seasons Hospice will be hosting a Bereavement Support Group at St. Matthew’s this spring meeting weekly on Thursday evenings beginning Thursday, April 15, 6:00-7:30 p.m. It meets for eight weeks ending on Thursday, June 3. The group is open to anyone who has lost a loved one. We are pleased to offer this to our mem­bers as well as anyone you know who would be open to such a group.

 

Bridge Marathon
The St. Matthew’s Bridge Marathon Group is now accepting sign-ups for the 2009-2010 season. Beginning couples are welcome, although a basic knowledge of the game is necessary. Matches are played monthly, September - May, set up at the convenience of the players.
Contact: Larry & Holly Jurss (414-257-3595)
or Bob & Joyce Biehn (414-289-7658)

 

How to revitalize your small group
It is great to be part of a small group that is growing and moving forward. These groups are usually characterized by high levels of commitment. They honor their agreed upon meeting dates and have decided that the appointment to gather with their small group is as important as any­thing else that is one their calendar. But every small group struggles at times. If you find yourself in a small group that is slowing down, consider these points.

“In recent months, attendance at our small group has been sporadic at best. How do we help our group members become more committed and dedicated?”

Over a stretch of time it is not uncommon for groups to lose their focus and grow sloppy in aspects of their group life. Often, as a result, members will become uneasy with the loss of momentum. These times are critical junctures in the group’s life. The group can either continue to dete­riorate or choose to “clean up its act.” It is much healthier to address it than to pretend it doesn’t exist or hope it will simply disappear. It takes courage to talk about it with the group, but God will frequently use such discussions to trig­ger a time of spiritual renewal. Discuss it as a group and ask for the input of the entire group to arrive at a solution. (From Small Groups Leaders’ Handbook.)

Another thing you can do to solidify group attendance is to make sure that most or all of your group members have ownership in the group. A good small group needs someone to select/facilitate a study, bring the food, host the study, arrange for childcare, administrate by bringing a calendar and reminding everyone else to do so, send out a follow-up e-mail, handle prayer requests, find a service project etc….When people are more involved in the leader­ship of the group they are more likely to attend.

Lastly, consider a group covenant. This is an agreement that states what each member of the group can expect and what will be expected of them. This can include arriving on time, not missing more than one or two meetings, being prepared for discussion. Add a calendar for the year to your cove­nant and, if possible, identify the day of the month that you will meet; ie first Sunday or fourth Thursday. At the very least, schedule a minimum of three meetings at a time.

A small group is like any other relationship and will im­prove with quality time and attention.
-- Sue Swing, Small Groups Coordinator

(If your small group is seeking a new study, don’t forget to stop in the church library. There are some new resources, including DVD’s to be used in a single meeting time, making facilitating the group easier than ever.)