One of the great joys of last week took place on Tuesday when the Growth Groups Nicky and I lead restarted for the year. Nicky came home buzzing from her Tuesday Morning Women’s group that had new members and excellent discussion. Having passed our 2016 evening group onto other leaders (we miss you guys!!) we started back on Tuesday Night with a mix of people Sunday@6 people and the discussion was riveting and the enjoyment contagious.
A growing majority of our church members are now in Growth Groups and experiencing these three wonderful benefits …
First, Christian Growth. Growth Groups are small communities who meet together to read the bible and grow in Christian maturity together. They usually meet in people’s homes in our local area and have between 8-14 people – some are bigger, some smaller. There are few things better for regular and steady personal Christian growth than to meet up with other believers and Growth Groups complement the opportunities for growth and Ministry we have on Sundays.
Each group spends some time together reading through the bible passage that will be preached on in the following Sunday services. This helps to have a good look and think and pray about the bible passage along with good friends before arriving at church on Sunday. People tend to get more out of the Sunday message when they have already thought through the issues raised in the bible passage.
Second, Connection. In a complicated church like ours with multiple congregations, finding a connection with people is important – it helps you feel at home and a part of what is going on. You will never know everyone in our church but being in a Growth Group gets you connected and gives you the opportunity to hear of things happening at church you may have missed. It is great to walk into a big crowd at church and know there are a dozen or so people who are looking out for you each week.
Third, Care. Our Growth Groups are our primary avenue for care and love throughout our church. We pray that relationships will be fostered in every group that will lead to people genuinely caring for one another, noticing when someone is missing, providing practical support for those in need and upholding one another in prayer. It was a great joy to hear stories of this happening throughout 2016 and I look forward to more this year.
It’s not too late to join a group for 2017 – in fact our groups are always open. Speak to a member of staff or ask the person sitting next to you in church. Chances are, they will be in a group already!
In Christ
Nigel