| 1. |
What is the
Small Group Ministry Program? |
| |
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? |
| |
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. |
| |
|
| 3. |
Won't the
SGM program make it harder to get people to serve on
committees and do the other work of the church? |
| |
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? |
| |
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? |
| |
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 |
| 1. |
Gathering
(10 minutes) |
| 2. |
Opening (5
minutes) |
| 3. |
Chalice
lighting (1 minute) |
| 4. |
Personal
Check-in (45 minutes) |
| 5. |
Conversation
about pre-selected topic (50 minutes) |
| 6. |
Closing
Words/Reading (2 minutes) |
