Guide to Intentional Times together
Small groups that meet on Sunday mornings can offer rich times of fellowship and worship. To help guide your small group (online or at home), it’s helpful to be aware of biblically rooted, and time tested elements of a fulsome worship experience.
You may engage in the primary elements of the livestream but supplement it with more personal engagement at certain points. It is God who has made himself known to us, so worship begins with a Call to Worship and Acknowledgement of God. We then respond in worship through songs of praise, thanksgiving, or confession and assurance. We offer our prayers to God and give our tithes and offerings to him. This is followed by the main portion of the service which is the sermon rooted in the scriptures. Once a month we have communion after the sermon, and we follow the sermon with prayer and worship.
The following could also be considered to create a more fruitful Home Group experience:
● You may incorporate more personal prayers of confession and thanksgiving with
one another, or interceding for others.
● You can take time to respond to the preaching with discussion:
--You could use the prepared questions for Community Groups
--Or simply ask questions like, “What resonated with you? How did the Lord speak to you? How were you challenged or encouraged? How may we respond to the message in how we live?”
● If you have communion:
--Partake together monthly or weekly as applicable
--Please take this time with reverence and reassurance of God’s grace to us in Christ. We do recommend wine or grape juice, bread or plain crackers.
● If you would like further guidance on doing this at home with a small group, please speak with any of our pastors.
● You may incorporate more personal prayers of confession and thanksgiving with
one another, or interceding for others.
● You can take time to respond to the preaching with discussion:
--You could use the prepared questions for Community Groups
--Or simply ask questions like, “What resonated with you? How did the Lord speak to you? How were you challenged or encouraged? How may we respond to the message in how we live?”
● If you have communion:
--Partake together monthly or weekly as applicable
--Please take this time with reverence and reassurance of God’s grace to us in Christ. We do recommend wine or grape juice, bread or plain crackers.
● If you would like further guidance on doing this at home with a small group, please speak with any of our pastors.