What is a Home Group?

  • Home Group A Home Group (a small group) is made up of 2 to 12 people who come together to build relationships through encouragement, accountability, love, guidance, and prayer. The goal is for all persons to experience life transformation through Christ. The goal is also to build community, the kind of community the early church had and is mentioned in the New Testament.

  • Members of the Home Group are encouraged to share their thoughts, feelings, struggles, and joys while applying Biblical principles in their daily lives. Through group discussion, sharing, and prayer, we grow closer to God and to one another.

  • In these trusting relationships, Home Group participants agree that what is said in the group will remain confidential and differences of opinions will be respected.

  • Home groups are not professional therapeutic support groups. But they are groups where we can come as we are, love others as they are, and place ourselves in a community of transforming love.

Where and when do Home Groups meet?
Most Home Groups meet in a member's home every other week. Some groups do meet weekly. Home groups meet on a variety of days and times. We are always supportive of individuals who are interested in starting a new Home Group.

Who can be a member of a Home Group?
Everyone is welcome to connect with a Home Group whether you are new in your faith journey or have long been a follower of Jesus.

How do I get connected?
If you are interested in joining a Home Group please contact the church office for more information. To help us further assist you in finding the right group, please call secretary McCain or email her at: secretary@fcceonline.org.  You let us know you are interested, and we'll take care of the rest.


Why Join a Home Group? What are the benefits of being in a Home Group?

Community:
Home Group All of us are looking for a place to belong, as well as place to become all that God wants to become. Our number one need in life is to love and be loved. God designed people for community. Each of us has a desire "to belong" somewhere. Seeking community is often what brings many of us to First Congregational Church. It will be the relationships that we build that keep us coming back to First Congregational Church. At First Congregational, we understand that worship celebration on Sunday is uplifting, a time to celebrate God, and an important part of our spiritual growth but it will not bring about the kind of life transformation that can take place in a small group. It is in Home Groups where life transformation occurs. Even Jesus did not do it alone; He created community by gathering the 12 disciples. Over fifty times in the New Testament the phrase "one another" is used to describe our relationship to other believers. We are instructed to love one another, encourage one another, pray for one another, accept one another, bear one another's burdens, and build up one another. One of the best ways in which you can obey these commands is through a Home Group Ministry.

You will begin to understand the Bible better in a Home Group.
If you've ever listened to a sermon and wanted to stop the preacher and say, "But what about...?" or "You don't understand my situation!" Then a small group is for you! Preaching is an important part of Christian education and growth but it is also one-way communication. Home Groups allow for a more in depth look at the implications of God's Word and ways to apply it to your life. In a Home Group setting, you can ask questions, participate in a discussion of the text, and hear others share insights and illustrations of the truth you are trying to grasp. The Bible must be applied to your own personal situations and that happens best in Home Groups. Home Groups are safe places where people can take the "masks" off and truly be themselves. It is a place of loving accountability, a place of encouragement on this journey called life.

"They devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Every day they continued to meet together... they broke bread in their homes and ate together... and the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved." Acts 2:42, 44, 46-47

"Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the Good News that Jesus is the Christ." Acts 5:42

I am excited about the incredible potential of the network of Home Groups we are building within First Congregational Church. If you are not participating in a Home Group, why not join one this week?