My GroupLink Story
By Chris Denning
This Sunday evening, we’re hosting an event at Journey called GroupLink that’s designed to help you connect with others and find a LifeGroup. We’ve been talking about it non-stop recently because we believe that one of the best opportunities for you to see change and growth in your own life is in the context of a LifeGroup.
I know how intimidating or even scary it can seem to walk into a room full of mostly strangers with the idea of being in a group with some of these folks. Sounds kinda nuts when you break it down like that.
However, I’ve heard story after story of people who took a chance and have found some of their closest friends as a result of simply going to GroupLink.
I wanted to share with you my own GroupLink story and what happened as a result, and I hope this helps you to take the chance and attend GroupLink this Sunday evening. (You can register at the bottom of this post.)
Maybe 6 months after my wife, Abrie, and I got settled at Journey, we decided to take a chance and start a LifeGroup. We wanted to start a group with others who were around our life stage, young married couples.
I talked with Zack and we decided to kick it off at GroupLink. I had never done something like that, especially as a potential group leader, but I agreed to give it a shot.
Abrie wasn’t able to join me the night of GroupLink, so I had to roll solo at the event. I got there, and the lobby was already buzzing with people. I knew some of the people, but most of them I did not know. This was especially true for the people we were on the lookout for.
Like I said, I walked into the already bustling lobby at Journey where there was a sweet spread of food (gotta love free food) and people already talking all over the place. I milled around for a few minutes before things got started.
Then I made the best decision of my entire GroupLink experience: I got out of my comfort zone and approached people I didn’t know but thought might fit our group.
That sounds simple, but I HATE doing these kinds of things. However, getting out of my comfort zone helped me to meet some other young married couples who I didn’t know.
And guess what? We hit it off immediately.
We hung out for the remainder of the event as we did a couple fun icebreakers to relax everyone and all the great activities designed to get everyone talking with each other. At the end of the night, we left with the nugget of our group established, ready to start meeting.
As a result of getting to know each other at GroupLink, we started adding other couples we met at Journey who were like us and ended up with around 11-12 couples in our group when we were busting out of the seams. That’s like 24 people potentially!
We’ve met since that time in 2013, since multiplying into two groups to continue healthy growth. These friends we’ve made in this group have been there to enjoy life with, but also to help us welcome the birth of our daughter, Addison, and we’ve been able to walk beside each other through some difficult times as well.
Not only that, but our daughter now has 3 friends built into our Life Group! (Yup, 4 kids within 6 months of each other, without anyone planning it together, go figure.) It is so good to see the kids starting to learn about each other and play (as well as babies can) together. I would have NEVER imagined this 2 years ago when we started our group. God has been SO good to us.
Honestly, I didn’t know if GroupLink was gonna work, let alone be enjoyable. But it was BOTH! I’m not saying that its a sure thing every time for everyone, but I can say that it worked for us.
Life Groups can introduce you to people who can become those who you hold among your closest friends. Wouldn’t you want to do life with your favorite people? Then take a chance, go to GroupLink, and really give it a shot.
Click Here If You Want To Jump In and Give GroupLink a Shot