The End - Or Is It?

I just got back from our final small group meeting of the 40 Days of Community series. It has been a good time, getting to know some new people, sharing together, praying together and reaching out together. Last Saturday we did a clean-up for a 91 yeard old man in Sayville and this week it was a 77 year old Medford woman. All great stuff.

So where do we go from here. Our gang seem to have enjoyed getting to know one another, so we're planning to keep going when the next small group cycle starts in February. It may be the end of the series, but it's the start of continuing to develop community in our own group.

Here are a few reasons we do small groups -

1. Everyone needs to know they belong and that just does not happen in a Sunday crowd.

2. Everyone has something to contribute and that isn't how Sundays shape up. The small group setting is the ideal arrangement for sharing.

3. Small group members look out for one another, so what is often described as "pastoral care" happens naturally as friends look out for friends.

4. Small groups can do things together both in serving in the church and in reaching out to others outside the church.

5. Subjects can be examined, bounced around and considered in more detail in a small group.

I've been convinced about the importance of small groups for over 30 years. If you're not in one, you're missing out - I've got a small group, because I need one and whether you realize it or not, you do too!