Fr. Bob - Small Parish Groups
If we were to ever hear Jesus say things that seems totally unreasonable today would be the day. “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you”. Those don’t seem very reasonable to me. Come on Jesus! Life is already hard enough. You don’t have to make it even harder!
And life is hard. The busyness and the demands of everyday, at times it all can get overwhelming. So, when things pile up how do we not let life knock us off balance? It helps if you know you’re not alone in it. In fact, the walk of faith was never meant to be walked alone. A parish small group or faith group offers the opportunity to walk the journey not alone but others
If recovery work benefits from small groups so can the parish. And think of it, Is that not the work of the faith journey? It’s recovery from our old ways of thinking and acting as we live our way into new ways of thinking and acting.
So, small groups, they have a way of making the experience of our faith come alive as well as deepening our connection with our parish family. Creating in the parish a culture of small groups, what a game changer for all of us! That’s why every year for Lent we’re going to be putting out a call to be part of a small parish group. We did it last year and we’re doing it again this year.
So, why be part of a faith-based parish small group? There are many reasons, but I’ll give you three. One, in a culture that turns to technology and social media for connection the human connections made in small groups are connections that nourish the soul in the way tec social media can’t.
Face to face encounters with people who care bring out the best in us. All of that can happen in the supportive environment of a small group. As they say, you want a big parish to suddenly feel a lot smaller? The five or six people you connect with in your small group can make it feel that way.
The second reason for small groups. The relationships formed in small groups have a way of lighting a fire in us. We see that fire in others and suddenly the fire ignites in is in us. The more we get to know each other the more we inspire each other, just by being who we are. It’s a vitality that then spills over into the life of the parish.
The third reason for small groups, authentic faith leads to action. Invariably this is what happens in our existing small groups. After a time, they seem to naturally gravitate toward moving into action. Though not required, as a group or on their own, many in the group find themselves offering some kind of service to the parish or the larger community.
A system for offering service opportunities is being developed to help groups that want to get involved. So, why be part of a small parish group? If you want to deepen connection with God and the parish, a new vitality to the experience of your faith journey, and a greater desire to serve, a parish small group is one way to experience those things.
But you might be wondering what do you do in a small parish group? All our parish small groups use elements of scripture, minimally the Gospel for the upcoming weekend, prayer, and personal sharing. As we did last year, Deacon Ray and I have a series of videotaped teachings that will be part of the Lenten small group experience.
Listening to others and sharing our stories, it’s what bonds us as a small group. That’s what I feel every time I gather with my men’s group on Saturday mornings as we stand around the fire in the parish house backyard, winter included.
And if you join a small group how many times do you meet? Don’t worry, you’re not signing your life away. Your small group meets five times, beginning in Lent. If a group wants to keep going they can. A number of groups did that las year. Typically it’s men’s group and women’s groups or mixed groups.
After mass there is an information table, where you can ask more about small groups and how you can sign up. In the meantime, remember, our faith can ask some pretty demanding things of us. “Love your enemies, pray for those who hate you, bless those who curse you.”
That’s why the walk of faith was never intended to be walked alone. It’s a journey we make with others. There’s real strength in that. So, if you feel the call why not try on a parish small group for size. It just might be the perfect fit for you.
