Service Time: Sundays at 10:00 am

Fall 2023 Semester:
Week of Sep. 3rd - Nov. 26

They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship...

Acts 2:42-47

Connect Groups at New Hope are smaller groups of people meeting throughout the week, both here at the church and throughout the community to study the Bible, make new friends, serve the community, and simply do life together.

Sunday Groups

I Don't Have Enough Faith to be An Atheist

In-Person Group
Sunday Mornings: 8:30 - 9:45 am
Dates: Sep. 3 - Nov. 26
Room: New Hope Room 4
Leader: Sean McDonald
Childcare: Childcare is available for this Connect Group. Once you sign-up for a group, you will receive an email to sign-up for childcare, if needed.
About this Connect Group:
To some, the concept of having faith in a higher power or a set of religious beliefs is nonsensical. In fact, we live in a time in which many view religion in general, and Christianity in particular, as unfounded and unreasonable.

This semester, join Sean McDonald as we discuss how Christianity is not only more reasonable than all other belief systems, but is in fact more rational than unbelief itself. With conviction and clear thinking, we'll examine arguments for the existence of a creator God, the source of morality, and the reliability of the New Testament accounts surrounding Jesus.
 
This Connect Group is an incredible opportunity for Christians seeking to articulate a more sophisticated defense of their faith, and will help equip you speak confidently to those who are skeptical about Christianity and religion.

As Your Children Grow, Will Their Faith Grow Too? As both stories and statistics attest, the number of evangelical children who abandon Christianity in adulthood is staggering. To see effective change, parents cannot leave their child's faith to chance. Rather, families must start nurturing faith early-you cannot start once your child is grown, you must start at home. Strengthening family and home life is the best way to encourage your children to maintain a lifelong faith. It Starts at Home upholds marriage and family as the proving ground for lasting success. Join our Children's Director, Lauren Cochran and her husband, Bo, as they provide a clear purpose, effective strategy, and a simple plan for anyone who wants to be intentional in their homes.

As Your Children Grow, Will Their Faith Grow Too? As both stories and statistics attest, the number of evangelical children who abandon Christianity in adulthood is staggering. To see effective change, parents cannot leave their child's faith to chance. Rather, families must start nurturing faith early-you cannot start once your child is grown, you must start at home. Strengthening family and home life is the best way to encourage your children to maintain a lifelong faith. It Starts at Home upholds marriage and family as the proving ground for lasting success. Join our Children's Director, Lauren Cochran and her husband, Bo, as they provide a clear purpose, effective strategy, and a simple plan for anyone who wants to be intentional in their homes.

As Your Children Grow, Will Their Faith Grow Too? As both stories and statistics attest, the number of evangelical children who abandon Christianity in adulthood is staggering. To see effective change, parents cannot leave their child's faith to chance. Rather, families must start nurturing faith early-you cannot start once your child is grown, you must start at home. Strengthening family and home life is the best way to encourage your children to maintain a lifelong faith. It Starts at Home upholds marriage and family as the proving ground for lasting success. Join our Children's Director, Lauren Cochran and her husband, Bo, as they provide a clear purpose, effective strategy, and a simple plan for anyone who wants to be intentional in their homes.

Hebrews: The Journey of Faith

In-Person Group
Sunday Mornings: 8:30 - 9:45 am
Dates: Sep. 3 - Nov. 26th
Room: New Hope Room 5
Leader: Alan Knickerbocker
Childcare: Childcare is available for this Connect Group. Once you sign-up for a group, you will receive an email to sign-up for childcare, if needed.

Join Dan and Alan and learn about the foundations of our faith, so you can be sure that you are standing on rock-solid theology. In this Connect Group you'll experience fellowship with other believers, learning from mature and experienced Christian leaders to help equip you in evangelism and discipleship. If you're looking to grow in your faith with intentionality, this group is an incredible first step.

Join Dan and Alan and learn about the foundations of our faith, so you can be sure that you are standing on rock-solid theology. In this Connect Group you'll experience fellowship with other believers, learning from mature and experienced Christian leaders to help equip you in evangelism and discipleship. If you're looking to grow in your faith with intentionality, this group is an incredible first step.

Join Dan and Alan and learn about the foundations of our faith, so you can be sure that you are standing on rock-solid theology. In this Connect Group you'll experience fellowship with other believers, learning from mature and experienced Christian leaders to help equip you in evangelism and discipleship. If you're looking to grow in your faith with intentionality, this group is an incredible first step.

About this Connect Group:
We are all tempted to drift away from Jesus, but in the book of Hebrews God gives us an anchor: a detailed understanding of how and why Jesus is better than anything else.

Join Alan Knickerbocker as he unpacks this rich book verse by verse. He explains the Old Testament background, gives plenty of application for our lives today, and shows us how Jesus is the fulfillment of all God's work on earth. He encourages us to live by faith in Jesus―the only anchor for our souls.

The Four Priorities (Women's Group)

In-Person Group
Women's Group
Sunday Mornings: 8:30 - 9:45 am
Dates: Sep. 3 - Nov. 26th
Room: New Hope Room 101
Leader: Sandy Kramer
Childcare: Childcare is available for this Connect Group. Once you sign-up for a group, you will receive an email to sign-up for childcare, if needed.
About this Connect Group:
Join Sandy Kramer in the Four Priorities, as she dispels the myths about discipleship and reveals the truth: If you are a follower of Jesus, you are capable of making disciples. This Connect Group will follow along with the practical and biblical approach of authors Dr. John Tolson and Larry Kreider, who have created a simple and realistic tool for you to learn how to structure your time and life by biblical standards, identify personal strengths and weaknesses and how God can use them, align yourself with the will of God, and help others by discipling them to do the same.

Do you have a fear of sharing Jesus with others? In this Connect Group, we'll be equipping believers for relational evangelism, removing any fear of sharing Christ with others, so that you can boldly proclaim the gospel. Join Tom Thompson as we learn how to avoid stereotypical approaches, instead sharing the gospel in natural and effective ways, while being ourselves. This incredibly practical and beneficial Connect Group will help you identify and develop an evangelical style that is effective for you, teach you how to respond to commonly asked questions, so that we may be known as those who walk with Jesus and speak the gospel with boldness, no matter the cost.

Come Together: A Group of Fellowship and Prayer

In-Person Group
Sunday Evenings: 6:00 - 7:30 pm
Dates: Sep. 3rd - Nov. 26th
Room: The Floyd's Home in Nolensville
Leader: Mike and Lori Floyd
Childcare: Childcare is not available for this group.
About this Connect Group:
God never intended for us to live the Christian life alone. Join Mike and Lori Floyd each Sunday evening - as God calls us to love, not in an abstract or superficial way, but in a deep, face to face, life-on-life, transformative way. When we look at the early church we get a picture of small communities of people who followed Jesus together. The Book of Acts, especially Acts 2:42-47, gives us a great picture of the early church and the components of biblical community, which encompassed both the "temple courts" and "house to house."

These believers engaged in life together through teaching, fellowship, communion, prayer, and so much more. They spent time together eating, learning, celebrating, proclaiming the Good News, and supporting each other.

So often in our culture, small groups are viewed merely as a program or a fellowship ministry within the church. But for the New Testament church, and for our Connect Groups at New Hope, our relationships with one another aren't a ministry - they're a way of life, and their critical to our pursuit of Jesus, our growth in Christ, and our witness to the Good News.

Monday and Tuesday Groups

Young at Heart

In-Person Group
Monday Mornings: 9:30 - 10:30 am
New Hope Fellowship Hall
Leader: Paul Bane
About this Ministry Group:
Young at Heart at New Hope exists to build and foster a community to grow spiritually, provide fellowship with one another, and reach the lost in our community.
Our Young at Heart Ministry meets on a weekly and ongoing basis.

If you're interested in joining the Young at Heart Ministry, click the button below and one of our leaders will reach out to you.

Young at Heart at New Hope exists to build and foster a community to grow spiritually, provide fellowship with one another, and reach the lost in our community. Our Young at Heart Ministry meets on a weekly and ongoing basis. If you're interested in joining the Young at Heart Ministry, click the button below and one of our leaders will reach out to you.

Prayer

In-Person Group
Tuesday Mornings: 9:30 - 10:30 am
New Hope Room 5
Leader: Sheri Hutchison
About this Ministry Group:
God calls us to be a people of prayer, desperately depending on Him to move and transform hearts and lives. The Prayer Group at New Hope meets weekly on Tuesday mornings to pray for those inside the church, the church itself, and our incredible community. Join Sheri each Tuesday morning along with the Prayer group to pray consistently for the needs of others.

Revelation:
The King Returns

In-Person  & Virtual Group
Two Semesters
Tuesday Afternoons: 12:00 - 1:30 pm
Dates: Sep. 5th - Nov. 28th
Room: New Hope Room 103
Leader: Austin Duncan

Childcare is not available for this Connect Group
About this Connect Group:
The book of Revelation often generates curiosity and confusion. Do its visions have any meaning for us today?

Join Associate Pastor, Austin W. Duncan over the next two semesters, as he shows that rather than a mere puzzle book filled with secrets for the future, Revelation is a help for us in the here and now. When it seems the enemy is winning and opposition to the church is closing in, Revelation reminds us of our blessed hope: Jesus Christ has risen, He is reigning, and soon He will make all things new.

Young Adults

In-Person Group
Tuesday Evenings: 6:30 - 8:00 pm
New Hope Cafe
Leader: Gavin Booser
About this Group:
New Hope Young Adults exist to build a community that is connected, genuine, welcoming, generous and influential. We want to see Young Adults connected with one another and with God, and who are influencing their world, whether in college, at work, or at home.  

If you're interested in joining New Hope Young Adults, click the button below and one of our leaders will reach out to you.

Wednesday Groups

The Resolution for Men: Live for What Matters Most

In-Person Group
Men's Group
Wednesday Evenings: 6:00 - 7:30 pm
Dates: Sep. 6th - Nov. 29th
Room: New Hope Room 4
Childcare: Childcare is available for this Connect Group. Once you sign-up for a group, you will receive an email to sign-up for childcare, if needed.
About this Group:
Explore twelve commitments related to the characteristics men of God want to pursue - responsibility, faithfulness, honor, justice, forgiveness, integrity, courage, and more.  Join Dr. Phil Roberts and the men of New Hope, as we talk through "I Will" commitments, identifying the biblical message and ways to live out each principle in real life.

With a clear resolution, you can see exactly where you are going as a believer, husband, father, churchgoer, etc. Accept the Resolution challenge to go beyond merely following Jesus to wholeheartedly surrendering to His lordship in your life and family.

It's critical for men to understand the importance of a spiritually disciplined life and a life of kingdom order. Join Randy Smith and the men of New Hope as we invite men to embrace God's definition of masculinity and to step into His calling upon their lives to wield their strength on behalf of others. Throughout the semester we'll be going through different bible studies, fellowship, and learning alongside one another.

It's critical for men to understand the importance of a spiritually disciplined life and a life of kingdom order. Join Randy Smith and the men of New Hope as we invite men to embrace God's definition of masculinity and to step into His calling upon their lives to wield their strength on behalf of others. Throughout the semester we'll be going through different bible studies, fellowship, and learning alongside one another.

It's critical for men to understand the importance of a spiritually disciplined life and a life of kingdom order. Join Randy Smith and the men of New Hope as we invite men to embrace God's definition of masculinity and to step into His calling upon their lives to wield their strength on behalf of others. Throughout the semester we'll be going through different bible studies, fellowship, and learning alongside one another.

Pearls: Women's Group

In-Person Group
Women's Group
Wednesday Evenings: 6:00 - 7:30 pm
Dates: Sep. 6th - Nov. 29th
Room: New Hope Room 5
Leader: Kelly Wegner
Childcare: Childcare is available for this Connect Group. Once you sign-up for a group, you will receive an email to sign-up for childcare, if needed.

The word FIERCE is used to describe women who are extreme athletes, high-level executives, or supermodels. Women at the top of their game. But what about the rest of us? Can we be fierce? Absolutely! In fact, women like us have been changing the world for thousands of years-many who received little fanfare yet lived fiercely anyway. Join Carol Castillo this semester as we look at lesser-known female characters in the Bible and the ways they changed the world by living into God's calling.

About this Group:
We glorify busyness. We hustle, hoping to gain approval and find acceptance. Yet for most of us, we simply hustle our way to burnout. But what if it’s only pointless hustle that leads to burnout? What if meaningful struggle can lead us to growth and depth and even joy?

The apostle Paul understood hustle—and struggle—better than most. But in prison, where we’d expect him to be burned out and depressed, he wrote a letter to his Philippian friends seeking to build them up, a letter filled with thankfulness, generosity, and joy.

Focused on Jesus rather than concentrating on his own discomfort, Paul’s actions brilliantly display what happens when hardship is used for the glory of God.

Join Kelly and the women of New Hope as we learn how the book of Philippians shows us how we can grow deep roots and blossom by finding the meaning in our struggle.

Pray Anyway

In-Person Group
Wednesday Evenings: 5:30 - 6:00 PM
Dates: Sep. 6th - Nov. 29th
Room: New Hope Room 101
Leader: Pastor Josh Huisman
Childcare: Childcare is available for this Connect Group. Once you sign-up for a group, you will receive an email to sign-up for childcare, if needed.
About this Group:
Open to all, even if you're already in a Wednesday Connect Group.

Jesus knows what we’ve been through and he knows what’s ahead. He knows how easy it will be for us to give up. And so in kindness, he offers us a way out; or perhaps to say it a better way, he offers us a way through. He teaches us how to never quit. In a short but powerful parable found in Luke 18:1-8, Jesus uses the persistence of a desperate widow to open our minds to the awesome love and sovereignty of God.

So many of us struggle with prayer. Many books have been written on the subject and there’s a reason for that. Prayer comes hard to most of us, in most seasons. And when we do pray, we often don't know what to say. What is it that my Father loves to hear about? What are the best things I could pray for my family, my church, and myself?

Join Pastor Josh Huisman each Wednesday as we pray before our Wednesday Connect Groups as we follow the Apostle Paul's example to pray bigger and pray better as we look to our heavenly Father to do more than all we ask or imagine!

The Faith Driven Life

In-Person Group
Wednesday Evenings: 6:00 - 7:30 PM
Dates: Sep. 6th - Nov. 29th
Room: New Hope Room 103
Leader: David Hay
Childcare: Childcare is available for this Connect Group. Once you sign-up for a group, you will receive an email to sign-up for childcare, if needed.
About this Group:
Life can be hard. Although there are moments of beauty and goodness, more often than not, it can seem as if life is marked by fear, struggle, disappointment, and loss. And we don't know what to do with it. We've tried to find hope and security in various people and places-but each has proved unworthy of our trust.

We need more. Something-or Someone-who won't fail us when our world falls apart.

Join David Hay this semester as he presents a better way. By exploring powerful personal, historical, and biblical stories of people of extraordinary faith, we'll look at how to deepen your confidence and certainty in the God who can be trusted with everything in life that may come your way - and how to count it all as joy.

What does it look like for people to experience the love, power, and presence of God so strongly they're transformed from the inside out? Many people go to church when it's convenient, occasionally read their Bibles and pray, and sometimes feel close to God, but He's not the passion and purpose of their lives. They may be believers, but they're not devoted disciples. Join Dr. Phil Roberts in this Connect Group, as he gives a clear contrast between believers and disciples, and leave feeling inspired to experience more of God than ever before.

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