 Andy LieSmall Group Trader Contributor
I am an accountant by profession, working as controller of a design firm. I have worked in accounting & finance for the architecture/engineering/construction industries since my graduation with a B.S. degree in Agricultural and Managerial Economics from the University of California at Davis in 1992, where I met my awesome wife, Page.
I grew up in a Presbyterian church in San Francisco, where I sang in choir, rang hand bells, and was active in my youth group. However I fell away from my faith and the Church during college and stayed away for much of my young adulthood, before finally coming back to Jesus and the Church thanks to the Page’s persistence and prayers earlier this decade. I am now a volunteer leader at New Life Christian Fellowship in Pacifica, California, serving as church treasurer as well as leading a weekly men’s small group. I have a passion for seeing men grow in faith in Christ, encouraging them to become Ephesians 5 husbands who love their wives sacrificially.
Page and I currently live a mile from the beach in coastal Pacifica with our two great kids, Margaret and Henry. Outside of church we can be found volunteering at school (both of us), coaching Little League baseball (me), leading a Girl Scout troop (Page), cheering on the San Francisco Giants, and hanging out together as a family. I blog regularly at a Mile From The Beach, where I share thoughts on life and faith.
Andy Lie Interview with Small Group Trader:
Small Group Trader: When did you decide to serve in Small Group Ministry?
Andy Lie: It all began a few years ago when I volunteered to lead a high school small group through Donald Miller’s Blue Like Jazz. There was a need for a high school leader and I thought this material would speak to them. Turned out I was right, as the kids were excited to go through the material. I also discovered I had a knack for guiding and facilitating discussions, able to get participation from those who were typically silent.
Last year I led an adult small group through eight weeks of The Purpose Driven Life. This was my first opportunity to lead an adult discussion, and the skills I had gained from leading the teens transferred easily to the adults.
Now I lead a men’s small group which meets at a local Starbucks every Thursday morning before we head to work, and we discuss the prior week’s sermon message.
Small Group Trader: What encouragement would you offer to small group leaders out there?
Andy Lie: Seek God first daily. Make sure that you have a daily quiet time to just be with God – it doesn’t have take a long time – the key is just to do it. Your spiritual health needs to come first to be able to effectively lead others in these discussions.
Small Group Trader: In what ways have you and your spouse/family grown spiritually since you have been involved in this ministry?
Andy Lie: I now have men who are accountability partners whom I can go to for prayer, support and advice. We challenge each other in all spheres of our lives, particularly in the realm of our marriages and children, and I can see how God is speaking to me through them, every week. Because of the growth my brothers and I have experienced in our group, my wife and other women have also decided to have a women’s small group based on sermon material as well. The fire and passion for Christ is contagious!
Small Group Trader: Why does small group ministry play such a critical role in the church today?
Andy Lie: It sounds so cliché, but it’s true – Christians need to live our faith communally. The small group should be the place where we are challenged to grow in our faith, to wrestle with questions, to pray, and to serve our community. In our highly individualistic society it’s too easy to sequester ourselves and hide. My small group will not let me hide, nor will I let them hide.
Website: milefromthebeach.wordpress.com
Favorite Link 1: twitter.com/andylie
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