 |
Welcome to Grove Parish Church The Church of St. John the Baptist, Grove, Oxfordshire The Church - The Church and the Community - The Church and the World - The Church and Youth What's On? Photo Gallery - Who's Who? - Site Map - Contact Us |
|
Home Groups at St Johns
What can you expect from a
Home Group?
?
Attending
a home group gives the opportunity to share study, prayer and fellowship with
other Christians and can help develop a deeper understanding of our faith and
spirituality. The weekly act of worship on Sunday in Church may form the basis
for our relationship with God; personal devotions during the week help to
build on the Sunday encounter; home group provides an environment to deepen
that relationship.
It is not
always easy to get to know other people when there is a crowd; neither is it
always easy to seek answers to personal questions. A home group is less formal
than Church and there are fewer people which helps with communication. Home
group is a safe place, meeting in the name of Jesus, where everyone can learn
from each other. Every group gives the assurance of confidentiality so that
issues and opinions may be freely shared.
The mutual
pastoral support that is enabled through these fellowships is perhaps the most
significant benefit. It reflects the model of the disciples learning and
growing in faith together with Jesus.
From time
to time every group may follow the same study material but there is a degree
of freedom to choose courses within each group.
Home
groups are not exclusive and enquiries are welcome from prospective new
members.
Peter Cook
is coordinator for Homegroups. If you would like to know more please contact
him on Tel: - 751078.
Please
also advise Peter if you join or leave a group.
When and
where do they meet and how often?
There are
currently 7 groups which meet during the week. Each group reflects the identities of
its members. Some leaders prepare all studies, other groups share
responsibilities. Host and leader may vary.
Just as
the groups themselves are varied so are the studies they tackle. Over
the last year our home groups have looked at:
· 'Can we
Build a Better World?'-
A York Course
·An Advent
Course from ‘The Upper Room’
·
Small
Community Church studies
Some
groups like using tapes, and others like to study the Bible directly, reading
and then discussing what they’ve read and what they feel they’ve
learned.
In Lent
2008 five of the groups are studying another York Lent course entitled
‘The Lord’s Prayer’