About John:  John grew up and lived the most of his life so far in Pennsylvania. He currently lives in LaVergne and works as a lead aviation maintenance technician for Embraer Aircraft Maintenance Services.  John's hobbies are snowboarding, playing guitar, going out on his boat, playing ping pong, and working on cars.  He describes himself as "a family man, easy going, willing to help out, and enjoys having fun wherever, whenever." John's wife is Beth, who grew up in southwestern New York. They have two children-- Jude (2 years) and Claire (4 months). John loves spending all available time playing with his kids. Jude loves playing with cars. Claire likes to coo, talk and smile with her dad. John and Beth enjoy playing ping pong, board games, watching movies and being with their friends.
What he enjoys about leading a life group:  "Getting to see how the group melds together, how everyone interacts and how we are a family. Everyone would do whatever it takes to help someone else in the group. Both of our families are from out of town, so the love and support of our group is needed!"
Encouragement for other life group leaders: "I would encourage everyone to try to make time at least a couple of times a month for focused praying together as a group."
Favorite Bible verse:  "One of my favorite bible verses is James 5:16 - Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much."

Our new life group leadership training material will be on the book Outgrowing the Ingrown Church, which encourages churches to be "outward-looking and outward-moving communities of Jesus Christ."

Please be sure to have your own copy of the book and read the first two chapters (pages 15 - 38) by our training meeting on October 4.  The book is available new and used on most book websites, including:

You can either order the book on your own, or you can order with us.  We will be placing an order at at buy.com on September 9.  If you would like to be included in this order, please email Hailey by this Wednesday, September 8, and let her know.  The cost will be $9.50 with tax (shipping is free).  This is your last chance to get free shipping by ordering with us!  Checks can be made out to LCF.

Our annual world missions conference this year will take place on October 15 - 17.  The theme of the conference this year is "Fearless".  Our keynote speaker will be Chris Jones, the executive director of the North American Azerbaijani Network, and Virgil.  As you know, this conference is a big part of life at LCF, so please be sure to regularly mention the conference in your meetings and encourage your group members to come!  We will be posting more details about the conference soon, including the workshops and schedule.  Periodically check the world missions conference page on the website for more info!

We encourage everyone to attend the Crescent Project's Oasis Conference in October this year.  They will be discussing how Christians can reach out to Muslims.  The conference will include practical training, resources for equipping churches, and even an opportunity to witness a Mosque prayer service!  The conference will take place at Grace Community Church in Brentwood.  Be sure to register as soon as possible.  Space is limited!

There is still a LOT of work to be done to help families recover from the devastating losses caused by the flood.  We encourage life groups to continue serving together to help with the rebuilding process.  To volunteer, meet at the old preschool building Mondays through Fridays, any time between 9am and 5pm, or Saturdays, between 9am and 12pm.  It's also possible to work in the evening or Sundays-- just arrange it with Melissa Thomas ahead of time.