Transform Story: "25 Years of Sharing Life"

LifeGroups at Forest Hill are designed to reflect the spirit of the Acts 2 church:

“The believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals, and to prayer…all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had…all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:42-47 NLT)

For at least one FHC LifeGroup, 25 years has gone toward meeting, sharing and praying together in order to create a community focused on glorifying God by caring for one another.

Jack Guion and Jerry Currie lead this pioneering group of twelve members, who became a LifeGroup before there were LifeGroups.

“Oftentimes our group is closer than family,” explains Jack. “In all the years we’ve been together, we’ve lost five spouses, and even some children, which has forced us to be an intimate group.” He explains the group is devoted to always being there for one another, in the good times and, most importantly, the bad times.

After 25 years together, this LifeGroup is still finding new ways to serve each other and the community for God’s glory. Jerry explains, “We attempt to meet the definition of a LifeGroup as we know it. Serving and ministering to our community is something we love to do, and believe everybody in the group can contribute towards.”

One way this group gives back to the Charlotte community each Christmas, is by stuffing stockings for the Salvation Army Christmas Bureau. Jerry’s wife, Phyllis Currie, organizes the stuffing and helps deliver the stockings to needy children served by the Salvation Army. According to the Charlotte Observer, 13,5000 children are waiting for stockings this year.

Another way this LifeGroup serves is through financial giving. Although a less tangible type of service, giving is crucial to the survival of many inner city ministries. “We’ve done a lot of serving in and outside of the church,” explains Jack. “Through the years, our group has chosen financial support in place of physical support, with an emphasis that financial support is just as important as physically supporting a ministry.”

One ministry they’ve faithfully supported is Hoskins Park Ministry. Hoskins Park is a ministry for men in transition from situations like homelessness and addiction, to identity and freedom in Christ. Click here to learn more.

Transparency is another bedrock theme among members of the LifeGroup. Jerry explains, “Over 25 years, our group has always been open to sharing with one another problems and weaknesses we are facing.” According to Jerry and Jack, this is a vital function of a healthy LifeGroup. If group members weren’t willing to share and be transparent, longevity of 25 years would be nearly impossible.

“Everyone shares and commits to serious prayer,” says Jack. “The issues we discuss are close to home and intimate. But, if you can’t share with your LifeGroup, who can you share with?”

If you are interested in learning more about LifeGroups and joining a group of your own, click here to learn about Starting Point.