Sometimes it seems like no one could possibly understand what you’re going through—but then you join a small group.
God is a pro at bringing the right people together to support and encourage each other. When young military couple, Natalie and Jordnan, took new assignments at Fort Jackson in Columbia, South Carolina, they knew no one. Jordnan found Seacoast through a Google search. For the newlywed couple, small groups were a brand new concept, but they were quick to accept an invitation to a young married group that happened to include other couples familiar with military life.
“We really want to grow in our marriage,” Natalie said. “But with both my mother and grandmother being single moms who suffered through broken marriages, I had this fear in the back of my mind that I’d eventually end up the same way, carrying on that legacy. I don’t want to walk the same path. And with both Jordnan and I being in the military, it adds to the challenge. I want to learn from people who know how to have a good marriage. And we’ve found that.”
“Neither of us are from here, so we have no blood family around. Our small group feels like family now.”
– Natalie
Rachel and Boyce attend the same small group with Natalie and Jordnan. They, too, know what it’s like to feel disconnected. Not long after they moved to Columbia as newlyweds, Rachel was deployed for seven months overseas. Finding Seacoast was the easy part since Rachel had previously attended an ARC church and knew to search the ARC database. Boyce began to attend on his own, but didn’t really know anyone. He had no one to lean on.
“At Small Group Launch, we found our group. That’s when church became real,” Boyce said.
“Before, we attended the church, but now we’re a part of the church.”
– Rachel
What about you? When was the last time you invited someone new to your small group? Personal invitations can make all the difference in helping someone feel welcome.
