Kairos small groups at Woodside have been, I’m sure, various things for different people. For me, my small group was an answer to prayer. When I signed up, I was unsure of what to expect. I’ve been involved in small group Bible studies in the past, and most of the time it ignites quickly but soon fizzles. The idea of accountability and fervent prayer with others your age sounded good, but with time it dissolved.

My Kairos group was nothing like those past experiences. When we sat down at the table for the “Kairos feast,” it felt like an embrace from an old friend. The group brought me in, opened up to me, and made me feel comfortable to do the same. Unlike previous groups, this was not only about reading the Bible and praying. We ate, talked, laughed, shared stories—we even got together a number of times outside of the study to watch a movie or just chill out. I’m not saying that this will be everyone’s experience—in fact I can almost guarantee it will be much different, while still similar in some ways. But the beauty of the Kairos concept is that it isn’t just about the reading and prayer. It’s also about the people—brothers and sisters and Christ. It’s about the time spent together reveling in the beauty of how God works in and through our lives, and the encouragement our mutual faith brings to each other. We assemble together as the body of Christ, and as our Lighthouse motto proclaims: We worship with one voice. We serve with one heart. We risk with one faith. We reach with one Love. And we live with one hope.
We do it together, to glorify our Maker.

Even though I was continually bogged down with school work I loved coming to my Kairos group. Not only was it an awesome break from studying but it was a time to learn about other peoples lives. We could celebrate the exciting parts of life and carry each other through the more difficult weeks by eating a meal together and praying together.

Eating a meal was great and reading “God on Paper” as a group was very intriguing. It made you think about how you lived your life and in what areas you could work on to be more in step with God. Kairos was something extra in my schedule and sometimes made my schedule a little more hectic, but it was worth every Tuesday I came. There was a level of trust that is hard to find elsewhere. Everyone was ready to listen, laugh, and learn.

I was lucky enough to enter a Kairos group with my best friend. Being in the group with my best friend made it extra special. When we shared our stories, we told how God had recently “introduced” us and how this friendship was affecting our faith. I also feel that in my Kairos I had numerous “best friends”. The time that we shared together brought us close and I now share a special bond with people I had never met before. Sometimes I would spend all week looking forward to that fellowship. In our group we were open and we weren’t judged or criticized. I was able to be myself and to be vulnerable. I know now that some of my friends have had some tough struggles and hard upbringings. Sometimes you think that everyone at church is a lot like you. In my group we had very different childhoods and paths, but we had so many unique perspectives and so many great stories about our God.

This past season, we had a mix of new and old people who met together. Sarah’s dedication to pray for us over the summer has surely been honored by our wonderful God. He placed each of us within a loving and nurturing environment to grow us all in ways that we never imagined. We have grown personally, professionally, emotionally and spiritually. Outside of Bible Study, we spend a GREAT deal of time with one another, and despite our many differences, we love and encourage each other tremendously, holding each other to personal and Biblical standards. Sarah has been a wonderful leader and has encouraged each of us within our personal areas of growth. We have found “sharing our stories” to be a wonderful way to help us “go deeper” and we know that when all else fails, there are 8 other girls praying for us. We also know that there can’t be another group that has as much fun as we do!! We cry AND we laugh together. We cherish each other as God’s sisters, but we also cherish each other as friends.

In sum, I know that the ultimate thanks and praise goes to God. He knew exactly what we all needed and placed us together accordingly. But the group structure and the prayer and dedication that Sarah put in beforehand is a testimony to the power of prayer. God took 9 girls and is making us His women. For that, we are all truly blessed.

Kairos group this last semester was definitely a breath of fresh air. It was awesome coming to each meeting and hanging out with a bunch of studs to talk about God. The book “God on Paper” led to a lot of good discussion about apologetics, sharing your faith, being a man of God, and answering the question, who is God? All the guys challenged each other to really think about Jesus and our faith.

This Kairos group wasn’t a time to check our brains at the door, and listen as our leaders teach us why Loritts used a Shawshank reference and how we should all now be better Christians. This group was about knowing each other more, and knowing God more. We laughed a lot together, ate a lot of good food and definitely grew closer together as the semester went on.

This last semester of Kairos groups was amazing! I think the greatest thing about Kairos is hearing all the different stories. There is something about someone telling you their story that makes you feel closer to them. Telling of the things that they have struggled with, hurts that life has left, blessings that have accrued, and just how God chose to grow them up.

When my group started I didn’t know everyone and some of them I didn’t think I would have much in common with. But once I heard their story, there were parts of life that we had in common and parts of there life that I learned a lot from. It was great learning what we can learn from each other when we just listen.