How and When It Got Started
Thursday, August 17, 2017
The SUGAR Group got started in the summer of 1982 and has met weekly since then right up to this current time. As of today, Thursday, August 17, 2017, this group has been in existence for 35+ years.
Our family – Varrin (younger son), Loren Mark (older son), Lois (wife), and I – regularly attended Northwest Church in Fresno, California.
On Saturday evening, July 24th, 1982, several people from Northwest Church got together at a family’s house in Madera (a town “next door” to Fresno), California. At that get together, a young couple asked me if I would lead a Bible study for them. I was surprised because nobody before or since that moment has asked me to do that. I was also delighted, and was glad to tell them that I would do that.
We scheduled our first meeting for the following Tuesday evening, July 27th, 1982. We consider that to be the start date for the SUGAR Group.
I had a particular study series in mind, which would take a few weeks for us to do, and told the people at the meeting what I had in mind. Then when that series was done, we could decide if that concluded our meeting together or if we wanted to continue. When that initial series was completed, the people wanted to continue meeting. And thus, the group got started and has continued right up to this current time.