Christ is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!

That ancient greeting and response is part of our community celebration of the resurrection at Bethany, as it is in much of the Church world-wide. We share together the joy of Jesus' victory over death.

More than 60 people in four-week lenten small groups (and many of Bethany’s regular home groups) walked together "Through the Darkness of Lent Towards the Light of Easter" using a study guide written by Kimberlee Conway Ireton.  In the introduction to the study guide, she invited us to remain open and receptive in the darkness of Lent, remembering that growth most often occurs in darkness.  Then

"we come out of our journey through the valley of death's shadow into the marvelous light of our resurrected Lord."

Making this journey in the company of others and sharing burdens and struggles along the way was an opportunity for folks to connect on a deeper level. Many were surprised at how quickly in a group of newly acquainted people the sharing moved beneath surface comments:

• Our host led with humor and yet we went deeply into Scripture.
• It surprised me how fast people opened up with some deep sharing even though most of us hadn't met prior to being in this group. 
• It seemed to me that the sharing was somehow more real than I expected.  
• The study questions seemed to really open things up.
• I'm glad for this chance to meet some new people in a significant way.

One home group invited new people to join them and reported:

"We really enjoyed the time with the new folks, and all of us really liked the study materials."

 They found they were so engaged in conversation that they stayed on for over 30 minutes after the ending time.  

Small groups are an important part of fellowship at Bethany.  We would love to pray with you if you desire to become part of a small group.  We will help you find others to journey with. Contact Kelly Pearson (Elder for Group Life) at kpearson@wr.org or 206-329-0983.