I love these ‘travel in groups’ advertisements from a Dutch bus tour company! They are so much fun, but they also have a lot of wisdom. We find comfort and protection when we travel in groups, and the same is true of learning. We often learn more when we learn together
In 1 Thessalonians, the church in Thessaloniki was encouraged to keep working together to grow in faith, through encouragement and support.
Following this instruction, one of the core practices of the Christian church has been for small groups of people to meet and pray together, study together, serve together, and share their faith with new people. Jesus started this system by working with twelve core followers, known as ‘disciples’ or ‘apostles,’ and training them to start their own groups to keep spreading the Gospel message of God’s grace and love.
In today’s world, our lives are busy and crazy! How do we fit a small group in? Some people have gotten very creative! One church had a group of dads who met on Zoom at 9 pm after they put their kids to bed, and they smoked cigars and drank whiskey while they studied the Bible and prayed for each other. One group in North Carolina met on Sunday afternoons where they launched their kayaks, paddled down river, and shared a meal with prayer and Bible study when they got off the river at the end.
It doesn’t matter if you meet online or in a campground, at a coffeeshop our the local diner and bar. Showing up, being together, and growing with God is what matters. Several people in our congregation are already part of regular groups that meet for study and prayer. Keep those groups going! Inspire and encourage others to join a group as well.
This fall we are starting a number of small groups for people of all ages to come together to learn and grow. We are trying a new format: trimesters! What a weird word! This simply means we will have three seasons of Faith Finder groups for people during the year so we all get a chance to take a breather and try new groups and topics. The calendar will look like this:
Fall Faith Finder Season: September Sign-Ups, Oct-Dec Meetings
Spring Faith Finder Season: January Sign-Ups, Feb-Apr Meetings
Summer Faith Finder Season: May Sign-Ups, Jun-Aug Meetings
This fall we are heavy on the Bible study side of things, but we will have other types of offerings in other seasons, such as Dare to Dream or Laughter, Lasagna and Leviticus coming in January! Next summer we will have an outdoor Zen Doodle group for meditation and creativity, and maybe a Campfire Worship group. So many ideas and ways to grow with God and community.
We invite everyone who is a part of our congregation to sign up for a class, with information on the table in the lobby. If nothing fits your schedule, let us know and we can schedule something that is a better fit for you!
