Orchard Hill Church's small groups consist of groups of 8-12 adults that meet regularly for the purpose of building friendships and growing together as followers of Christ.

One thing Orchard values is “Connection.” Orchard Hill inspires to have a spiritual environment in which people feel connected to one another and to God. Small groups are a great environment for building relationships and encouraging one another in our faith. Small groups exist to help connect people to people, people to service, people to the church, and people to God.

Most adult small groups meet twice a month for 1-2 hours. Groups usually consist of people who are in a similar life-stage as you. (ie. Newly married, empty nesters, kids in elementary) Your group will spend the first few weeks getting to know each other, and then will talk about what you might like to study together. Some groups choose to read a book by a Christian author, some choose to do a study on a certain topic, some choose to study a book of the Bible. Your leader will help guide your group and provide direction. Some groups meet here at the church, while some choose to meet in each other’s homes.

Getting Started!

It’s easy to get involved in a small group! You may indicate that you are interested in a group on the Connection Card online or in your bulletin each week, call the church, or get in touch with This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Once we have received your information, our team will work hard to get you plugged in a soon as possible. Sometimes this process moves quickly, and sometimes it may take us a few months. We’ll keep in touch with you along the way and let you know as soon as we have a leader in place and your group is ready to go! We’re looking forward to getting you connected!

Impact that Small Groups have had on the Cryer Family

Four years ago when our son was born with some health problems, we just didn't know where we were going to turn.  We knew that the Lord was with us, but that first time in the hospital for surgery when he was just seven weeks old, was awful.  Our families lived far away and most of them weren't able to be there so we just felt all alone.  After that first surgery, I invited an acquaintance from Mom's Morning Out to a playdate with her two-year-old daughter and mine.  I just needed to get out of the house because I was so exhausted from all of my son's care.  Within a couple of weeks after that, we received a card in the mail from "a friend from church" that really made me feel like I knew people were praying for us and thinking of us as another surgery was looming.

I kind of recognized the handwriting on the card as that of the acquaintance I had gone on the playdate with.but didn't realize just how important this person would be in our lives.  Shortly after the next surgery, she called us and asked if we would join their Orchard Hill Small group since someone from their group was moving away.  We wondered if this was right for us.  Did we have time to meet with these people?  Would it be extremely uncomfortable trying to talk with them?  What would we do about our kids?

I can honestly say it has been absolutely a true gift from God to be a part of this small group. When we get together, we do delve into God's Word.but we do so much more.  We have connected with the members of our small group in ways I could never imagine.  They have been there for us through all of the other surgeries we've had to tackle.  They've been there for us through personal struggles of every variety.  Through their prayers, Christ-like communication and constant support, we have found that our relationship with Jesus has gotten closer as our relationship with them has developed.  Our children have become close friends with their children and those tiny little friendships now are setting down the roots for lifelong friendships with kids who love Jesus and follow him. 

So my answer was "YES".  We did have time to pray with and meet with our small group.  And "NO", after a very short time, our conversations became that of close friends rather than people who were just trying to get to know one another.  The contribution our small group has made to the lives and faith of every member of our family is immeasurable.  They are a blessing from the Lord!

Impact that Small Groups have had on the Rosenau Family

Our group has enjoyed doing numerous service projects over the past 7 years and find that there is never a problem finding something to do. Orchard has offered us the opportunity to help others, through packing food for Feed My Starving Children & serving at the AIDS Village, or supporting the spring break mission trips in various ways. To express appreciation to the church staff, we have written notes of thanks and baked cookies. We love helping with the college lunches and family night meals.

We have stretched out of our comfort zone to build the garbage area enclosure in the parking lot, and painted & assisted with carpeting in the old music office. We also have done yard work & painted/repaired windows at church. Purchasing, wrapping, & delivering Christmas gifts for Longfellow families was a very special time. During Love Cedar Valley we painted & worked on needed repairs at Longfellow School a couple yrs ago. Last year we worked on the Habitat for Humanity home & painted, did yard work & cleaned at the House of Hope.

We are currently talking about ways we can serve through other projects this spring. We have found that our group grows closer when we reach out to others & we love working together! Many of our group also volunteer individually in various ways as well. The time commitment is less than what some may think -- we all have jobs & busy lives too. We have a wide variety of gifts & interests among us and find that when we all work together, we're able to do what none of us could do alone. We are blessed to be able to serve.

Mick & Elaine Rosenau