Community Builder 1 (Oct 2-Oct 8)
Community Builder Practice: Week 1| Oct 2-8
Communities @ Grace
Goal for Week: Begin to build relationships with those in your Community, or get to know your existing Community on a different and more personal level.
45 minutes: Welcome, Pray, Eat + Mingle
Like any Community night, have dinner together. However, rather than feeling like you need to get through dinner to dive into a Practice, enjoy a long meal together. To set the tone, open in prayer.
If conversation is not naturally flowing in smaller clusters of people, it could be good to pitch a question like:
What is one thing you would rate “10 out of 10”?
What could you give a 40 minute presentation on with no preparation?
What is something you have been meaning to try but haven’t gotten around to?
15-20 Minutes: Community Discussion
Characteristics of an effective Community:
Openness: people are willing to share their thoughts on the topic and how the topic impacts them. It also means that each person is willing to listen to others' perspectives without judgment.
Confidentiality: what is said stays in the group. If there are thoughts or concerns expressed in the group they are to be discussed only within the group context. They are not shared with people outside the group unless there is a safety concern.
Consistency: individuals and families are expected to commit to attending meetings each week. Infrequent attendance can reduce the ability for the Community as a whole to get to know and accept one another on a deeper level.
Participation: each person will do their best to share equally as others do also. If one person does not share in the communication or takes too much of the time allowed, then the others are forced to adjust how much they share. The best meetings are those where all participate and are heard from.
Acceptance: we accept the words of each other at face value. We accept where each person is in their biblical journey and encourage each person to move forward in personal growth.
Practices: each person in the Community is committing to actively pursuing spiritual growth through spending time on the provided practices each week, not just at Community, but at home as well.
When group members share similar expectations of the group, it is more likely to succeed. If anyone’s expectations are consistently unmet, the opportunity for discontent increases. We each need to keep track of our own expectations, but also help others understand theirs when appropriate.
Things to talk through:
Meeting frequency: weekly
Location options: same location each time, different locations
Refreshments:
Light meal or potluck
Prepared by host, signup list, all members of group?
Childcare:
No childcare is needed
Location options: at meeting site, family finds childcare at home, multiple families at one members home
How coverage could be handled: Parents hire childcare, group contributes to cost of shared childcare, (there are resources available from the church to assist with childcare if needed)
45 Minutes : Show and Tell Time
Show and Tell
This part will take a little prep. Before your Community comes together, ask them to each bring one item for show and tell. The item can be a hobby item, an item with a memory attached to it, an old photo, or anything else that can spark a story.
After dinner, transition to a space where everyone can see each other.
Then, allow each person to do their show and tell. If your Community is large, you may need to give a 3-minute time cap. If you have extra time, you can give room for Q&A.
10 Minutes : Pray for One Another + Close
Consider praying as a whole group or in triads for personal prayer requests.
End on time in order to honor everyone’s time.
5 Minutes: Practice for the week
Before everyone leaves, challenge them with homework: grab coffee with someone in the Community this week and share your story.