Love Bomb FAQs

---

If we had to guess, we'd assume that this is the first time for many of us to be dropping a Love Bomb. In the event that that's true, you may have some questions about the subject. Below you'll find some common questions and answers on the subject:

What is a Love Bomb, anyway?

A love bomb is our goofy way of saying we want to sacrificially bless and serve people the way Jesus has blessed and served us. It is a call to LifeGroups who are doing everyday life together to pay attention to and respond to the needs around them.

I don’t know what we would do for our |giv| project. What should we do?

The goal of this year’s |giv| project is for LifeGroups to become more aware of and in tune with the needs around them. What relationships do people in your group have? Is there anyone who is in need? Who are you guys building relationships with and how can you sacrificially bless them? We do not wanting you to create something new, but we want to you to look at your relationships and everyway life differently with the intentions of sacrificially loving and serving the people around you.

What is the deadline for completing our |giv| project?

It would be ideal if your group is able to plan and execute a project during the |giv| series. If you are unable to accomplish your project in a matter of weeks, then we are asking groups to complete their projects by February 1.

What if our group does not have the financial capacity to accomplish our |GIV| project?

The goal for the |GIV| project is for your group to rally resources and sacrificially give so most all projects should be within the reach of LifeGroups. If you do have a good, effective project that is too great for your group there is an option of the form to check a box to request assistance. Groups should not plan as if there is built in assistance and honestly, there is no guarentee that Midtown will have the resources to support your project.

[button label="Ready to Drop a Love Bomb? Visit lovebombcolumbia.com" link="http://lovebombcolumbia.com" shape="default"]

How to Drop a Love Bomb

---

We announced Sunday that for this year's |giv| project, we'll be dropping Love Bombs on the city of Columbia. Since the idea of Love Bombs may be new to some people (on the count of it's a made-up thing), we thought some explanation was in order.

The goal of Love Bombs is to extravagantly bless the people in our city. Ultimately we want LifeGroups to be aware of the real needs around them and then graciously respond to those needs by sacrificially giving time and money to meet people in their pain and brokenness.

Projects should be:

• Personal. Your |giv| project should be personal to the group either birthed out of an existing relationship/connection or out of some personal passion or calling. Does anyone in the group have any specific connection to a particular person or group of people in need? Is anyone in your group already serving/working people a person in need? Are their any specific passions or causes that people in your group are drawn towards?
• Relational. Your |giv| project should focus on building relationships with people by serving them and meeting real needs. How can your |giv| project focus on serving people and making disciples (helping people to take the next step toward Jesus)? Is there a way to build relationships with the person(s) you are serving and invite them into your group and our church family?
• Sacrificial – |giv| projects should be costly to all of the members of the group. What are the personal cost that our group will experience by taking on this |GIV| project? Where will you be going? How much time will it take you? How often will you serve them? What are the financial costs?

Love Bomb Examples:

In addition, here are a few real examples of |giv| projects that LifeGroups in our church are already participating in.

A Ministry to Ministries

"Together, my LifeGroup has formed a ministry, "The Helping Hand Ministry" to support Keepin It Real Ministries. Keepin It Real Ministries is a homeless outreach program that supports and encourages men and women with the gospel. Part of their ministry involves a transition home, which aids the men in getting off the street and being encouraged during their life struggles with community and the gospel. We attend their weekly bible studies and spend time with them throughout the week.

Our Love Bomb is to host a benefit concert for Keepin It Real Ministries at the Devine Street Campus and to raise awareness for the ministry and funding to support their efforts in our city."

Kickball in Earlewood

One random evening this past summer one of our LifeGroup members was eating dinner outside with some neighbors. He heard the sound of a rock hitting a window, and peaked over the fence to find a boy trying to break into an abandoned house. As it turns out, there were some younger kids in our neighborhood who were breaking into houses and said they had been taught how to break into the houses by older kids they knew.

After talking to the kids' parents, we thought it'd be a good idea to start playing kickball with the kids in Earlewood park, which gives us an opportunity to build relationships with them, and talk to them about life.

For our |giv| project, we're going to choose from one or more of the following:

• Buy the kids some food to take home to their parents. Buy them some winter clothes.
•  Setup a Santa shop in the park for kids to have their picture taken him this Christmas.
•  Buy the kids some sports equipment for them to get active.

Partying at Epworth

Our Love Bomb is to hosting a Christmas party for one of the Epworth cottages.  A couple of the girls have connections to the home and we're excited to get to bring Christmas to them this year.

[button label="Ready to give it a shot? Visit lovebombcolumbia.com" link="http://lovebombcolumbia.com" shape="default"]

|giv| 2013

---

Giving something means taking what is yours and giving it to others, free of charge. Christmas is the celebration of how God gave his one and only son so that we could be forgiven, free of charge. So each year for Christmas, we rally together to respond to what God has given us:

• by |giv|ing shoes to people without them
• by |giv|ing money to church planters in India
• by |giv|ing hoodies to people in the cold in Columbia
• by |giv|ing Christmas presents to kids in the Yucatan peninsula
• by |giv|ing safe houses to children rescued out of sex slavery
• much, much more.

Because He gave, we |giv|. It's that simple.

[seriesengine_wo enmse_dsst=1 enmse_dss=8 enmse_r=1 enmse_sim=0]