In 2019, Abundant Life Fellowship began organizing Connection Groups to help build deeper relationships and promote outreach in the community. The brainchild of members Lynne Halverstadt and Pastor Shayn Danks and his wife, Emma, the idea was to gather groups of a half-dozen or so people together at various times and locations throughout the week to socialize, study, pray, serve or whatever other activities each group decided to pursue. All three had observed that some groups were already meeting, some randomly and some regularly, in homes, coffee shops, restaurants, parks and other locations. A component of the Connection Groups is community outreach, so each group is asked to come up with a project of some kind to serve some segment of the community or church.

To that end, one group is launching Drive-Thru Prayer on March 17. Group members will be available at the church portico from 6:30 to 8 p.m. to pray for anybody who has a need. Recipients need only drive up to the church and team members will come to the car.

Other groups are planning visits and meal prep to shut-ins, hospitality baskets to nursing home residents, pie delivery to new visitors to the church and other projects. Eight new groups are meeting in addition to a half-dozen others that were already in operation. The formation and structure of the Connection Groups is fluid, so new ones can be started at any time. Anybody interested in connecting with one can call the church office, 330-457-7317, to be added to the list.