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817-481-4147
185 S. White Chapel Blvd., Southlake, TX 76092
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WHITE'S CHAPEL UMC
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  • About
    • Our Story
    • Our Beliefs
    • Our Mission
    • Our Staff
    • FAQ
  • Ministries
    • WC Kids >
      • WC Kids
      • WC Arts Academy
      • Chapel Hill Childrens School
    • WC Students
    • Discipleship >
      • Adult Discipleship
      • Men
      • Women
      • Classic Adult Fellowship
      • Encounter Groups
      • Justice Ministry
      • Marriage Ministry
      • Recreation
      • WC Singles
      • Spiritual Formation
      • Young Adults
    • Missions & Evangelism >
      • Missions
      • God is Big Enough
      • Angels' Attic
      • Refugee Initiative
    • Membership & Involvement >
      • Connecting
      • Membership
      • Involvement
    • Worship & Media >
      • Music & Worship
      • 1871 Online Magazine
      • Streaming Opportunities
      • Worship Archive
      • Audio Podcast
      • Video Bible Studies
      • Additional Media
    • Care & Support >
      • Care & Support Ministries
      • Addiction Ministry
      • WC Counseling Center
    • Weddings
  • Join
  • Prayers
  • GIVE
  • Watch
    • Current Sermon Series
    • Worship Archive
    • Discipleship Archive
    • Additional Media >
      • Additional Media
      • At Home With
      • From The Inside Out - SJCE
      • Midday Meditation
      • Spice Chapel
      • WC Kitchen
    • Watch Live

Encounter Groups

Small Groups exist to make disciples who make disciples in relational environments.
"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.​"

- Hebrews 10:24-25

Encounter Group Information
​If you would like more information on how to lead your off-campus Encounter Group, we have a special booklet for you. 

​This will provide guidance through conflict, growth as a group, and encouraging tips for you in your faith as you walk together on the journey of life.
  • Why Join an Encounter Group
  • ​Ways to Join
  • Resources
  • Discussion Guides
  • Serving Opportunities
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"It's a community of contagious love." (Acts 2:42-47)
We were not created to lead lives of isolation and desperation. We were created in the image of God. God is love and demonstrates his love through relationships. We were created to love and be loved. When we gather in small groups, we reflect the love of God for our neighbors by sharing the load, praying for each other, serving alongside each other, encouraging each other, as well as love God through studying Scripture, giving praise, and following Godly teaching – ALL wonderful aspects of being a part of an Encounter Group.
​We are Better Together (Luke 10, Mark 6:7)
Jesus sent his disciples out two by two so that no one would have to walk alone.  Simply put, we are better together. We need each other to survive and thrive. Members of Encounter Groups support each other during the ups and downs of life. Members are willing to walk with you in the dark valleys of life and celebrate with you during your mountain top experiences. Being in an Encounter Group means that no one will have to walk through life alone.
When We Gather, We Encounter Jesus (Matthew 18:20)
​Jesus promised to show up where two or three are gathered in his name. Encounter Groups put Jesus at the center of all that we do. The purpose of the groups is to become more like Jesus, to love like Jesus, walk like Jesus, talk like Jesus. To do so, we should gather together in a small group like Jesus did with his disciples. So when we gather, we encounter the living Christ.
Identify seven other people who would like to be in a group, download our kick off curriculum, and contact Tracy Christensen.
Contact Tracy

Start or Join an Encounter Group at Any Time!
Encounter Groups meet year-round with the goal to become more like Jesus through serving, praying, encouraging, loving, and studying in a small group beyond the walls of the church.  Contact Tracy Christensen for an opportunity to connect with other women, men, couples, and co-eds in your stage of life. Newly formed groups will start with the Encounter Group Kick-off Curriculum and will spend your first eight-weeks meeting on campus at White’s Chapel before moving to an off-campus location.

Please fill out this form and return it to Tracy Christensen.

Join Encounter Groups

Encounter Group Resources

​Encounter Group Formation Path
​
Encounter Group Kick-Off Curriculum 

​Family Encounter Information
Series Discussion Guide

XL
Week Four: Witnessing Fervently  
Week Four (Family Encounter Guide): Witnessing Fervently 
Week Three: Boldly Trusting 
Week Three (Family Encounter Guide): Boldly Trusting
Week Two: Learning Constantly
Week Two (Family Encounter Guide): Learning Constantly
Week One: Waiting Actively
Week One (Family Encounter Guide): Waiting Actively 

The Contentment Code
Week Three: Others > Self
Week Three (Family Encounter Guide): Others > Self 
Week Two: Joy > Happiness
Week Two (Family Encounter Guide): Joy > Happiness
Week One: Contentment > Containers
Week One (Family Encounter Guide): Contentment > Containers


Easter
Easter Discussion Guide
Easter Family Encounter Guide

Rotten
Week One: Discord/un-Peace
Week One (Family Encounter Guide): Discord/un-Peace
Week Two: Stridence/un-Patience & un-Gentleness

Week Two (Family Encounter Guide): Stridence/un-Patience & un-Gentleness
Week Three: Callousness/un-Kindness
Week Three (Family Encounter Guide): Callousness/un-Kindness
Week Four: Selfishness/un-Generosity
Week Four (Family Encounter Guide): Selfishness/un-Generosity
Week Five: 
Disloyalty/un-Faithfulness
Week Five (Family Encounter Guide): Disloyalty/un-Faithfulness
Week Six: Abandon/un-Love & un-Self-Control
​Week Six (Family Encounter Guide): Abandon/un-Love & un-Self-Control

Jonah
Week One: Running
Week One (Family Encounter Guide): Running

Week Two: Repentence
Week Two (Family Encounter Guide): Repentance
Week Three: Revival
Week Three (Family Encounter Guide): Revival​
Week Four: Reversal
​Week Four (Family Encounter Guide): Reversal


Long Walks & Short Piers
Week One: Stuckness
Week Two: Cynicism
Week Three: Numbness & Disengagement
Week Four: Meanness
Week Four (Family Encounter Guide): Meanness


No Vacancy
Week One: No Room for Mystery
Week One (Family Encounter Guide): No Room for Mystery
Week Two: Crowded Expectations
Week Two (Family Encounter Guide): Crowded Expectations
​
Mercy
Week One: Mercy is a Verb
Week One (Family Encounter Guide): Mercy is a Verb
Week Two: Compassion & Forgiveness
Week Two (Family Encounter Guide): Compassion & Forgiveness
Week Three: Gratitude
Week Three (Family Encounter Guide): Gratitude

A More Excellent Way
Week One: Prayers
Week Two: Presence​
Week Three: Gifts
​Week Three (Family Encounter Guide): Gifts
Week Four: Service
Week Four (Family Encounter Guide): Service
Week Five: Witness
Week Five (Family Encounter Guide): Witness

Blind Spot
Week One: Bartimaeus' Request
Week Two: The Crowd's Reaction

Week Three: The Disciples' Response
Week Four: Jesus' Reach

Labor Day Weekend
Better Together

The Success Mess
Week Two: Family Success
Week Three: Professional Success
Week Four: Spiritual Success

Are We There Yet
Week One: Gentleness
Week Two: Self-Control
Week Three: Meekness
Week Four: Patience

Road Trips Memory Lane
Week One: Road Trips VI
Week Two: Handling the Curves
Week Three: Driver's Seat
Week Four: Tale-Gating

[Con]venience
Week One: Love is Inconvenient
Week Two: Faith is Inconvenient
Week Three: Life is Inconvenient

Serving Opportunities for WC Encounter Groups

Grow as a group, Serve as a group

Angel’s Attic Upscale Thrift Store
We’d love to have you join our family of volunteers! Men and women are needed as volunteers to sort donations and ready them for display, test electronics, pick up and deliver furniture, research prices, repair furniture, display and stage merchandise, and greet and wait on customers. Volunteers may work weekly two-hour or longer shifts, or substitute as needed to fit your schedule. Store is open Tuesday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Agape Meal
Join us the fourth Thursday of the month as we help serve the homeless through the Agape Meal program at Broadway Baptist Church in Fort Worth. Volunteers meet at White’s Chapel at 4:30 p.m. for a group prayer and to ride on the bus together. We return no later than 8 p.m. If you prefer to meet the group there, please plan to arrive no later than 5:30 p.m. for a brief training and an overview of the Agape Meal program. The address for Broadway Baptist Church is 315 W. Broadway Avenue, Fort Worth, Texas 76104. Parking is available on the east side of the church in the designated church parking lot. Children are welcome with a parent, but we ask that they be five or older to serve. Dress is casual.

To serve, contact Rev. Dara Austin, Pastor for FaithWorks Mission and Outreach.

Cooking with Care at Ronald McDonald House
Every second and third Monday of the month, we need volunteers to prepare lunch for the families with children who are critically ill at Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth. The Cooking with Care team shops for the food and prepares the meals on-site for the families. The team cooks for approximately 50 people and people are invited to carpool to the site each time. You may go every month or every other month, depending upon your schedule.

To serve, contact Rev. Dara Austin, Pastor for FaithWorks Mission and Outreach.

Super Saturday
Super Saturdays are typically scheduled once a month or every other month to provide opportunities for individuals and families to serve our community together. From packing food for third-world countries, delivering food to seniors in the community, to packing school supplies for those in need, there are countless opportunities to serve either on-site or in the community. Check the website for information for each month’s Super Saturday.

To serve, contact Rev. Dara Austin, Pastor for FaithWorks Mission and Outreach.

Serving With Love
On the second Saturday of the month, volunteers travel to the First Presbyterian Night Shelter to serve an early dinner, host games for the moms and children, and provide a reading time for the children. People that register are asked also to sign up to bring cookies or a dessert for the group. We serve 40 to 50 mothers, and up to 100-120 children each time. A brief orientation for those that have not served before is scheduled at the church at 4:15 p.m. Children eight years of age are welcome to serve with their parents. Because of limited space at the shelter, we ask that groups register through FaithWorks.

To serve, contact Lori Silvestri.

FaithWorks Mission Experience
Throughout the year, domestic and international mission trips are scheduled as the church leaves the building and works to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to others. Whether it is a weekend, weeklong, or extended trip, opportunities to build houses, churches, schools, or feed the hungry, we encourage everyone to take a mission experience.

To serve, contact Rev. Dara Austin, Pastor for FaithWorks Mission and Outreach.

Seasonal and Relational Ministries
During the year, many opportunities are provided to participate in special ministries in the church, as well as a part of our community. Whether it is a food drive, staging a home or apartment for a family that has transitioned from homelessness to permanent housing, mentoring, tutoring, or participating in the Christmas Angel Forest, there are many ministries that Encounter Groups may participate in. If your group has a special interest, a special ministry opportunity can be designed specifically for your group.

To find out more information on these special ministries, or to serve, contact Rev. Dara Austin, Pastor for FaithWorks Mission and Outreach.
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​Meet the Director
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Tracy Christensen
Adult Discipleship Director


​Tracy Christensen was born in Iowa but made the journey to Texas in 1986 and definitely considers herself a “Texan!” Christensen graduated from the University of Iowa with a degree in education and taught in both Iowa and Texas for many years.
Contact Tracy

Encounter Group Podcast
Audio and Video podcasts  used for Encounter Group gatherings.
Audio podcast
Video Podcast
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​OFFICE HOURS  
MONDAY-THURSDAY: 8am-5pm
FRIDAY: 8am-1pm
Pastor's 24 Hour
Emergency Number

817-881-2124
CONTACT
185 S WHITE CHAPEL BLVD. SOUTHLAKE, TX 76092
info@whiteschapelumc.com
817-481-4147
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