fall 2021 Growth Groups
**Children's ministry is available during the Sunday morning and Wednesday evening groups.**
Our fall semester of Growth Groups will begin the week of September 12 and end the week of December 12.
If you have questions, please call the church office, 605-692-6671, or email the Community Life team.
Our fall semester of Growth Groups will begin the week of September 12 and end the week of December 12.
If you have questions, please call the church office, 605-692-6671, or email the Community Life team.
Many of our groups this semester will be using our Practical Christianity study guide, written to follow along with the weekly sermons and go deeper into the subject of being a Christ-follower in current culture. Download a pdf of the guide.
If you are new to GracePoint or have never been in a group, try GroupLink. Meet with Pastor Dave and others who, like you, are new to our groups. We’ll talk about what it means to be in a group and find a group that’s the right fit for you. Ideally, we’ll start a new group with those who join GroupLink. We have leaders ready to go who want to journey along with you.
GroupLink will meet on Sunday, September 12 at 8:45AM & 10AM in Room 130 and on Wednesday, September 15 at 6:30PM in the Union (Room 170).
GroupLink will meet on Sunday, September 12 at 8:45AM & 10AM in Room 130 and on Wednesday, September 15 at 6:30PM in the Union (Room 170).
Sunday 8:45AM
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men's leadership group - Bruce burckhardt, Room 210Drawing on the wisdom of strong accomplished leaders, this group will help make men stronger Christian leaders in their homes, workplaces, church and environment. Prepare to be challenged once you join this group.
Bruce loves God, good food, grandkids and, of course, his beautiful wife. He is a business owner and is always pushing himself to learn more about leadership. |
sunday 10AM
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Practical Christianity - orv Smidt/david Sheppard,
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New Testament through the fall - gregg carlson, room 210In this group, we cover the entire New Testament in chronological order. Our goal is to review the New Testament while focusing on what we believe and why we believe it.
Gregg began attending GracePoint and leading groups in 1969. In his spare time he studies Scripture, runs a sawmill and does CNC woodworking. |
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breathe by Priscilla shirer (Women's group) - cynthia Sheppard, room 220, Begins September 19One of the greatest challenges among women in our culture is taking time to stop and cease from all the activities and busyness and just breathe. We are in bondage to busyness. It is time for us to build margin into our lives for God. If you are weary, worn out, and exhausted; the concept of Sabbath will change your life.
Cynthia Sheppard, a former teacher and newspaper editor, loves to continue to teach through small groups. She and her husband, David, find their exercise through the fun sport of pickleball and following the activities of their 11 grandchildren. |
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Bible Study - Tom Delaney, Room 120This group starts off with a challenging question, thought, or quote, then studies different verses of the Bible each week.
Married for 39 years, Tom & his wife Deb have 7 children. Tom is a certified teacher, loves reading, and writing poetry. He has attended GracePoint for 17 years. |
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Financial peace university - eric hanenberger, room 135Eric enjoys walking with people learning how to manage God’s money. The first (initial) step of the journey is usually the toughest. Financial Peace is a biblically-based curriculum that teaches people how to handle money God’s way. The cost for the kit for this class is $99, assistance may be available, if needed. Couples need only purchase one kit.
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"The Holy Club" - Room 140Forefathers of our Wesleyan denomination, brothers John & Charles Wesley gathered a discipleship group in their college years, seeking Christ’s direction in a godless society. Mockingly referred to as “The Holy Club” by scoffing observers, this group set the stage for Wesley’s later class and band meeting structure… which set a fire of spiritual formation and social reform ablaze through the Methodist movement across the Western world. Harkening back to our Wesleyan Way of small group discipleship, each week this group will read one chapter of the Gospel and challenge each participant to answer one spiritual accountability question. For 23 weeks, we will come together to practice rigorous honesty—and dare to trust God with the results. Come ready to get real with real people opening up real issues to Jesus Christ.
This group will be led by co-leaders who trade off week to week: Matt Douglas, Steve Dvorak, Ellie Vilhauer, Angie Andreasen and Serenity Miller. |
revelation (men's group) - Todd intermill, Room 150This group will journey through the book of Revelation. They will use the wisdom of multiple commentaries to help decipher this often complex and misunderstood text.
Todd has attended GracePoint since the late 1960s, and has been leading men’s classes for the past decade. He grain farms with his wife, Wendy, in the Colman area. They have 2 daughters and 3 foster daughters, all adults now. Todd is enthusiastic about understanding Scripture, learning how to read it, and using it in your daily life. |
tuesday 9 AM
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job: a story of unlikely joy by lisa harper (Women's Group) - lisa boulais, Room 200Joy is the constant companion of the woman who trusts in the Lord. And while you can find it in friends, family, and circumstances, unfailing, persistent joy will only ever overflow from your relationship with Jesus. Just ask Job, the man from Uz who clung to God’s goodness while all his worldly joys were stripped away. But how is it possible to hold onto such joy in times of sorrow? In this study, discover the redemptive facet of Job’s suffering. Learn to view pain as a way to strengthen your faith, point others to the gospel, and trust in the Lord.
Lisa lives on a lake and loves spending time there with her friends and family, including 2 grandchildren. She has attended GracePoint for 21 years. |
tuesday noon (hybrid group digital via zoom or in-person in room 210)
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Practical christianity - dave hopewellDave has been on staff at GracePoint since 2014, and loves to see people grow in their faith. He’s been married for 11 years to his lovely wife Heidi, and has four amazing kids. If you can’t seem to find a time to connect with another group, this may be the group for you! Let’s grab “lunch” together on Tuesdays and talk about the Bible.
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wednesday 6:30PM
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john - Joe & patty tschetter, ROOM 200Using the notes from our John sermon series last year, this group will be revisiting the book of John to dive deeper into each chapter and explore the truth that God has for us.
Joe & Patty have been married for 33 years and have two adult children, both attending SMSU. They have been at GracePoint for 36 years |
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that the world may know by ray vanderlaan - paul & Leila muzzey, room 210Explore how Jesus' call to follow Him turned the world upside down. Journey back to the time of Jesus, marvel at the magnificence of Herod's palace, scramble among the ruins of Qumran, and wonder at the simplicity and wisdom of Jesus' parables. Discover how the events of Jesus' day impacted His life and ministry - and how it affects yours today.
Grandpa Paul moved to Brookings about eight years ago to be near his son and grandkids. 6 1/2 years ago God brought two widowed people together and has allowed them to serve Him as a team. |
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we will not be silenced by erwin lutzer - randy hanson/jon sprang (Group is full)Current culture considers biblical faith an expression of bigotry and hatred, yet resorts to shaming and pressure tactics to enforce other views. How do you witness to Christian beliefs without arguing or being intimidated into silence? In this study, we will discuss ways to respond with truth, gentleness, and Christ-like love, showing compassion and not compliance or conformity.
Randy and Stacey Hanson have been married 29 years, have 2 adult sons and have attended and been teaching at GracePoint since 2000. Jon and Virginia have been married 20 years, and have 4 children. Randy and Jon love helping people grow in their knowledge, understanding and application of God’s word to every aspect of life. |
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Practical Christianity - Wiese/Gerlach, room 150Kathryn and Adam Wiese have been married for 15 years and farm north of Flandreau. They are parents to five kids that keep them busy year round. In addition to family time they enjoy the outdoors, fitness, reading and they love building relationships.
Jim and Aleycia Gerlach have been married for 16 years and have 4 kids. As a family, they enjoy being outdoors, reading together, raising puppies, playing hockey, and swimming. Jim works as a maintenance supervisor for Basin Electric Power Cooperative. Aleycia homeschools the children and works part-time as a nurse. |
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Practical Christianity - kanes/petersons (Group is FULl)Patrick and Krissa Peterson have been coming to GracePoint for 6 years. They live in Brookings with their 4 children. Patrick works at 3M and Krissa stays home with the kids. Spencer and Kayla Kane have been married for over a year and live in Brookings. Spencer is part of the CRU ministry on campus.
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forgiving what you can't forget by lysa terkurst -
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Practical christianity - ben & abby gietzen, room 120Ben & Abby met while attending SDSU and they were married in June of 2010. They have three children: Wesley, Alice (AJ), and Otis. They have a passion for helping people grow in the character and competency of Jesus through leading worship, teaching, and making disciples, with a priority on multiplication.
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Practical christianity (Men's group) - dave hopewell/jim merritt, room 230Dave has been on staff at GracePoint since 2014, and loves to see people grow in their faith. He’s been married for 11 years to his lovely wife Heidi, and has four amazing kids.
Jim loves to help people get a firm foundation and get ‘unstuck’ when it comes to their faith. His studies have a low key approach. He is married to Cindy and has four kids. He also is an avid disc golfer and Scrabble Go player. |
gather & grow (women's group) - great roomWhat if you would gather in fellowship with a small group of women, navigating life together? Here is an opportunity to join a table of women within a large group setting. This semester we will be studying a video series on RIghtNow Media titled “Warrior Women” by Bianca Olthoff. Welcome to the battlefields of life, friend! We all need tools, language, and wisdom to win the war against our identity as women who are called to lead in any and all spaces. We are all called to be faithful warriors for Christ. Will we choose obedience over personal glory, humility instead of pride, and truth spoken with grace? Come along as we study Deborah, Barak, and Jael and discover what being a warrior for God looks like.
This group will be co-led by table hosts Kate Bergstrom, Jessica Hardt, and Sandy Sheppard. |
thursday 7pm
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Practical christianity (21-40) - Ryan & caitlyn christy, Room 210Ryan & Caitlyn Christy are a mid-20s couple originally from Orange City, IA. After moving to Brookings in June 2019, they started attending GracePoint and have recently felt a call to lead and connect with peers through growth groups. They are eager to meet new people and learn together!
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Oasis college and young adult small groups
Oasis hosts groups each night of the week for men and women seeking to grow in their faith, along with others. Groups typically work around the college schedule, starting between 7PM and 9PM. See the list of Oasis groups.
care Ministry
Financial Peace is a biblically-based curriculum that teaches people how to handle money God’s way. The cost for the study kit is $99. Assistance may be available, if needed. A couple need only purchase one kit. Register for this if you are interested in being paired with a coach.