GROUPS
meet the crew :)
meet the crew :)
Hannah Kalbac
Jordan Peters
Madi D'Angelo
Abby Heitzman
Anna Tuminello
Delaney Eggemeyer
Elizabeth Persons
Jillian Schoenfeld
Josie Appel
Malaina Wright
Natalie Dickinson
Olivia Hennessy
Abby Gabris
Alyssa Smith
Shauna Craig
Ainsley Pukszta
Avalon How
Caylee Iverson
Ellie Neighbors
Faith Gibson
Grace Larkin
Jayda Eggemeyer
Jordan Beseda
Lizzie Bird
Emily Jackson
Gabby Hassell
Maggie Replogle
Ali Vogt
Andrea Karagiannis
Carly Peters
Emily Heberlie
Lexi Solomon
Lily Meyers
Theresa Puetz
Kaitlin Janeczko
Isabella Appel
Izzy Jones
Adam Replogle
Stefan Hassell
Trey Craig
Alex Hebenstreit
Caleb Schacherbauer
Drew Elza
Jacob Allred
Jerad Glore
Joey Peters
Kyle Taylor
Luke Hasselbring
Zach Persons
Will Fiala
Mike Gabris
Nate Smith
Nick Kalbac
Aidan Cole
Adam Vavak
Ben Sauer
Brenden Janeczko
Colby Noblitt
Dakota Nellesen
Drew Werkmeister
Grant Meyer
Matt Keller
Payton Jones
Tommy Hennessy
Everyone will share their testimony in group at some point this summer! Your leaders will share first. Use the following points as a loose guide.
A. Before the turning point: What my life was like before I was a believer.
What did your life revolve around (relationships, reputation) that God used to help bring you to Him? Share the details that relate to your story. Think through these: Where did I get my security, identity or happiness from? How did those things let me down?
B. How the turning point took place: How I became a believer.
When was the first time you heard the gospel? What was your initial reaction? Why did your perspective begin to change? What were any struggles you had before you accepted Him? Why did you finally decide to accept Christ (or give Him complete control of your life)?
C. After the turning point: How Jesus has changed my life.
Share some changes that Christ has made in your life. Emphasize the changes in your character or attitude not just changes in behavior. Be real. We still struggle as Christians but what’s different about your life now? Think through these: What motivates me now? What do I live for? Even though my life still is not perfect, how does knowing Christ help me deal with that fact?
D. If you want, you can end with a statement that summarizes your story or close with a Bible verse that relates to your experience.
OTHER TIPS
DO
Pray and ask God to give you clarity
Be real. If you don’t feel like your story is
buttoned up, welcome to the club! We value
authenticity over the “right” testimony
DON'T
Be preachy. This is an opportunity to share your
personal encounter with God not an opportunity to
preach into other’s lives
Speak negatively about an entire
church denomination
Focus too much on the bad and the sin
Make it too long, it shouldn't be over 3 minutes long
FINAL THOUGHTS
What a beautiful opportunity we have to share what God has done in our life! We should get good at this — so we can share it often. Don’t worry if you feel you can’t answer all the questions above. It's just a guide, it may not fit for everyone. Again, we value authenticity over something sounding like the “right” thing to say. We’re imperfect people. Following Christ and being refined to look more like Him is a daily process and a life-long journey.
Each story will look different and how beautiful is that?!
No story, no person is off limits to our God. And, how great is it that He loves us too much to leave us where we are at. Let’s celebrate each other and thank God together for what He’s done! And if you’ve gotten to this point and you’re like “What the heck is a testimony. I don’t even know what I believe about God!” That’s ok!! Share that!!! Our hope is this space feels safe enough for people to be honest. We promise, you’ll be welcomed where you are at.