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The life-group ministry at Celebration Community Fellowship is
the heart of its ministry. Since August, 2000, CCF has pastored its members
through many small group meetings throughout Blue Springs, Grain Valley, Lee's
Summit, and Oak Grove. Led by CCF believers, the groups meet weekly in homes, on
the jobs, at school or at any other convenient location!
The weekly small-group meetings include relevant teachings in
which the Word of God is shared in a simple and practical way. The groups also
serve an evangelistic purpose, since members are encouraged to bring lost
friends and relatives with them to the meetings. In the small-group format,
members find an intimate setting where they can grow in their relationships with
both God and other people.
The goal of the small groups is to help each member grow to
his or her fullest potential in Christ. CCF's small groups have blessed the
lives and enriched the personal relationships of many believers, young and
old!
The bottom line is that small groups are all about life and community as they
become the eyes, ears, mouth and hands of Jesus!
Ben & Robyn
We had given up on church. We had attended when
we were young, but too many things had happened that soured our
attitudes toward “those hypocrite church people” and so we just quit
going. But our marriage got to a place where we just fought all the
time, we were in financial ruin, and everyday things were growing
worse. Then, while we were attending the Fall Fun Fest, we ran into
an old school friend who invited us to CCF. You could just see the
dramatic change in this guy’s life, so we decided to give CCF a try. It
was at a fall bon-fire that Ben accepted Christ as Savior, and our lives
have changed dramatically! Our marriage has never been stronger, our
children are happier and are learning about God by leaps and bounds, and
we are enrolled in Bible college to further our degrees in Biblical
Counseling and ministry…CCF provides such an atmosphere of love
and acceptance and encouragement to pursue God that our lives have quite
literally been transformed! The people aren’t perfect, but that’s the
beauty of it, they know it!
Ray & Krysta
We were both adopted as infants and grew up
with religious backgrounds. But it was only when we came to CCF that we
discovered that religion can’t change a thing in this life or the next,
and that only a true relationship with Jesus Christ can save a life! We
were married at a really young age and disillusioned by “churchianity,”
we just quit going. Life was hard enough with small children and only
one income. Ray was working in a local restaurant when he met a man from
CCF whose love for God was so contagious that Ray finally gave his heart
and life to Jesus! We’re unable to attend on Sunday’s but we wouldn’t
miss the Wednesday night couple’s group that gives us a chance to
worship and grow together while our children flourish in their faith
by attending Kidz Club! Nothing could replace the love and family we
have found at CCF! We praise God for placing us in this church where
people have reached out to us and have blessed us in ways too numerous
to say… and it’s a place where we can give away our lives to be a
blessing to others!
Rich & Brenda
It seems that this is a generation of people who, for one reason or
another, have become hurt or disillusioned or frustrated with church,
but not necessarily with God. It’s a generation that has walked away
from the faith of our fathers and would rather stay home Sunday mornings
and read the paper or perhaps catch a television preacher than get all
dressed up to be a number in a church service that’s geared to
entertain. That’s what happened to us. It was on Mother's Day that we
attended church service at CCF at my mother's request. That was all she
wanted for Mother's Day. You can’t imagine our joy to find a church so
down-to-earth…where people are real and not plastic…where you wear what
you have (whether jeans or dress)… where love and generosity flows and
if you screw up, you can find genuine forgiveness. No one is trying to
impress anyone. It’s just a place where the beating heart of Jesus draws
those in need of Savior, those who need healing either physical or
emotional… people just like us. And it’s a place where God can use us to
reach our community for Jesus!
We both grew up in church and so we have all the normal church
experiences such as Sunday School and vacation Bible school and Sunday
morning service. But we both have a passion to reach out to the poor,,,
to those who aren’t as fortunate as others. We also were looking for a
family-type church where our children would love coming to church and
would really learn, not just have fun. When God brought us to CCF, we
felt like we had finally “come home.” The church vision to disciple and
just accept people where they were in life really touched our
hearts. But when we adopted that first family at Christmas to bless as a
congregation, we were in tears of joy and amazement at the generosity of
this body of believers! And we’re talking about people who don’t have
much themselves! There were boxes of food and Christmas presents that
were just so much that we took on a second family! And the Fall Fun Fest
outreach where we get out into the community and really reach out to
people…well, it was like we had put our hands into a glove with a
perfect fit! We both love the Lord and want our lives to count for His
glory… and serving Him at CCF has given us a chance to demonstrate our
love for Him!
When we first came to CCF we were very blessed to find a church that
really seemed to care. But when different needs arose like sickness and
surgery, someone was there with home-made chicken soup and a hug… and when
we moved into our new home, we were overwhelmed at the folks that showed up
to help! We were told that we couldn't have children, so when God blessed us
with our little girl, we were beside ourselves with joy. And when the
second pregnancy was threatened, the CCF family laid hands on us and prayed
that God would give us a healthy baby! And he is and He has! We
are so blessed to find a church that believes in the Word of God and
actually practices what He commanded us to do! We grew up in small town USA
and this church really is like that, just a community of people who live and
learn and love together! We feel like we've come home…
Joe & Melissa
We can honestly say that without Jesus, we wouldn’t be here
today! After his parent’s divorce, Joe totally rebelled at the age of 10
and for 20 years, his life was filled with drugs, alcohol, bad
marriages, and nothing but anguish, loss, and failure. Released from
prison and no where to go, Joe moved to Blue Springs to give God a
chance to start life over again. You know the Bible says that God draws
near to the broken-hearted, and that was certainly true for Joe &
Melissa. God brought the two of them together and has given them two
beautiful children! They both serve Jesus through the worship team and
children’s ministry. As Joe puts it (worshipping God with his guitar) “I
was created to do this!”
Marjorie
I love Jesus and I love CCF! I’m 92+ years young and there’s still
too much to do for the Kingdom for me to quit now! I guess I’m a church
planter at heart and years ago my husband and I helped start a church in
Blue Springs. So when the opportunity came to help plant CCF, I knew God
was calling me to help. I’ve always served in the church, everything
from bus ministry to playing the organ. So how does God use a 92+ widow?
Well, the vision of CCF is to have small group meetings wherever people
are… so God has opened doors for me to play the piano for the Sunday
morning worship services at a local nursing home and another meeting
every Monday morning there too. Once a month we take a group into
another retirement center. I play the piano for a group of seniors who
meet at the Vesper Hall in Blue Springs. I figure that when God said to
go into all the world and preach the gospel, He meant for me to do it
too! It warms my heart to see all the people who have come to CCF and
have found the love of Jesus and His people! I may be one of the
oldest group leaders, but I find myself in good company of many other
folks who just want to show their love for God by loving His children!
Ben & Kathy
For years I attended a truly wonderful church
right here in Blue Springs. But honestly, with the busyness of our jobs
and just life in general, we never really plugged in. Ben drives truck
over the road and I teach children at a Christian school. So when our
family started attending CCF and seemed to love it so much, we had to
see for ourselves. With a pretty hectic schedule that begins at 5:00
a.m., I just didn’t see how I could fit an evening cell group into my
life. But how I’ve loved my group! I find myself reading the Word more
and even praying more. My heart is filled with questions and my hunger
for more of God is growing. And when tragedy strikes any one of the
church family, I have been deeply impressed at the genuine love and
support everyone offers. I'm especially blessed to see my 5 year old
granddaughter dancing in the morning worship service! What a joy
to witness such freedom in worship!
Mark & Janice
By the time we’d found each other and been
married, we’d both made a lot of mistakes in this life. Scarred by past
marriages and broken promises and a hard lifestyle, we were broken in so
many ways. But we love what Pastor Gordon often says, that we’re all
broken, just in different places. It seems our family has had struggles
with sickness and other problems that would have overwhelmed us had it
not been for the prayers and love of our CCF church family. Janice
teaches a women’s cell group and God has ignited a fire within our
hearts to serve Him in youth ministry! Mark is discipling the pre-teens
and leading them to become leaders of their own cell groups one day.
It’s our desire to help people avoid some of the mistakes we’ve made,
and help them build foundations for healthy lives. We are deeply
thankful for His Presence in our lives and we are humbled that He has
chosen to use us as He has in His kingdom!
If you have
never attended a small group and need help in finding one,
contact us!
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