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If you have ever walked into a church building and thought ‘This is such a large church. How can I ever get to know people? How can I fit in?’ then you will immediately understand why Small Groups are important. Meeting together on Sundays is important but getting to know people and sharing with them happens in smaller gatherings. That’s why in our thinking if you want to be part of the church, you need to be part of a Small Group: as one church put it Small Groups: a whole church activity.’
At CEC all the Small Groups have 5 core values, which are summed up in the word MICRO, which explain what Small Groups do:
Maturing: A place for growth through the study of God's word. Where the Word of God meets with the issues we face in daily life, it should change and challenge us spiritually.
Interceding: A place for prayer. Prayer is the vertical dimension of the relationship. We use interceding here as shorthand for prayer in the widest sense, encompassing all that ACTS stands for: Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication
Caring: A place for pastoral care and accountability. Our love for one another (John 13:35) is to characterise us. How do we apply the one-anothering statements in a big church? A Small Group is the place to begin.
Relating: A place of acceptance and belonging. One of the books on Small Groups has the subtitle, ‘a place where no one stands alone’. That’s a good aim for a Small Group to have.
Outward Looking: A place to encourage one another in our witness to family and friends. An opportunity to welcome newcomers.
All the groups more or less follow the same pattern. Mostly they meet on a Tuesday for an hour and a half. They meet for three terms of around 10 to 12 weeks which more or less coincide with the school terms. When Small Groups are not meeting there is a central meeting in the Kings Centre. See the church programme for details.
Because we take being part of a Small Group seriously, we have expectations of what being committed to a group involves. As a member of a Small Group, I promise to...
1. Attend my Small Group meetings regularly and promptly.
2. Participate fully in the life of the group.
3. Respect the contributions of others.
4. Help to support and care for another.
5. Help in organising the life of the group.
6. Give a warm welcome to new members.
7. Pray for each member of the Small Group regularly.
Not convinced? 8 Reasons To Join A Small Group
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