Cell Groups in October

As many of you probably know, I am focusing the cell groups on the book of Acts (what an original topic for a church of Christ youth ministry:). Each month we'll be looking at a different aspect of what the first century church looked like. I've decided I'll post a thumbnail sketch of what is discussed at each Sanctuary the following day so you can help your kids process and apply the information. Keep in mind, that each of the cell groups has the freedom to do their own thing, so it's up to each individual cell group leader whether or not they'll be discussing this topic or something the leader thinks is more useful to their students.

The first month, when we had our Cell Group Kickoff, we talked about Jesus' charge to the disciples to go into all the Earth and bring all cultures the good news and the challenges they faced as they encountered such vast diversity.

This month, we're looking at how the early Church approached poverty. The early Church eliminated poverty among their fellowship because they were willing to share with one another (Acts 4:34). Luke highlights the early Church's care and concern for widows (chap. 6), Tabitha, Barnabas, and Cornelius are all praised for their donations and concern for the poor, the church in Antioch is credited as having the first disaster relief program when they pooled their resources to help Judea while they suffered through a famine (chap. 11). My hope and prayer is that by looking into the example the early Church set in regards to their attitudes about wealth and generosity, our students can understand what a pivotal role social justice plays in discipleship to Jesus Christ.