Teresa Lee
Director
Office of Christian Formation
Rev. Joseph Goldsmith
Pastor
Cluster Parishes: Hopewell, Dinwiddie, Prince George
Cristy Barton
Associate Director, Bilingual
Office of Christian Formation
“They devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life, to the breaking of the bread, and to the prayers.” Acts 2:42
From the earliest days of the church, we have been called to gather as a people united in faith, to answer our baptismal call to spread the Gospel message. As the first century Christians followed Jesus’ example of teaching in a small group setting, they created faith sharing communities which helped further the mission of the church and called all believers to discipleship.
Small groups are so much more than just Bible Studies. Any group gathered for a common purpose can embrace the principles of small-group ministry to strengthen their mission of evangelization. The title of this project, “Where Two or Three Gather” comes from Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the midst of them.”
Your parishioners in Small Groups…
…will build community and belonging in your parish.
…will develop real friendships in Christ.
…are a community of love that can overcome any challenge.
…create fellowship with other people who have similar beliefs.
…will have a safe place to work out personal faith/life issues.
…will have a structured, scheduled time to refocus their lives on the Lord.
…will discover other people in the community who can help them on their journey.
…will learn to see how God reacts to our human ways and fosters personal self-reflection.
…will learn to accept others and themselves as flawed human beings striving toward God.
…will be inspired to do better by the example of others in the group.
Our hope is that once you have utilized these resources and created vibrant, faith-filled communities, you will realize that it was worth the effort and wonder how you ever did ministry without small groups!
Adapted, Used with permission Ascension Press
Karyn O’Neel/September 8, 2019
https://media.ascensionpress.com/2019/09/08/10-reasons-small-group-bible-study/
Created by the Diocesan Christian Formation Commission
2019-2020
Supported by the Office of Christian Formation