Community Groups
There are few things in life that will grow your faith and nurture your soul like being actively involved in the community life of a local church. This is God’s wisdom and design and it is here that we do life together, carry each other’s burdens, grow in the likeness of Christ and practice the “one another” commands. Despite the challenges we face in this pandemic, we are excited to kick off a new season of community groups this fall. Things will look slightly different from years past but we believe the content and the format of our groups will be uniquely suited for these times and will be a great blessing for all who take part. Please read the info below regarding some changes we are making to the format and the new content we will be using for this year.
If you are new to our church or not already part of a community group, we would like to strongly encourage you to join one, as now is a great time to get started. Please register by Sunday, September 27th by completing the form by clicking HERE.
If you are already part of a community group your leader will follow up with you and your respective group on how your group will proceed given the new format and content shared below.
If you are new to our church or not already part of a community group, we would like to strongly encourage you to join one, as now is a great time to get started. Please register by Sunday, September 27th by completing the form by clicking HERE.
If you are already part of a community group your leader will follow up with you and your respective group on how your group will proceed given the new format and content shared below.
CONTENT. We will be using material from The Bible Project (click for info) which many of you may already be familiar with. The Bible Project is a non-profit organization that has been producing free animated Bible videos and resources online since 2014, that are visually-stimulating, thought-provoking and biblical. They do a particularly good job of tackling broad and difficult concepts and presenting them into memorable and digestible truths.
They have recently created a series called Church at Home (click for more info) which covers a number of specific themes and books in the Bible (e.g. Peace, Psalms, Justice, Generosity, Philemon, etc) designed for use by small groups and churches. We plan on preaching from the pulpit on Sundays from each of these themes or books through the spring of 2021 and will ask our small groups to watch the corresponding video (5 to 10 min) and explore these topics in greater depth over a few discussion questions within your groups.
They have recently created a series called Church at Home (click for more info) which covers a number of specific themes and books in the Bible (e.g. Peace, Psalms, Justice, Generosity, Philemon, etc) designed for use by small groups and churches. We plan on preaching from the pulpit on Sundays from each of these themes or books through the spring of 2021 and will ask our small groups to watch the corresponding video (5 to 10 min) and explore these topics in greater depth over a few discussion questions within your groups.
FORMAT. Since it appears that we will continue to be limited from meeting in larger groups for the forseeable future, we will be breaking our community groups into smaller groups of four people (by couples or by gender) and encouraging these smaller groups to either meet safely in-person with unanimous consent within the group (e.g. outdoors as the weather allows or in-person while safely distant) or online (note your preference on your form). We are asking groups to meet on a weekly rhythm if possible and limiting each meeting to no more than one hour (for safety reasons and Zoom fatigue).
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)
When and where will my small group be meeting? We are giving each small group the freedom to decide on a time/place to meet based on what best accommodates the entire group’s schedule. Please indicate on your registration if there is a time/day you already know you cannot meet.
How will it be decided who is in my group of four? These smaller groups of 4 will largely be formed within the context of your pre-existing community group and Pastor Peter will work with each of the community groups leaders in placing you in a group that we believe will work best for everyone involved but please feel free to inform us of any pairing preferences you may have on your registration. Please note that some groups may be a triad (three) if the numbers don’t allow for the formation of four people.
What if I am new to the church and/or not part of a community group? We’re thrilled that you want to be a part of our faith community and would love to get you plugged in! Please go ahead and complete the registration and Pastor Peter will work with you in placing you in a group based on the information you provide as we have a number of newcomers to our church over the summer who have expressed an interest in joining a group.
How long will we be meeting together as a small group? We expect to have small groups meet until late spring (through May 2021). However we may make some adjustments to the format we recommend for meeting if and when the pandemic protocols are eased and/or lifted. We are committed to doing this as safely and responsibly as possible.
When and where will my small group be meeting? We are giving each small group the freedom to decide on a time/place to meet based on what best accommodates the entire group’s schedule. Please indicate on your registration if there is a time/day you already know you cannot meet.
How will it be decided who is in my group of four? These smaller groups of 4 will largely be formed within the context of your pre-existing community group and Pastor Peter will work with each of the community groups leaders in placing you in a group that we believe will work best for everyone involved but please feel free to inform us of any pairing preferences you may have on your registration. Please note that some groups may be a triad (three) if the numbers don’t allow for the formation of four people.
What if I am new to the church and/or not part of a community group? We’re thrilled that you want to be a part of our faith community and would love to get you plugged in! Please go ahead and complete the registration and Pastor Peter will work with you in placing you in a group based on the information you provide as we have a number of newcomers to our church over the summer who have expressed an interest in joining a group.
How long will we be meeting together as a small group? We expect to have small groups meet until late spring (through May 2021). However we may make some adjustments to the format we recommend for meeting if and when the pandemic protocols are eased and/or lifted. We are committed to doing this as safely and responsibly as possible.