Dan and Sharon Ross lead a small group for young families at our Oakland campus. While a group in this season of life can be full of energy and exciting, it can also be complicated to get everyone together each week, let alone find a way to serve as a group.

However, they believe that small group isn't just a place to discuss Christian living but to also put what they learn into practice. Last fall they decided to look around their church and neighborhood to find places that had an obvious need. One group member noticed that the block of sidewalk the Oakland campus sits on was being overtaken with weeds and was in general disrepair, so they decided to pitch in to clean up the block. They asked a couple college students to meet them at the church to play with the kids, and the group pitched in money to buy plants, flowers, and supplies. They picked up trash, cut down weeds, and planted flower boxes along the block. Together they were a simple and tangible example of how the church can bring healing and beauty to its community.