For many years, Z4G has cycled through several annual themes derived from The Seven Checkpoints, a landmark work by Andy Stanley and Stuart Hall. Each theme focuses on an essential element of discipleship. We have explored and applied them differently each year, but we keep cycling through all of them because they represent the heartbeat of what it means to truly follow Jesus.

The rest of MHCC participated in our OTHERS FIRST theme this summer. We are SO grateful for everyone who preached, led worship, and served others here, at camp, on mission trips, and throughout our community! That theme helped us focus all those messages and ministries in a powerful and effective way; that is a hint of what is to come as we all begin to follow these themes, this fall.

Our prayer is that this will help people from all generations become fully devoted and equipped followers of Jesus Christ. You can follow the Sunday morning series AUTHENTIC FAITH: ON THE ROCK here.
MID-AUGUST - SEPTEMBER
To be authentic, faith must be placed in something that is real and trustworthy, and it also must shape our actions. Each year, we explore why and how we can know that God and His Word can be trusted. We also set clear goals, making sure we are living out and sharing our faith in tangible ways.

Each year at this time, we challenge each other to memorize Proverbs 3:3-7. Our ongoing goal is to trust God and His Word enough to pray and study daily and to act on what He tells us.
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OCTOBER
Healthy friendships last. They also strengthen every person in the group and help each person become more like Jesus. Each year, we spend some time creating and deepening several healthy, Christ-centered, lasting relationships.

Our annual memory passage is Proverbs 13:20, and we explore different scriptural and practical strategies each year. We provide loving support, opportunities to learn and grow in this area, and wise counsel about how to protect ourselves from dangerous relationships without condemning or abandoning the people we love.
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NOVEMBER - MID-DECEMBER
While God can use a variety of tools to reach and mold His people, a few timeless, biblical practices always spiritual power tools to connect us with Him and with others and to transform us from the inside out. Each year, we challenge each other to try all of these and add the most effective ones to our daily lives.

We use a variety of scriptures and resources, but Romans 12:1-2 is our annual memory challenge. Our goal is to help each other develop consistent, biblical, daily habits that make it easier for the Holy Spirit to grow His fruit  in our lives.
MID-DECEMBER through MID-JANUARY
Over the holiday season, we celebrate Christ's physical incarnation and the salvation His birth, life, teaching, death, and resurrection still offers us today. We also focus more than ever on serving as His body on earth now--meeting physical needs, encouraging and comforting those who are hurting, and sharing the gospel in fresh, relevant ways.  

Our annual memory challenge is John 3:16-17, and we focus more than ever on reaching out with selfless, non-condemning, life-transforming love, trying our best to reach out in ways that matter to those we are trying to bless.
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MID-JANUARY - FEBRUARY
While God extends grace and love to everyone, His dream was never to simply forgive our sins and allow us to enter heaven when we die. He wants to transform us and empower us to build His kingdom in this world. It is simply impossible to follow Jesus without establishing and living within clear, strategic moral boundaries.

Our annual Bible memory challenge is 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8, and each year we lovingly but firmly remind each other that God makes the rules, not us. We also offer practical strategies and opportunities to help each other escape habitual sins and form healthy habits that make us stronger over time.
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MARCH - MID-APRIL
True wisdom begins with fearing God more than anything or anyone else. Biblically speaking, wisdom is much more than just avoiding foolish or sinful choices. Those who are truly wise live life with purpose. They don't just try to not sin; they are always trying to make the best possible choice in every situation.

Every year we explore God's wisdom in different ways, but our annual memory challenge is Ephesians 5:15-28. We focus on helping each other think deeper than "right vs. wrong" behavior; instead, we help each other make proactive and strategic decisions based on Biblical truth, prayer, and wise counsel.
MID-APRIL - MAY
The scriptures clearly teach us to submit to authority out of reverence for God. Certain kinds of peace, simplicity, fearlessness, and freedom can only be found when we choose to live within the patterns that God designed. Each year, we dig deeper into the intricacy and beauty of those designs.

​Our annual memory challenge is Romans 13:1-2, but we explore different stories, passages, and truths each year. We also study and apply what the Bible says about obeying God at any cost when the authorities above us allow or command us to do something that He forbids.
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​JUNE - JULY
The most effective way to accomplish God's will on earth is to put others first. When we do this, we almost always find fulfillment and joy ourselves. When we choose to focus on ourselves and try to fit God and others in, we are never satisfied, and we never communicate God's love well.

Each summer, we focus on discovering and meeting the real, felt needs of those around us. Our annual memory challenge is Philippians 2:1-5, and we seek to put God's and others' needs above our own, living selflessly instead of selfishly.