Jim will lead a winter GROUP for men that will be open conversations following each Sunday’s message.  In particular, they will follow along in a new book, “Just Church, Cultivating Communities of God’s Shalom” written by our very own, Adam Gustine!!!  Jim, an elder at Living Stones, has a heart for men and all they can be in the kingdom and is looking forward to the open dialogue and discussions with other men in the group.  Jim and his wife Tina, love sharing their lives at home, on the golf course as well as in ministry opportunities as they arise. Outside of church, and during the months of April to October, you’ll find Jim cheering on the Cubs and hanging his W flag outside his home!

Fun fact about Jim:  He served four years in the Navy with three of those aboard the USS Tringa, a submarine rescue vessel, as part of the navigation team.

Kristin and Joe have been married for 7 years - both Purdue grads. (Boiler Up!) Joe works as a mechanical engineer and Kristin is a family nurse practitioner.  Outside of work, Joe enjoys autocross racing and Kristen enjoys playing volleyball and baking.  Joe and Kristen enjoy meeting new people and are looking forward to discussion, building relationship and growing as a group this season. They will be leading group members  - singles or couples in their 20’s or 30’s - through Marty Solomon’s BEMA study, an attempt to recapture elements that were present in the early church, to learn from its successes and implement something vibrant into the culture of today.

Fun fact about Kristin:  She has a bucket list wish to Scuba Dive with the great white sharks!! Yikes!!

Fun fact about Joe: He was a regional class champion for autocross last year.  And recently he and Kristin took a vacation to Germany to experience the world’s longest and most famous race track. 

Clive’s mens group will spend time studying extracts from the Book of Daniel and through discussion seek to find ways to apply the biblical principles seen in the scripture into our every day living.  Clive is from “out of town” as shown by his accent.  He is passionate about the Lord, his family, getting humans to live and work successfully on the Moon, and scientific ocean drilling.  He is married to Denise (another out of towner), who keeps him on the straight and narrow.

Fun fact about Clive: He’s good friends with Apollo 17 astronaut and Moon walker, Harrison Schmitt. He has also met other astronauts: Buzz Aldrin (Apollo 11), Dave Scott (Apollo 15), John Young and Charlie Duke (Apollo 16), Gene Cernan (Apollo 17).

Greg and Krista have been married for 12 years and have 2 children, ages 4 and 8. Greg loves original Nintendo games and Mountain Dew, while Krista enjoys interior design and bargain-hunting.  The Ranous’ actually were born on the same day, with Krista being 6 hours younger! The goal of their Tuesday night group is to help one another remember that our relationship as a couple is more important than whether our children have eaten anything green besides m&ms all week.  Kids are welcome to join their parents, however space is limited.

Fun fact about Greg:  He collects original Nintendo games and would rank the top 3 as Super Mario, Contra and Zelda.

Fun Fact about Krista: She’s always enjoyed homemaking, decorating & crafts, dating back to her childhood, when she would clean her sibling’s rooms and create storage bins out of cardboard boxes covered in construction paper.

Dana is looking forward to gathering with mom’s of pre-schoolers each week! This group will spend time looking in depth at different women in the Bible and discussing how God used each woman in his plan of salvation. Mom’s can bring their little tykes along, with the goal having kids supervised in one room, so the women can have real, uninterrupted discussions in their study.  Dana is a wife and mother to 2 tiny humans.  She’s pretty laid back and tends to roll with the punches.  As a former barista she loves to make people coffee and listen to their stories.  She doesn’t publicly pass judgment on the coffee she drinks, but deep down, she knows good coffee from bad!

Fun Fact about Dana:  When she hears the beat drop, she transforms into a Dancing Queen, leaving a trail of fire behind her.  With years of dance in her background, she completely takes over the dance floor, but usually only at weddings or dance parties with her kids.  

Taide and Brandynne are close friends thanks to LSC and groups they’ve connected in. These single mom’s have a heart to connect with and support other single parents in the church and are leading a twice monthly group meeting. They believes that no single parent should have to shoulder the load of parenting all alone No matter the reason you find yourself in a season of single parenting - divorced, widowed, or have never been married - this group wants to encourage you in your walk with God and equip you with opportunities and resources to build into the lives of you and your children.  Taide, mom to 4 boys, works in health-care, manages a local radio station as a hobby and dreams to be a professional organizer one day. Brandynne is close to being an empty nester, with 3 kids, 22, 20 and 18. She loves animals (almost as much as her kids!) and is raising some back-yard chickens. With years of work in the pharmacy and a social work background, Brandynne is experiencing a new line of work with a recent move to Lippert Components in South Bend.

Fun fact about Taide: She thinks laughter is the best medicine! But if you’re Taide, you could pass-out by laughng too hard - diagnosed as Situation Induced Syncope. So, there will be no laughing in this group ... JK! ;) 

Fun fact about Brandynne: When she is cleaning, you’d find her jammin’ and dancin’ to Run DMC and Beastie Boys.  But in her car, she listens to country music. 

Denise ‘s GROUP will be using a video discussion series by Andy Stanley, based on his newest book, “Irresistible.” This study gives time to consider the faith modeled by our first-century brothers and sisters who had no official Bible, no status, and humanly speaking, little chance of survival. What made their message so explosive, so defensible, so irresistible? What did they know that we don’t? Denise is looking forward to men and women joining her in discussion in her home.  Denise began attending LSC to join her grown kids and grandkids after the passing of her husband.  Involvement at her former church also included leading study groups and the worship team.  She currently works for Notre Dame and in her free time can be found deep in a good book or enjoying her gardens.

Fun fact about Denise: She has traveled to Israel twice (2003 & 2016) and says she’d go again if the right opportunity comes along. 

The Kosak’s love hosting in their home and invite college aged/young adults to experience “Dinner and Discussion” on Monday evenings.  The group will spend time in a study of Genesis, using Marty Solomon’s BEMA Discipleship study and weekly podcast.  Marty, the author of the studay, and Lowell are great friends and both work for Impact Campus Ministries, reaching out to many national college campuses. Katie’s job doesn’t involve travel like Lowell’s, but she goes on every day adventures working with students at Nuner Primary School.  College aged/young adults can count on community and connection in this group and also get some “home cooking” to go along with it.   

Fun fact about Katie: She has a collection of over 100 tea pots and cups.  Some call it a sickness, but she believes it’s because she has the spirit of hospitality!

Fun fact about Lowell:  He has made over 100 pieces of furniture in his workshop and especially loves to create pieces that are made from re-purposed barn and pallet wood. 

Tina is recently retired and would consider herself adventurous and curious ... she’s currently learning to play the cello!  She loves taking walks in the woods, playing the piano, watching home decorating shows and spending time with her husband, Jim.  She is also very passionate about studying scripture and is our Prayer Ministry leader at LSC.  Tina has decided her women’s group will study and discuss the Minor Prophets from the last 12 books of the Old Testament, as they seem to dramatize the character of God as few other books do - highlighting God’s sovereignty and holiness.   Tina thinks her group will be able to hear the voice of God speaking to each of them in a fresh way through this study.

Fun fact about Tina: Not many can say this, but Tina actually met the child she sponsors through Compassion International during her travels to the Dominican Republic.  Bonus Fact ... she’s also related to Chief Little Turtle!

Jeff and Deb have been together almost 45 years. Over half of those years have been devoted to opening their home to small groups.  They love to think of their home as a safe place for men and women to join in community, whether their lives are thriving, spiraling out of control, hurting or just plain broken.  The Gritton group discussions will follow Sunday’s message that will  happen to  pair with a  book, “Just Church, Cultivating Communities of God’s Shalom” written by our very own, Adam Gustine!!!  

Fun fact about the Gritton’s:  Their relationship began in a Ponderosa Steak House in Lansing Michigan in 1974.  Each year they celebrate their meeting by finding a Ponderosa they have never eaten at to enjoy a steak dinner.  In 2019 they look forward to celebrating their 45 year meeting in Ottawa, Iowa.  

Denise says of herself, “I love God, love my family, and love getting to know and encourage women of all ages in walking the walk and talking the talk.”  Denise is also very passionate about learning how to hear God’s voice, move more in the Spirit and spending daily time on her personal relationship with Jesus.  She’s a supportive (and busy) mother and grandmother who enjoys gardening, knitting, reading and also has a deep passion for animals.  Denise’s Tuesday night women’s group will draw discussions from video talks of some of Denise’s favorite Christian women, Joyce Meyer, Priscilla Shirer, Lisa Beverley and Kris Reece.  

Fun fact about Denise:  When she was 7 or 8 years old, the Queen of England and Prince Phillip came to my school and she and her schoolmates sang for them.  She also got to shake hands and curtsy.  Rubbing elbows with Royalty!!

Lowell will be leading group members through a study in Genesis, using Marty Solomon’s BEMA Discipleship study and weekly podcast. The main idea behind the study being that, it is not our desire to recreate an ancient world, but to learn from its successes and implement something vibrant into the culture of today.  Lowell’s small group welcomes couples and singles of all ages. Lowell and his wife Katie have been married 28 years and have 2 adult sons. Lowell’s been in ministry all his life, and currently works with Impact Campus Ministries.  

Fun fact about Lowell: He hates heights, so much so, that Lowell’s  been stuck on a roof and had to get  help down. Several years ago, he took a dare from some former youth ministry students and ended up jumping off a 50 foot cliff to cold waters of Grayson Lake below. He jumped twice, literally scared stiff and not able to scream going down!!!