Small Church Communities

St. John’s has about 30 small church communities – some have been meeting steadily for more than 20 years!  I support these groups, working with the Service Team, by providing resources (At Home With the Word) and with several other events:

• Saturday Sept. 25, Sunday Sept. 26 – Blessing for the coming year of all SCC members at the end of each mass
• October will have an SCC information and signup push for new members.
• Peter will lead new folks interested in joining an SCC through the process, using the Sunday readings.  After these pilot sessions they will be encouraged to fly on their own. 
  • The first session will be held Sunday October 31, 2010 at Wilde Lake.
  • The second session will be held on Sunday January 30 at Oakland Mills.
  • Both sessions will begin at 7:00pm and last about 90 minutes.
• May 1, 2011 – Blessing for all those who participated in an SCC during the year at the end of each mass.

Why should I join a small church community?
A small church community is a group of 6 to 12 people who gather on a regular basis (often weekly or every other week) to talk about the ways their faith meets daily life. Being in a small community complements an adult’s individual study and prayer and participation in Sunday Eucharist by providing an opportunity to reflect on the events of our lives (and God’s presence to us in them) with a handful of others in a confidential setting. The Sunday scripture readings are the focus for most of the small church communities in our parish – though some groups are using the Why Catholic? program and its focus on the catechism this coming year. There are plenty of existing groups to choose from (and the possibility of forming a new one) so that you can find a group and a focus that works for you.

All small groups at St. John’s follow a process that includes prayer, reading from the scriptures, reflection together using prepared questions, sharing some of the important events of our lives, and closing with prayer. We currently have about 30 groups meeting at all times of the day and all days of the week – they meet at whatever time, day, and place that is most convenient for them. We are always ready to help form new groups or to help an individual find a small group to belong to – many groups are actively seeking a new member or two!

Call Peter Barbernitz at 410 964-1430 and get started now!

Resources
Exploring the Sunday Readings, with a new focus on whole community catechesis, continues to be available at no charge in the SCC office at Oakland Mills or at the welcome tables at Wilde Lake and Oakland Mills on the first weekend of each month.   At Home with the Word, containing all of the Sunday readings, is distributed free of charge to SCC members each year.


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