Community Guide

The Community Guide below is based on the last two Sunday morning teachings from our Annual Vision Series. As your whole Community gathers (online or socially distanced), use the Community Guide below to give shape to your night together.

Begin by Practicing the Lord’s Supper Together (5 minutes)

Begin your night by partaking of the bread and the cup together. Have each person bring their own Communion elements. To facilitate your time, you can either ask a member of your Community to come ready with a short prayer, liturgy, or scripture reading, or assign someone to read the scripture passage and liturgy we’ve provided below:

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.
And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.
He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

Revelation 21:1-5

Jesus, we eat, drink, and look forward to your return.

Emotional Health Check-in (15 Minutes)

Take a few minutes to do an emotional health check-in with your Community, creating space for each person to answer the question below:

  • What is one thing that felt heavy for you this past week? What is one thing you look forward to in the week ahead?

Discuss the “10 Commandmends for the Long Haul” (10 Minutes)

Select one or multiple readers and read through the “10 Commandments for the Long Haul” below. Then, work through the discussion questions that follow.

  1. Stay calm
  2. Stay together
  3. Attend to your body
  4. Put your hope in Jesus’ return, not in Washington D.C.
  5. Remember: “In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, diversity; in all things, charity.”
  6. Be peacemakers
  7. Don’t let social media destroy your soul
  8. Be grateful
  9. Accept reality as the pathway to peace
  10. Don’t miss the chance of a lifetime to grow and mature
  • Which of these “Commandments” do you need to hear right now? Why?

Scripture Reading (5 Minutes)

Assign one (or multiple) readers to read Daniel 2:39–44 aloud for your Community. After reading, spend 30–60 seconds in silence.

Debrief this Sunday’s Teaching (15 Minutes)

Work through the following discussion question as a Community based on this Sunday’s Teaching:

  • This past Sunday, Darrell Johnson shared with us that, as followers of Jesus, we are to live in through the chaos of our current moment with confidence that we “know how the story ends.” In other words, knowing that the kingdom of God will endure far beyond the kingdom of America, we live with hope. What does it look like for you personally to go through this election with the hope of Jesus’ return in mind?

Prayer (10 Minutes)

Spend a few minutes praying for our city, particularly as the election nears. Regardless of the outcome, we know that Jesus is King. And, as such, we ask that his Kingdom would come in Portland, as it is in heaven.

Practice For The Week Ahead: Media Break & Silence (5 Minutes)

The Practice for this week is to set aside a designated time to intentionally power down your phone and practice silence. Before leaving, share as a group how long you intend to take a break from your phone and what practicing silence could look like for you in the week ahead.