Your Spiritual Growth | Sagemont Church

“For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.”

I Timothy 4:8

Welcome to the SPIRITUAL GROWTH Resource Page! Our goal is to do whatever we can to equip, encourage, and challenge our church family in your SPIRITUAL GROWTH. We have five areas we are using to encourage SPIRITUAL GROWTH, and here are some FREE additional resources to help you:

Spend Personal Time with God:

If you are looking for a place to start reading in your Bible, our recommendation is to begin in the book of John. NOTE: The idea is to not get overwhelmed. We want you to start the habit of reading every day. With this in mind, just read a couple of verses a day. As spending time with God becomes a part of your routine, then you can start reading a chapter a day.
Trying to figure out HOW to study your Bible? Why don’t you try using the SOAP Method! This is a great way of not only reading the Bible, but learning how to APPLY what you read in the Bible. Click this link to learn how to use the SOAP Method!
Stuart Rothberg recommends using this reading plan. You can print off and mark off each chapter you read until you finish reading the entire Bible.
Download the Bible App where you can find thousands of free devotionals and Bible reading plans.

Serve Others:

Serving Others in a tangible way can really open the door to give you the opportunity to INVITE SOMEONE TO SAGEMONT CHURCH and/or to SHARE THE GOSPEL! These acts of service are to be shared with people with whom you come into contact on a regular basis…the Starbucks employee who serves your coffee every morning, your office co-worker you see every day, your next door neighbor who is going through a rough time in their life, etc. Your ACT OF SERVICE is to be simple and fun, but it will make a HUGE impact on the recipient!

Here is a list of practical ideas YOU can do TODAY:

Pay it Backward: buy coffee for the person behind you in line.
Compliment the first three people you talk to today.
Send a positive text message to five different people right now.
Post inspirational sticky notes around your neighborhood, office, school, etc.
Say hi to the person next to you on the elevator.
Surprise a neighbor with freshly baked cookies or treats!
Let someone go in front of you in line who only has a few items.
Leave a gas gift card at a gas pump.
Throw a party to celebrate someone just for being who they are, which is awesome.
Have a LinkedIn account? Write a recommendation for a coworker or connection.
Leave quarters at the laundromat.
Encounter someone in customer service who is especially kind? Take an extra five minutes to tell their manager.
Leave a note on someone’s car telling them how awesome they parked.
Try to make sure every person in a group conversation feels included.
Set an alarm on your phone to go off at three different times during the day. In those moments, do something kind for someone else.
Send a gratitude email to a coworker who deserves more recognition.
Know parents who could use a night out? Offer to babysit for free.
Hold up positive signs for traffic or in a park for people exercising outside!
Return shopping carts for people at the grocery store.
Buy a plant. Put it in a terracotta pot. Write positive words that describe a friend on the pot. Give it to that friend!
Write a positive comment on your favorite blog, website, or a friend’s social media account.
While you’re out, compliment a parent on how well-behaved their child is.
Leave a kind server the biggest tip you can afford.
When you’re throwing something away on the street, pick up any litter around you and put that in the trash, too.
Put 50 paper hearts in a box. On each cutout write something that is special about your friend. Give them the box and tell them to pull out a heart anytime they need a pick-me-up.
Everyone is important. Learn the names of your office security guard, the person at the front desk, and other people you see every day. Greet them by name. Also say “hello” to strangers and smile. These acts of kindness are so easy, and they almost always make people smile.
Find opportunities to give compliments. It costs nothing, takes no time, and could make someone’s entire day. Don’t just think it. Say it.
Take flowers or treats to the nurses’ station at your nearest hospital.
Keep an extra umbrella at work, so you can lend it out when it rains.
Send a “thank you” card or note to the officers at your local police or fire station.
Take muffins or cookies to work or school.
Run an errand for a neighbor who is busy.
Put your phone away while in the company of others.
Email or write a former teacher who made a difference in your life.

Invite Someone to Sagemont Church:

We ALL know Sagemont Church is an incredible place to call our church “HOME!” We also know how important it is to worship and be connected to a local church. Hebrews 10:24-25 says, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Because we want to be “Living Proof” and encourage one another, one incredible way is to invite someone to Sagemont Church!

Here are some steps for inviting someone to Sagemont Church:

Pray for your conversation. This is a crucial step in your invitation process. Ask God to give you the perfect opportunity to start this conversation. Ask the Lord to give you the exact words to say in your invitation. Pray that the Lord will already be working in their hearts and that they will accept your invitation to Sagemont Church.
Invite the person to Sagemont Church. Many times, we don’t know how to turn the conversation with someone to invite them to Sagemont. Here are some questions/starter ideas that will help you begin the conversation that will lead to an invitation:

“What do you do on the weekends?”

“Do you go to church anywhere?”

“My kids are so excited about this really cool event at our church! Do you think your kids would want to come?”

“The pastor at our church was discussing this very thing last week. Would you like to come to church with me and hear the next part of the series?”

“Have you ever seen the big white cross on Beltway 8? That is where I go to church. Would you like to go with me this Sunday?”

“Did you just move here? If you are looking for a church home, I would love for you to come with me to Sagemont Church!”

Let them know what we have to offer the entire family at Sagemont! The Lord has SO MUCH to offer families who attend Sagemont Church. When you share with a family what we offer, then we have seen a greater increase of a person/family visit Sagemont Church for the first time! However, part of the issue is that you might not know what we offer and the times and dates we have ministry events for all generations! Well, you have come to the right place! Use this information and share with the person/family you are inviting:

Sunday Worship Services

9:30 am – Freeman Tomlin (Teaching Pastor) and Bill Cole (Worship Leader with Choir and Orchestra)

11:15 am – Freeman Tomlin (Teaching Pastor) and Misty Neimeyer, Jordon Baker, and Bill Cole (Worship Band)

11:15 am Spanish Service – Roy Guel (Spanish Pastor) and Praise Band

Adult iCONNECT Bible Studies (aka Sunday School) –

We offer 51 Bible studies that can be chosen by stage of life, Bible study topic, and/or class size!

8:00 am

9:30 am

11:15 am

Children’s Ministry

(Full ministry programming for babies through 5^th grade – large group/small group format for the entire morning! This allows parents to attend a worship service and an iCONNECT Bible Study!)

8:00 am – Early Bird iCONNECT for children

9:30 am – Large Group/Small Group for all ages

11:15 am – Large Group/Small Group for all ages

Student Ministry – (6^th through 12^th Grade)

9:30 am – JHI Students – Meet in the Great Room for large group and break into small groups

9:30 am – HS Students – Meet in the Gym for large group and break into small groups

11:15 am – All Students attend the 11:15 Worship Service

College –

Sundays – 9:30 am – Sagemont U iCONNECT Bible Study – Room WC1311 (North Wing)

Thursdays – 6:30 pm – Gym – Sagemont U offers a FREE meal, worship time, and small groups!

Set a place to meet at church or pick them up for church! Make it easy for the person you are inviting to come with you to church. This is a big place, so assure them you will meet them at a designated spot or better yet, pick them up and bring them!

Spiritual Conversations and Prayer

As Christ-followers, we should always be looking for opportunities to turn the conversation towards the things of God. We have conversations with people all the time, so our goal is to always be thinking of ways to encourage someone by listening to them, telling a story of what God has done in your life, sharing a Bible verse that could help a person in a time of need, and/or praying for that person.

So, how do I begin a spiritual conversation?

Seek out and start a conversation with someone. Okay, this probably sounds obvious, but the goal is to SEEK out the conversation. Some ideas would be to look for someone who is sitting by themselves, someone who is not having the best day, etc.
Listen to what they share. Taking a genuine interest in someone will really break down the walls for someone to share their thoughts or what they are dealing with right now.
Ask if you can pray for what has been shared. MANY people who are struggling with anything in their life will gladly take a few moments for you to pray for them.

*NOTE: This could be a good time for you to be vulnerable and share a story where you have struggled with this issue. This is not to turn the conversation back to you, but it allows the person you are praying with to know they are not alone in this situation.

Share the Gospel

We are ALL called to share the good news of Jesus to the “watching world.” I Peter 3:15 says, “But in your hearts revere Christ the Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.”

One of the BEST ways of sharing Christ with others is by using your personal testimony of what Christ has done for you. Your testimony can be broken down into three areas: