The purpose of Wednesday night EKG is to:

1. Gather the congregation of the church in such a way as to foster multigenerational discipleship and to provide an easy entry point for those who are not currently engaged in our church.
2. Engage in deeper study of the Scriptures together by enabling attendees to study the previous Sunday’s sermon passage in much greater depth, thus allowing us to dig deep on a single topic each week.
3. To foster mutual accountability and encouragement within GBC by providing for a second time in the week during which the application points of the present passage may be examined and put into life.

Why We Chose To Do Ministry This Way...

1. Holding all of our small group activities on a single night provides for more simplified scheduling, additional services (child care, youth programs, etc.), and multi-generational contact between each of the age groups in our church. 
2. By having each growth group study the same message, we as a church are better able to understand and apply a singular message to our lives (i.e. apply one message very well rather than multiple messages half-heartedly).
3. Having a meal integrated into this ministry allows for the fostering of authentic relationships between attendees as well as providing for a time in which those who are not a part of GBC to become involved.
4. Parents with young children who are not currently able to be a part of our growth group program are able and welcomed to join in due to the availability of child care / nursery programs.
5. The entire family is engaged in this process, which means that parents and children are each studying the same passages in depth which will help to foster family discussions and allows parents to better disciple their children.
6. Lastly, this ministry provides for greater continuity for those who might miss either an occasional Wednesday night or Sunday morning in that though they will have missed a valuable time, they will still be able to pick up on the overall content of what the entire church is studying for that week instead of missing out. Those who come to GBC can plug into a growth group at any time, rather than coming in “mid-study” as often happens under other ideas of small group ministry.

What does EKG look like?

1. The first point of contact with EKG will be a multi-generational meal in which people from both within and outside of the church can come together in fellowship, evangelism, and discipleship.
2. From this point, we will break into growth groups with the goal of fostering a greater depth of Biblical study and helping one another to further apply the message of that particular Biblical passage to our lives both corporately and individually.
3. Lastly, each group will also spend time in prayer together for their group, the church, the Gilbert and Ames community, as well as our world at large.

E. K. G. Structure

Grace Bible Church Events: These are special one time or ongoing events which do not happen during the regular church hours or on a weekly basis. Those who have extra time outside of GBC Core should look to these events for special interests, community outreach ideas, and needs. Time Commitment: Varies, usually once or twice per month.

Grace Bible Church Core: These are the activities that make up Grace Bible Church. A member or regular attendee should spend their time with these events if they have only time to do two things per week. Time Commitment: 2 days (Sunday morning and Wednesday evening).

Grace Bible Church X: These are events which happen with the knowledge of GBC, but are outside of its normal ministry programs. These events are intended for those who have extra time beyond their regular involvement in Core activities (special studies, additional small/large groups, etc.). Time Commitment: Varies.