If you’re looking for community, go to church on Sunday, however, if you are looking for a family join a Champ Group.

I love Sunday mornings at Champion. It’s the place where I reflect on the highs and the lows of the week, worship the Lord in song, & get fed the Word of the Lord with a community of believers. I often feel lighter and refreshed after I leave that sanctuary. I see friends and wave hello to those hurrying beside me to get their children. Sundays are great. Sundays are needed. My champion group though is where I began to rediscover my purpose again.

Let’s rewind a bit . . . my name is Cassie Defibaugh and I originally grew up here in Washington. I was saved at the Rock Youth Center in Houston as Pastor Nathan gave a salvation message that changed the entire trajectory of my life. I went to Slippery Rock University and got a degree in music education, I taught music at an international American school in China, and I lived in South Africa for 3 years doing missions work with Youth With a Mission. I was on fire for the Lord, and nothing was going to stop me . . . until it did. At some point, I found myself hurt, bitter, & and disenchanted by the church. Everything I knew and who I thought I was suddenly felt foreign. Was I “happy”?. . sure. I had a loving husband and two beautiful little girls, but something was missing, someone was missing . . . Jesus.

For about 5 years I lived in a state of being lost and confused. No matter what direction I turned, it never seemed quite right. In 2021, I felt a little tug to go back to church. In all honesty, I just wanted a place to go, a tradition to engage in for Easter that year with my family. I didn’t want to just show up on Easter at some random church, so I told my husband that I wanted to start going back a few weeks prior, so we didn’t look like those Christians. You know the ones I’m talking about, the ones that only go to church on Easter and Christmas.

Little did I know that the Lord had a full circle moment in store for me. The same Pastor who led me to the Lord in high school was going to give a message that was going to set me back on the right path again. I felt like the prodigal son returning home—safe and welcomed.

The Lord’s funny when He has a plan. You know, when I started at Champion, I no longer had any real friends. I had a couple of acquaintances but no one to really call friends. As a stay-at-home mom with no friends, that’s a lonely road. The Lord always knows the desires of your heart, even when you don’t want to admit them. I wanted friends . . . no . . . I needed friends. I didn’t just need friends but a family of believers to do life alongside. This is when I knew I picked the right church for our family. Not only was the Sunday Service and children’s ministry amazing but they had a built-in way for you to as I like to say, “find your people.”

Getting plugged into a Champion Group changed everything. Sundays are great, they are truly the bread and butter of the Christian walk, but Champ Groups are a special time set aside to invest in the body of Christ. I suddenly found myself surrounded by a group of strangers who were instantly in my corner. It was also another checkpoint during the week to help keep me refreshed and my eyes on the path the Lord had set before me. This group of strangers quickly became some of the best relationships I have to this day. My Champion groups (all 3 of them) have challenged me in all the best ways possible and allowed me a safe place for the Lord to do some deep work in my and my family’s lives. I’ve grown in so many ways and finally feel like I have my feet back on solid group again. If it wasn’t for getting fully plugged in and engaged in the body of Christ, I’m not sure I would be where I am today.

If you are looking for more, if you are in a place where you’re not sure what to do next, I encourage you to find a Champ Group. There are so many to choose from that it would be nearly impossible to not find one that meets you in your current season. The acceleration of growth that happens inside these groups is unbelievable! Not only do I still attend my Champ Groups, but I also now have the honor of co-leading my very own group of ladies who are hungry for the Word of God.

It’s amazing what the Lord can do when you allow Him to go deeper than just Sunday morning in your life. We were meant to live life in community. We were never meant to be isolated from the body. Join a Champ Group and get plugged into a family to do life with, and I promise you won’t regret it.