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1. |
What is the Small Group Ministry Program? |
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The Small Group Ministry Program is one
of the church's Adult Spirituality/ Education
opportunities. It is an intentionally structured
program for people to deepen their spiritual life and to
get to know other people on a more intimate level. |
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2. |
Do I have to be a member of First Parish
to join a small group? |
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No, members, friends, and visitors are
all welcome to participate in the SGM program. An
opportunity to join a group will be offered at least
twice a year, once in the fall and once in mid-winter. |
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3. |
Won't the SGM program make it harder to
get people to serve on committees and do the other work
of the church? |
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Experience suggests that this does not
happen. Instead, because people are being fed
spiritually and emotionally to a greater depth in the
small groups, the work of committees and other groups is
much more focused and productive. Doing the work
of the church becomes an expression of their increased
commitment to the church. |
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4. |
What will the Parish Minister do if the
members of the congregation become lay ministers? |
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The parish minister will continue to
provide ministry through worship, preaching, pastoral
care, education and social justice activities. The
ministry provided by the members of the small groups
will be through their personal connection to each other
and the larger church community. The ministry
provided by the parish minister will be to support,
guide, and inspire the lay leaders and to provide a
visible, public leadership to the church community. |
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5. |
Who leads the group and how often do the
small groups meet? |
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The groups are led by a trained
facilitator and meet approximately once a month from
October to June. |
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Basic Format of Each Session |
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1. |
Gathering
(10 minutes) |
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2. |
Opening (5 minutes) |
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3. |
Chalice lighting (1 minute) |
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4. |
Personal Check-in (45 minutes) |
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5. |
Conversation about pre-selected topic (50
minutes) |
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6. |
Closing Words/Reading (2 minutes) |