“When neighbors start talking, good things happen.”
Belinda Cashwell, a Stonecroft Regional Administrator in Fayetteville, North Carolina, firmly believes that statement, the slogan for a social media network for neighborhoods – nextdoor.com. When Belinda heard about Nextdoor, she quickly realized its potential for promoting Stonecroft Bible Studies (SBS) in her neighborhood near Fort Bragg.
The free, easy-to-use network – which includes an app for smartphones and tablets – is similar to Facebook. It includes the ability to comment, form groups, and link to other sites. Some content on Nextdoor also feeds into a neighborhood newsletter.
Belinda tells of a young, female military officer who saw a promotion of SBS in one of those newsletters. She contacted the Stonecroft volunteer mentioned.
Today, this officer serves on the Fayetteville Women’s Connection Planning Team.
“Nextdoor has helped us reach people we’ve never been able to reach before,” says Belinda. “In today’s world of rapidly changing technology, it’s so important to have an interactive ministry with your community.”
While social media tools like Nextdoor open new channels for promotion, another way to grow SBS groups is to offer the studies in nontraditional settings.
Meeting at the YMCA
Dorea Potter, Stonecroft Regional Administrator in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, has started numerous SBS groups in the local YMCA. One advantage of this venue is the Y’s inexpensive child care. The Y also attracts people from all walks of life.
For example, an older man who is a recovering alcoholic attended an introductory SBS Dorea offered at the Y. Week after week, no else showed up, but Dorea continued leading the study just for him. In the process, the man accepted Christ.
“You just never know how God is going to use you,” Dorea says.
Prayer Helps Bring Growth
God has used Tammy Klein, a home-schooling mom in her early 40s, and her fellow Planning Team members to grow 13 SBS groups in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Tammy, SBS Coordinator for the Cedar Rapids Women’s Connection, leads two of those SBS groups, one in a local restaurant.
The close-knit SBS women pray for each other often, she says.
The same is true of the Cedar Rapids Planning Team. They gather regularly for prayer, and Tammy believes those prayers are a key reason for the SBS growth in her city.
“God gets the credit for all of this,” she says.
Mary Speidel
Writer and Editor