Small Groups

Seeking answers to our questions, walking with God in community

Being part of a small group working through questions about faith and life is an important part of spiritual growth. If you aren’t already part of one, this is your time! Check out the current offerings below and contact Pastor Eric if you have questions.

Note: If you’d like to schedule an on-site meeting for your small group, please contact the church office to make arrangements.

Short-term Small Groups & Gatherings

Journey Through Grief | Starts Sun, 3/26/23

Come join others as we think through the journey of grief. Loss or death comes in many ways: the loss of a job, a relationship, an ability, or the loss of a loved one. How can Jesus’s death and resurrection shape our stories? This class will help us name the many questions that come with a death. As well as asking the big questions around “theodicy” (a churchy word for “why does a good God allow suffering?”), we will consider:

Why did this suffering happen to my loved one and to me?
Why didn’t God intervene?
And perhaps the bigger question: How can I get through this?

Plus any other questions that participants bring to the table.

We will be using three different texts to inform our study:

“Beyond The Broken Heart” by Julie Yarborough
“Why” by Adam Hamilton
“When the One You Love is Gone” by Rebekah Miles

Handouts will be provided for each week. Dates currently scheduled:

March 26, 10am during the Love Seek Serve hour
April 2, 4pm
April 16, 4pm

More dates may be added as needed. One week will give particular attention to death by suicide. Class instructors will be Rev. Eric Vogt and Rev. Karen Lampe. The class will include a teaching time plus a discussion/reflection time around table groups. All ages are welcome.

Contact: Karen Lampe

Women’s Retreat: Cultivating Your Inward Path | Sat, 4/15/23 | 9am-2pm

Registration fee includes lunch. Early Bird (by 3/22) $25; $30 thereafter. Scholarships available; contact Cheryl Scott to inquire. Register now >>
Child care available with registration

Join us for a focused retreat to create a deep sense of peace, increased light, expanded compassion and kindness through mindfulness and meditation practices. During this retreat, you will experience and learn new skills on an inward path that will elevate your spiritual life, increase the experience of our shared humanity and support greater goodness in the world. Facilitated by Rev. Karen Lampe and Diane Breneman.

This is a woman-focused event (aged 17+) that intends an inclusive definition of women. We are welcoming and respectful of women, including trans women and those who are nonbinary, gender non-conforming, and anyone who identifies as a woman in a way that is significant to them.

Learn more and register >>

Contact: Cheryl Scott

Weekly Small Groups

Sundays

Micah Class | Sundays 9-10:45am

We meet each Sunday to discuss contemporary topics of faith. Join us during Advent when we’ll be doing the companion study to our sermon series, “Home for Christmas” in the Bridge Classroom (lower level) at St. Paul’s. If you can’t be with us in person, check the calendar for a Zoom option.

How to join: Contact Sandy Finney

Mondays

MSG (Monday Study Group | Mondays 9:30am

Join us in person in the Bridge Classroom (lower level). Find the details for upcoming meetings here.

Contact: Linda Stoner

Book Club | 1st Monday of each month | 7pm

We meet in the Student Center (lower level) to read and discuss a mix of authors and genres throughout the year (for a Zoom option, check the calendar). Find the 2023 reading schedule here.

Contact: Lisa Groth

Tuesdays

The Group | Tuesdays @ 6pm

Focusing on relationship with one another, the group will discuss differing topics each week that will allow for growth and education while seeking answers to our questions. We’re currently meeting in person on the lower level at St. Paul’s.

How to join: Contact Linda Stoner

Faith & Real Life Podcast Reflections | 2nd & 4th Tuesdays @ 8:15pm

Are you looking for a small group that meets to consider how faith impacts real life? Join host Ray Millard via Zoom 2nd & 4th Tuesdays each month at 8:15pm for about an hour. The group, designed especially for men, will reflect on podcasts they listen to between meetings.

How to join: Contact Ray Millard

Wednesdays

Men’s Study Group | Wednesdays 6:30-7:30am

Join us for “Understanding the New Testament.” Each session includes a 30 minute video presentation followed by discussion.

We start promptly at 6:30am and end promptly at 7:30am at the church in the Bridge Classroom on the lower level. On the first Wednesday of each month, we meet for breakfast at Ronnie’s Restaurant on 87th Street. If you can’t join in person, there is also a Zoom link.

Contact: Dan Hartle

Women’s Study Group | Wednesdays @ 1pm

We are a group of women who seek to find new ways of understanding God’s presence in our lives and in the world around us. We are always eager to welcome new faces to our Zoom circle!

We’ll be starting a new six week study after Lent.

4/12/23: Nancy Watson-Pistole will give a presentation on
“Positive Language in Communications: Evaluating the Words You Choose”
4/19/23 – 5/17/23: Linda Kennedy will facilitate our discussion on Sister Talk – Experiencing God’s Love through Christian Friendships by Jennifer Dugger. This will be a lighthearted look at “sisterhood” and how Christian friendships can help us experience God’s love and then reflect that love to others.

Find the Zoom link on the calendar and join us!

Contact: Linda Kennedy

Spirit Crew | 2nd & 4th Wednesdays | 6:30pm | The Meeting Room

In this women’s study group, we share our determination, strength, and great conversation as we row through this thing called life. We read and discuss books that allow us to reflect on our life and our faith. We meet in person, weather permitting, with a Zoom option available. Please check the calendar for updates to the schedule and the Zoom link when needed.

Contact: Cheryl Scott // cdscottks@gmail.com

Wednesday Evening Women’s Group | 8-9 pm

Are you over-scheduled due to stress we put on ourselves from work and mothering? This group for adult women meets via Zoom on Wednesdays at 8pm for laughter, friendship and conversation! Our group chooses faith formational studies that pique our interest. Check the calendar for Zoom link.

How to join: Contact Shannon Tefft

Thursdays

SPARK (St. Paul’s Active Retiree Kommunity | 2nd Thursdays 5:30pm | Lenexa Public Market

SPARK meets on the 2nd Thursday of the month at 5:30 to socialize. Other gatherings include serve projects; Kansas City, social and educational events; and ways to connect with St. Paul’s. Recently we have presented on “Protecting Your Digital Assets,” provided most of the snack items for Kids’ Day, and worked at the Seventh Day Adventist mobile food pantry.