Resources

SMASH Group Registration

Open, Print, and mail/give to:
Autumn Ridge Church
c/o Leah King
3611 Salem Rd SW
Rochester MN 55902

SMASH Groups

SMASH Groups are our form of small groups. It stands for Students Meeting And Sharing Hearts. SMASH Groups meet weekly during Encounter on Monday nights. SMASH Groups consist of 6-10 students of the same age and gender and 1-2 adult leaders.

These local communities of students gather to help each other live in the ways of Jesus. We help each other by discussing God’s story and our story, praying together, serving others, forming trusting friendships, and encouraging one another. SMASH Groups help students connect with other students on a regular basis. They offer support, guidance, and accountability at one of the most difficult times in a person’s life. And most importantly they introduce students to Jesus and help them grow in that relationship.

Relationships are at the core of Christianity. James told us that all the laws of Scripture could be summed up by loving your neighbor as yourself. Jesus magnified the importance of relationships when He told us that we are to love God with all our being. When you summarize the Great Commandment with one word, it would be relationships. Nothing matters to God more than relationships: our relationship with Him results in having right relationships with others. They are the source and context for eternal life.

1 Thes. 2:7-8 describes what these relationships may look like. “As apostles of Christ we could have been a burden to you, but we were as gentle among you as a mother caring for her little children. We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the Gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us.” I love these verses. They drip with love, care and concern. Paul deeply cared for the church at Thessalonica and he wanted to share the love of God with them. The caring and sharing didn’t happen from a pulpit, over email, or by phone. It happened when Paul rubbed shoulders with them and when they spent time together.

It is through relationships with other students that you can experience a more satisfying and exciting relationship with God. Every year I see dozens of students’ lives that are deeply influenced because they were involved in a SMASH Group. I believe in small groups and I want you to be part of one.