by Jeff Stone
The Eagle’s Wings small group meets on a weekly schedule during “the school year”. The regular hosts are Missy and Chuck Coulter who graciously open their home on Monday nights from 6 pm until we finish our discussions, usually around 8 pm. In the summer, we meet monthly for informal fellowship at other member’s homes.
During the regular season, we rotate dish “assignments” to help spread the work and cost of our meals. Fortunately, Chuck’s amazing culinary skills are often featured for the entrée! We always begin with an acknowledgement of our Savior Jesus and prayer to open our ears and hearts for His message during our fellowship. We close with a prayer for needs and concerns, along with praises to recognize God’s work in ours and our family’s lives.
It is encouraging to share our daily happenings and hear the latest from the group while enjoying the always yummy meals. It’s also interesting that the ladies gather in the kitchen, and the guys are usually outside in the newly completed patio area. This is not by design, but has evolved over the course of the group and just seems to work. Missy and Chuck are wonderful hosts and Chuck settles us down for the “lesson” around 7.
We select a video study from the vast RightNow media vault to watch, then proceed through the guided discussion with written materials. The topics are wide ranging and always seem to spark engaging discussions of how they apply to our daily walks both as church body members and individuals. Everyone in the group is involved in various church ministries, and we support each other in outside discipleship as well.
Our group size seems to promote a more relaxed atmosphere for sharing personal stories and details that might be more guarded in a larger group. We often help each other with projects and other needs, even if it’s just advice on grocery shopping, which is a popular topic!
Our servant hearts are also visible outside of Trinity: Mercy Gate Ministries, Texas Ramp Project, underprivileged elder care and others help spread the Good News. Our lives and those of others are certainly blessed by the Eagle’s Wings, and we would love to share this blessing any way we can.