|giv| The Advent of the Son of God

Every year, we take 3-4 weeks to intentionally focus on growing in generosity. We take this time to think about how God has given us undeserved grace while we were still sinners and continues to grow us as his people. We like to call it our |giv| series.

During the series, we will study passages of Isaiah to prepare our hearts to celebrate God’s greatest gift to the world: Jesus. We want to make sure that we approach this season well as Christians because it’s far too easy to just get caught up in everything else. Each week, we’ll look at different aspects of Christ's coming that ought to shape the way we think, feel and react to the Christmas season and stir our affection and longing.

1. SIGN UP TO TITHE

We are encouraging our family to set up a recurring tithe because the gospel transforms us not just to be generous around the holidays, but during all seasons of our lives. Regular tithing from our Midtown family enables us to more strategically plan and budget to continue to be Jesus-centered family on mission with Him in Columbia and the world.

2. SIGN UP FOR SERVE THE CITY WEEKEND

The gospel transforms us to be generous with our finances as well as with our very lives. Our Serve the City Weekend is a great chance to be generous with our time and energy by serving marginalized and vulnerable people groups in our city. Serve the City Weekend will be during MLK Weekend from January 12-15.

3. RAISE $5,000 FOR OUR SERVE THE CITY PARTNERS

The goal of this year's |giv| project for our Downtown church is to raise $5,000 to support our Serve the City Partners. For each partnership, we are committed to serving their staff and their clients on a monthly basis. Some of our events are really big like STC weekend and some of our events are as simple as serving breakfast for the committed staff of each organization. Your giving this year will help us: 

• Provide supplies and resources for the students at Carver-Lyon.

• Repair houses for widows in our city who cannot pay for or complete the repairs on their own.

• Provide a stable church family atmosphere and moments of relief and joy for the orphaned kids of Epworth.

• To love on foster families and support the efforts of DSS in Lexington.

ADVENT GUIDE

To help enrich our understanding of the Advent season, we've created an Advent Guide for you to use with your family or your LifeGroup. Inside, you'll find daily readings, weekly devotionals, family discussion questions, and study guides for your LifeGroup.

LISTEN TO SERMONS & DOWNLOAD STUDY GUIDES

Week 1: Grace for Our Sin - (Get the Study Guide)

Week 2: Hope for Our Suffering - (Get the Study Guide)

Week 3: Peace for the World - (Get the Study Guide)

Week 4: Joy for Eternity - (Get the Study Guide)

Jesus-Centered Family on Mission

What do you think of when you hear the word church? 

A building?
A weekly habit?
A place to celebrate Easter and Christmas?

What if we told you that the church is supposed to be nothing less than God's plan to change the world? For 11 years, we have strived to be a Jesus-centered family living on mission with God in our city of Columbia. We believe we're called to be a city on a hill. A community of transformed lives that testify to the power and promises of God Himself. Join us as we study Romans 12 to recapture a picture of God's vision for His people: a Jesus-centered family on mission.

STUDY GUIDES & KIDTOWN HOMELINKS

To help facilitate LifeGroup discussion we'll be posting resources for each week of the series. Homelinks are a tool used to connect parents and their children by helping them review what's being taught on Sundays, we'll be posting one for each week of the series. 

Week 1: Transformation (Study Guide) (Homelink)

Week 2: Belong like parts of a body. (Study Guide) (Homelink)

Week 3: Overcome evil with good. (Study Guide) (Homelink)

The Storm

Grief has been defined simply as the experience of loss. In this life, we all experience loss in one form or another: the loss of loved ones, things we've hoped hoped for, relationships that are not what they once were. The ways we experience grief are numerous. The question is: Where do we turn for strength and help as we experience loss? Please join us as we learn to cling to hope in the midst of our grief. 

STUDY GUIDES & KIDTOWN HOMELINKS

To help facilitate LifeGroup discussion we'll be posting resources for each week of the series. Homelinks are a tool used to connect parents and their children by helping them review what's being taught on Sundays, we'll be posting one for each week of the series. 

Week 1: The Anchor

Week 2: The Response

Week 3: The Aid

You Are Here

We are constantly being preached to. Everywhere we look, we are being told what’s true
about who we are and how the world works:

“You need to find yourself.”
“Do whatever makes you happy.”
“Follow your heart.”
“If you do good things, good things will happen to you.”
“Everyone has to decide for themselves what is right and wrong.”
“Eliminate negative people from your life.”
“One day you will find the one.”
“You only live once.”

But have we ever stopped to ask ourselves if these common cultural phrases actually make
sense? Join us on an eight-week study as we examine why these phrases may not be as
helpful as we think.

STUDY GUIDES & KIDTOWN HOMELINKS

To help facilitate LifeGroup discussion we'll be posting resources for each week of the series. Homelinks are a tool used to connect parents and their children by helping them review what's being taught on Sundays, we'll be posting one for each week of the series. 

Week 1: "You need to find yourself." (Study Guide) (Homelink)

Week 2: "Do whatever makes you happy." (Study Guide) (Homelink)

Week 3: "Follow your heart." (Study Guide) (Leader Guide) (Homelink)

Week 4: "If you do good things, good things will happen to you." (Study Guide) (Homelink)

Week 5: "Everyone has to decide for themselves what is right and wrong." (Study Guide) (Homelink)

Week 6: "Eliminate negative people from your life." (Study Guide) (Homelink)

Week 7: "One day you'll find "the one'." (Study Guide) (Homelink)

Week 8: "You only live once." (Study Guide) (Homelink)

Proverbs

The book of Proverbs is a collection of wisdom one-liners, with the goal of repetitively hammering on foundational truths for how to live a well-lived life. We’ll spend the last two months of the summer diving into selected proverbs that teach us how to live winsomely and wisely with God, with others, at work, at home, and throughout everyday life.

STUDY GUIDES & KIDTOWN HOMELINKS

To help facilitate LifeGroup discussion we'll be posting resources for each week of the series. Homelinks are a tool used to connect parents and their children by helping them review what's being taught on Sundays, we'll be posting one for each week of the series. 

Week 1: Invitation to Wisdom (Study Guide) (Homelink)

Week 2: Wisdom and Words (Study Guide) (Homelink)

Week 3: Fatherhood (Homelink)

Week 4: Wisdom and Community (Study Guides) (Homelink)

Week 5: Wisdom and Anger (Homelink)

Week 6: Wisdom and Sloth (Study Guide) (Homelink)

Week 7: Wisdom and Decision Making (Study Guide) (Homelink)

Week 8: Wisdom and Sex (Study Guide) (Homelink)

Week 9: Train Up a Child (Homelink)

Home

Starting on April 23, all three of our churches will start a series called Home. Home is a six week series looking at God’s intentions for using our homes and families as tools for the advancement of His Kingdom. Our goal is to help our church family understand how God repurposes our homes, families, and relationships to help reconcile people back to himself. Join us for our new sermon series, "Home".

STUDY GUIDES & KIDTOWN HOMELINKS

To help facilitate LifeGroup discussion we'll be posting resources for each week of the series. Homelinks are a tool used to connect parents and their children by helping them review what's being taught on Sundays, we'll be posting one for each week of the series. 

Week 1: Theology of Home (Study Guide) (Homelink)

Week 2: Togetherness (Study Guide) (Homelink)

Week 3: The Home in the Hands of a Loving God  (Study Guide) (Homelink)

Week 4: Dads, Moms, Arrows in the Quiver (Study Guide) (Homelink)

Week 5: Brought Up in the Instruction of the Lord (Study Guide) (Homelink)

Week 6: Make Columbia Home (Study Guide) (Homelink)

Crisis of Faith

Have you ever found yourself doubting Jesus? Do you end up wrestling with tough questions that leave you confused about what you believe? Starting on March 5, all three of our churches will take 6 weeks to look at pivotal moments where people were faced with the same types of questions after interacting with Jesus. Our goal is to help people address the issues that consciously and subconsciously keep them from following Jesus. If you've ever experienced moments like this, you're not alone. Join us for our new sermon series, "Crisis of Faith."

Study Guides & Kidtown Homelinks

To help facilitate LifeGroup discussion we'll be posting resources for each week of the series. Homelinks are a tool used to connect parents and their children by helping them review what's being taught on Sundays, we'll be posting one for each week of the series. 

Week 1: Isn't Faith Irrational? (Study Guide) (Homelink)

Week 2: Why Isn't My Life Turning Out How I'd Hoped? (Study Guide) (Homelink)

Week 3: How Could God Love Someone Like Me? (Study Guide) (Homelink)

Week 4: What's It Gonna Cost Me? (Study Guide) (Homelink)

Week 5: Why Did God Let This Happen? (Study Guide) (Homelink)

Week 6: I'm A Good Person, Why Do I Need To Be Saved? (Study Guide) (Homelink)