Small Groups
St. John's Small Groups, usually 4-12 people, are a place to call home within our larger congregation. We gather in homes, at church, and restaurants to connect with other believers and study the Bible. We have small groups meeting many different evenings or afternoons of the week - we're sure to have one that meets your needs. Please see our Small Groups Resource Materials for study suggestions.
Why Small Groups?
1) Relationships with other Christians: A wonderful way to make good friends! In this "too busy" world, taking the time to really get to know others is a precious thing--it helps us grow as Jesus taught us--with the precious gift of friendship. Groups share good times in settings of trust and encouragement, getting to know each others' families, joys, sorrows and needs. We have groups of parents who gather and bring their children, fostering strong bonds not only for the adults but for the kids too. Some groups share common interests and others are a joyful mix of folks.
2) Spiritual growth: At the heart of our small groups is the need to seek a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ by studying the Bible and exploring other Christian topics together. We learn so much from listening to each other in our spiritual walk. Groups study books, view videos, embrace engaging discussions and reach out to help others in occasional servant projects for the community and the church.
3) Support and encouragement: Group members share and care with and for each other, holding each other up in prayer and Christian love and concern. How great it is to have a group of friends that celebrate with you in joyful life events and gather around you when times get rough.
4) It's Biblical: Jesus did much of His ministry in homes, in a small group setting. He walked and taught with a small group of friends at His side. Jesus provides the foundational model for our small groups!
For 2012: Being SJLC - Serving Christ, Living in Community - That’s what “Being SJLC” is all about. We’re going to learn and grow in what it means to serve Jesus and live as a community of faith. This will begin on the weekend of January 7-8 with our Baptismal calling to serve where God calls us – our families, our neighbor, our places of work and learning. We will examine various aspects of serving week by week: Baptized into Serving, Local Serving, Life Serving, Hunger Serving, Congregational Serving, Global Serving, and Sent for Serving. We have some fellowship events planned also: a Chili Cook-Off and a Spaghetti Dinner as bookend events for “Being SJLC”. We are sponsoring a Missions Prayer Breakfast on January 21, and a 24-hour fast culminating in a Stop Hunger Now meal packaging event on January 28. Current and new small group Huddles will dig into a study that lifts up this focus.
For more information on joining one of St. John's small groups, please contact Christy Hoins at 703-643-0726.