Fun Stuff About Sugar Grove

There are a bunch of fun things about Sugar Grove... like the youth minister coming home from camp with huge chops, or the ability of an undisclosed person who works in Live Wires to put on a tacky chartreuse colored jacket and become a totally new person. However what is even more fun about Sugar Grove than some of the characters that inhabit its hallways is the expectation and atmosphere that God will move and work in each and every person.

Somewhere along the way in the church world an expectation developed that God only worked and moved in the leadership of churches and the rest of the members simply did whatever it is that members are supposed to do. However this goes against some basic foundations of the church such as the reality that every person is filled with and gifted by the Holy Spirit.

I was attracted to Sugar Grove 9 years ago by the desire of the leadership to let God be in charge. This passion to let God be in charge is what continues to drive Sugar Grove and at the core of the Summer of Blessing. The goal of the Summer of Blessing is to encourage everyone at The Grove to open their eyes to what God desires to do with them in their daily walk. There have been some neat stories that have come out already this summer. Here is one:

• A few of our members in Meadows Place got together and set up a canopy in their front yard and spread the word on their street that they were going to get the neighbors together and pray about anything that might be a need. Eight of the people who showed up had no connections to Sugar Grove and 4 of them had no connections to any type of church. They had planned to end this time of prayer at 7:30 PM and the neighbors did not leave until 8:30 PM.

These types of things cannot be planned by church leadership. They are things that occur because God directs specific people in a specific place to do a specific thing to reach specific people.

The fun thing about Sugar Grove is the expectant atmosphere that God will work and lead every person in unique ways.

How is God leading you?