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SCCC - Creating and Maintaining Small Christian Communities Stages of Community More Enduring Faith: What Makes a Community Thrive? More The Development of Pastoral Facilitators for Small Christian Communities More Guidelines Aid Facilitators of Small Christian Communities More What is a small Christian community? More What’s in a Name? More Bridges to Effective LISTENING More SCC Invitation with a Personal Touch More 2006 Convocation Keynote: Fr. Jose Marins 2006 Convocation Presenters: Amy Sluss --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stages of Community Printable Copy by Mary Ann Jeselson Some Small Christian Community groups meet weekly, some biweekly, and others monthly. Some groups are called together by a parish staff person or pastor. Some are created out of weekend experiences or diocesan programs. Some communities use the Sunday scripture to connect their faith and life. Others use contemporary authors to stimulate their faith sharing. Often groups spend much time in prayer while others work harder at justice and community. No matter how often a group meets, how they were invited to gather, or what they do when they gather, most all groups have one thing in common. They will virtually all work through common stages of community from the beginning stage to the long-term stage and, for some, the ending stage. It’s important to note that these stages don’t happen in lock-step fashion. It’s not necessarily stage one, two, three, four, etc. In your group it may be one, three, four, two. And sometimes the stages meld together so that it’s difficult to understand where we’re at in the process. Here is a rundown of some common stages a small Christian community can expect to work through, though not presented in any particular order:The early stage is the time to decide who facilitates, what materials you will use, who is responsible for hospitality, who connects the group to the parish, where and when to meet? In their book, Building Community: Christian, Caring, Vital, Loughlan Sofield, Rosine Hammett, and Carroll Juliano remind us that choosing group leadership doesn’t let the rest of the members off the hook. “The more responsibility members assume, the more they empower themselves.” It is also during this starting stage that the role of confidentiality is established.The belonging stage brings confidence that you’re part of the group; you are a person who is respected and valued by the others members of the small Christian community. All agree it’s a good thing to have joined this group and all want to continue on your journey together. There is increased trust so that each person can be free to share your own story as it relates to the gospel and be accepted for who you are.In a courteous compliance stage groups may feel a sense of unity and peace. You’ve learned to trust each other, to understand each other. Perhaps you’ve learned to enjoy the company of each others’ families. You know what’s expected of you in the group, and you want to stay in this stage forever because if feels good.Conflict. It’s inevitable! Just when you think you’re a mature group who can tackle anything, you might come to the stage where the rubber really meets the road. Unfortunately, most groups avoid conflict but you need to give yourselves permission and encourage each other to address conflict. As Joe McKenna (NJ) says, “If there’s an elephant in the room, don’t ignore it. If everybody’s “nice,” then nothing’s ever going to happen. It’s not a mature group; it’s a nice group.”At this point each member needs to have a chance to name the conflict. The facilitator or another member can suggest, ‘let’s step back and take some time to resolve the problem.” Perhaps you will need to bring in a parish staff person or other mediator to help you work through the conflict. McKenna goes on to advise that if the conflict is between two people, those two people can’t step outside the group to solve the problem. That says the group is not a safe place. The conflict needs to be addressed within the group because the group is a safe place.In a truly mature stage the group will have agreed on a process to deal with conflict (see “Take Time Out”). Questions about how the group works and why they gather have been answered. You know what to expect of other members and they of you. Everyone knows and follows through on our responsibilities to keep the group healthy. The group easily balances the sacred and the social, the inner life of support for one another and the outer life of service to the world. Reaching a mature stage of community does not guarantee that the group will remain at that stage, however. Most groups have to go back through one or more stages from time to time. Each time someone leaves or another person joins the group it basically becomes a new group and the group faces new and interesting challenges. Final stage – a high level of maturity also doesn’t guarantee that a group will go on forever. The end of a group is another normal stage most communities will find themselves experiencing eventually. Changes in lifestyle, deaths, and job relocations will affect the life of the group as will parish/diocesan support for small Christian communities. Sometimes the consensus is that the group’s life cycle has come to a natural end. Rather than mourning, this is a time for celebrating the life of the group, just as you celebrate the life of loved ones when they die. I encourage you to engage in annual evaluations which are a perfect time to talk about what stage your group is in and where and how you want to move forward. Most importantly, there is no right or wrong stage, as long as you continue to grow and mature. Editor’s Note: Mary Ann joined the BV Board this year, lives in HoHoKus, NJ, is married, has two sons, and a granddaughter and a grandson. She belongs to two small Christian communities, one made up of women and with her husband, Steve, to another a mixed group. She also serves on the SCC Core Community of her parish, Church of the Presentation. *** Enduring Faith: What Makes a Community Thrive? Printable Copy Building churches is a big job and I think a risky one! I recently visited Delhi, India, and was struck by the number and grandeur of the temples, mosques, and other worship sites in the area. As I made my way around the city (with a trusted friend and a driver) and visited temples and mosques I noticed the beauty, attention to detail, sense of history and the amount of workmanship that went into the structures themselves. The architecture, carvings, and the open spaces spoke to me of the holy, the enduring, the illuminating quality of God – in so many forms of worship. Another type of worship struck me in India. Everywhere we went I noted signs of worship and blessings in the every day lives of the people: a sprinkling of flower petals, a red marking on a forehead, a turban, a garland of flowers strung across a doorway, a small altar-like structure inside a shop – small but important signs of faith and devotion. The very personal touch of the sacred was almost palpable to me. My work with Buena Vista has been an attempt to help build church and worship spaces in the everyday lives of Catholics in the U.S. today. The churches we build are without physical walls and intricate carvings into marble or stone. But, the churches we build truly are sacred places for worship, faith, community, and service. We help to support, empower, and build small churches of believers; these are communities of people dedicating themselves to keeping the Spirit alive in daily life and in the world. I think those of us who are dedicated to the support and building of small Christian communities are as important as those who build physical structures for worship – or maybe even more important. What good is a physical structure without a community of people? A building without people becomes rundown and eventually turns into a pile of rubble. Much like those who built large historical worship sites, I believe that we have the tools and knowledge necessary to build strong faith communities. We know that it takes time, energy, dedication, and hard work. I've seen many communities come and go. Some last, others fizzle in their first few months. I polled a group of long-time SCC participants and asked them what factors or characteristics they think are at work in long lasting groups. What follows are the top 10 factors or characteristics. They are listed in order, by frequency of being named as an important factor.
There were many more suggestions including these:
Finally, these warnings came through and serve as reminders:
To be successful a SCC has to always be upbeat : Not true! Conflict is unchristian and always hurtful: There are both helpful and hurtful ways to deal with conflict. All groups who are open and truthful with each other will experience conflict; when conflict is handled carefully and considerately, it is one of the best ways for a group to grow. Do get help if your group is struggling with conflict. We always have to be doing something to save the world: We have to know God before we can serve God! As you work toward building, supporting, and maintaining the communities in your own life I encourage you to plan ahead, listen carefully and then allow the Spirit to do her magic! The touch of God is, as mentioned, the most important element of all. *** The Development of Pastoral Facilitators for Small Christian Communities.
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Thou shalt encourage and welcome participation by all members
according to each person’s comfort level.
*** Guidelines Aid Facilitators of Small Christian Communities Printable Copy The facilitator as leader is a familiar image for those involved in small Christian communities. The notion of those communities as adult learning groups is less common but equally valid. In that light, we see that the tools that promote adult learning would be helpful to SCC facilitators. Years ago my friend and mentor James J. DeBoy developed a set of principles for sound adult religious learning in groups. I believe that these principles should underlie all adult learning activities, including SCCs. 1. Adults learn best when treated with respect as self-directing persons. A climate that embraces tolerance and respect for individual differences and offers a chance to reflect together critically on important life topics meets the typical adult learner’s needs. Having one’s questions or comments ignored, being talked down to, receiving simplistic solutions to vexing life issues, or sensing disrespect from others can quickly drive an adult out of a group. 2. Adults learn best when the topics at hand are related to their life experiences. Adult learners often seem to do their best when trying to solve a significant problem, meet a pressing need or answer a question such as: How can members of this faith sharing group reach out to those in need more effectively? Expert opinion may suggest answers, but reflection on members’ experiences adds meaning to a discussion whether the topic is a scripture passage or a social action project. 3. Adults learn best when a variety of methods are used and when they have a say in the goals of the learning experience and how it will be conducted. Sharing responsibilities for group life is a creative and animating path by which small groups become trusting small communities. SCC members can share such tasks as keeping the process on time, deciding what activities will be used, and helping to shape learning objectives. 4. Adults learn best when their groups provide opportunities for them to be physically comfortable and to socialize. A relaxed, relational atmosphere and other adult comfort factors are not just nice additions to small group life; they are essentials as evidenced by the maxim, “The head can’t absorb any more than the seat can stand.” 5. Adults learn best when they are reflecting deeply on important matters with their peers. Reflection is the process of pondering life experiences and elements of our faith to better understand their meaning for our lives. Sharing often enriches reflection and clarifies our life stories. Sharing our reflections can also bring into sharp focus many insights only half-learned or missed entirely along life’s path while we were flying solo. 6. Adults learn best when they see here-and-now progress or results. Adults participate in group learning experiences to meet immediate needs in their lives, for example, to draw closer to the Lord, learn how to be a better person, group spiritually, learn more about Scripture or the Church, resolve a life problem or find a community to which they can belong. This variety of motives poses a real challenge in adult learning programs in those educational institutions whose motto is: “Just learn this now and don’t worry about why, because you will need to know it later.” 7. Adults learn best when they can evaluate their progress. Adult learners prefer to evaluate their own learning, participation and other efforts. So, group learning experiences should provide moments in which adults can make personal assessments. At the same time, adults should be encouraged to assess progress of the group as a whole. My colleagues at the Loyola Institute of Ministry and Loyola Pastoral Life Center crafted the following set of images to describe the role of effective learning-group leaders:
These images clearly indicate a partnership between facilitator and group. Like the others, facilitators are also participants in the group. With the other members, they share responsibility for making the guidelines for solid adult learning to come alive. They also empower all members to manage their own learning and the group processes. This vision of the facilitator’s role is a rich, some say revolutionary, way to view leadership for an adult learning group in our time. Reynold R. “Butch” Ekstrom is an author and educator in adult Christian formation. Formerly at New Orleans’ Loyola Institute for Ministry he now is parish administrator at St. Andrew the Apostle Parish in Scottsdale, Arizona. *** What is a small Christian community? Printable Copy A small Christian community (SCC) is a small group of individuals who gather to share their faith and life in order to grow in their life commitment to work for the reign of God. They strive to incorporate prayer and ritual, scripture reflection, on-going learning and action to eradicate injustice in our church and society. We read in scripture about the small communities of Christians who gathered in their homes to follow the teachings of Jesus.
Since the early 20th century, contemporary small Christian communities (commonly referred to as SCCs) have evolved in all parts of the globe quite spontaneously. In his 1998 post-synodal exhortation, Ecclesia in America, Pope John Paul II recommends small Christian communities as a way to reestablish human relationships in church communities:
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What’s in a Name? Printable Copy “It’s been a great time but I’ve got to go home and get ready. The Oilers are coming over tonight.” “The Oilers, who are they? A bunch of old Texas football fans or a support group for people invested in oil wells? Maybe olive oil importers? “No, it’s our small Christian community. We’ve been meeting with them since the early 1970s.” “Verrrrry interesting.” I’ve experienced this reaction many times over the years when I talk about my small Christian community. One thing is certain. The name definitely makes an impact for folks who aren’t even involved in a small Christian anything. And it’s a memorable name for those folks who are into small community. And that’s the whole idea! I’d like to say that our community came up with this name easily and naturally many years ago. But our moniker is the result of years of transformation, experience and camaraderie. When we first begin gathering at the suggestion of the Claretian pastoring team at our parish in Arvada, CO, we were designated St. Anne’s Mini Parish #70 based on the parish’s arbitrary geographic zones. A few years later the immense and unwieldy parish of St. Anne’s was split. Our newly beloved parish, Spirit of Christ Catholic Community, was founded upon the principles of community and small groups. And voila! We became Neighborhood Area 16. At that point we jokingly referred to ourselves as the “16 slash 70s”. Fast forward a few years. One of our group, Barbara Howard, joined the parish staff solely to coordinate small groups and small Christian communities. Under her capable guidance all SCCs were encouraged to gift ourselves with a name taken after prayerful consideration; we were to choose a name that was meaning ful to the group. We struggled. Far Horizons, our subdivision’s title, sounded like the name of a nursing home. A saint’s name? We all had our personal favorite. Some communities simple became known by the facilitator’s name. But we all wanted ownership of our community in action and in name. An individual from scripture? Ah, but which one? We gave up. As is usually the case if you give her time, the Holy Spirit took care of our dilemma. While reflecting on Matthew’s gospel (25:1-12) about the five foolish and five sensible bridesmaids, we all gleefully declared we’d rather be “well-oiled bridesmaids” and greet our Lord well prepared. As you’ve probably guessed, the name stuck and we’ve forever after been known as The Oilers. *** |
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Bridges to Effective LISTENING LISTEN by using my whole body. Let my body language show that I am listening (open body stance, direct eye contact, lean forward slightly). LISTEN by being truly present to the speaker and giving undivided attention (not doing something else at the same time I am supposedly listening). |
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LISTEN by acknowledging the speaker’s feelings. (“I can hear that you have a blot of feelings around this issue or “You sound angry/excited/happy” or “That must feel really awful/scary/upsetting” or “I can see why you feel so hurt.”) Don’t minimize, sermonize, or negate. LISTEN by observing. The words the speaker says are only part of the story. Be mindful of the facial expressions, tone of voice, and body language in order to better interpret what you are hearing. Do the words match the body language? If not, some clarifying is in order. LISTEN by putting aside my own needs. I need to allow the person to speak and not protect my comfort by changing the subject or making a joke to relieve tension. I can acknowledge that I don’t have a similar experience so I don’t really know how the speaker feels, but I want to listen anyway. |
LISTEN by keeping focused on the speaker and speaker’s experience without planning my response or anticipating what the speaker will say before it is said. LISTEN by not problem-solving, giving unasked for and unwanted advice and remembering that the focus is to listen and not to “fix it.” LISTEN by allowing the speaker’s point of view, by giving up my need to be right, and by not arguing my own point. LISTEN by paraphrasing and asking clarifying questions so the speaker knows that I heard and understood what was said. Editor’s Note: Permission was given (March 2007) to reproduce this by Dr. Mary Cross, Archdiocese of Seattle. Copyright 1992. *** SCC Invitation with a Personal Touch Printable Copy After my small group volunteered me for this talk and I began to think about what I might say, it became obvious very quickly that the question of what a small Christian community means to me is just another way of asking why I am in one in the first place. Why am I in a small Christian community? Two reasons; First, I know I need God and second, I know I need others who know they need God. I believe God helps us in all ways at all times, but I believe his grace is available to us in a particular way through each other when we come together with a common sense of our need for him and a common seeking of his presence in our lives. Perhaps by using an image I can best express my sense of a need for God and how I experience being in an SCC in relation to that need. I’m thinking of a carpenter’s plumb line, a device used to find a true vertical. It is simply a pointed metal weight (a bob) suspended on the end of a line. If suspended without interference, the bob aligns on a true vertical to the string from which it hangs. For me, that’s a symbol of my relationship to life and to God. I am the bob suspended on the line of my life. God is the force drawing me into alignment with his love so that my lifeline will hang true, will indeed be the love-line he wants it to be. If my lifeline is ensnared or deflected, the bob that I am loses alignment and my plumb line becomes only another piece of loose string. I am then literally at loose ends. But if I can keep plumb line and bob in alignment with the attractive power of God’s love, that alignment releases in me energies and forces which form me into, and inform me about, how much more I am than a mere physical body suspended in time. But our lives can and do swing out of plumb. They can sway and drift with every breeze that blows, or be bumped and thrown, or tangled and blocked. Worse yet, plumb lines can snarl and knot themselves up on their own without any help whatever from external forces. The point of a small Christian community, as I see it, is that through sharing our lived experience of seeking, finding and keeping alignment with God we affirm and guide each other in our Christian faith. A small Christian community is the church close up focused in its desire to be real, warm, personal and flawed. In our SCC it is safe to be flawed and to let it show. We’re not competing for anything; we don’t have to impress anyone. There is no question of being qualified. The only question is whether we want to become more loving human beings after the model given to us in the person of Jesus Christ. This, then, is what being in a small Christian community means to me. I can add only that there are no guarantees that I know of. There are only unlimited possibilities. It all depends on the group, on each one of us as a member of the group, and most of all on the Holy Spirit who, after all, is the only one who never misses a meeting. *** Keynote 2006 Convocation: Sr. Catherine Nerney So Much More!! Yes, the participants of the 2006 Buena Vista Convocation heard and shared about “Communio” and “Community” and so very much more from keynote presenter, Catherine Nerney, SJ, from Chestnut Hill College. In fact hearts beat faster and tears flowed as Sister received a standing ovation after her theologically- elevated yet down-to-earth exposition and examples of the triune life of God in the mystery of Church that is community. Sr. Catherine invited us from the beginning to question with her where we would be today if small Christian community had not shaped our lives. The source of community is the triune life of God whose very being is Communion. We believe in a God whose essence IS relationship, inseparable but differentiated. Wow! That “essence,” God’s life, has been poured out on us! ...on all of creation! We live God’s life in community. We know, yet somehow with Sister’s guidance, we were able to re-appreciate the utter wonder of the mystery. In community, we find a unity where diversity is not feared or resisted, but celebrated. More than that, we reflect on and live this relational life with God and with one another. More than that, we are called to live together in a way that we exclude no one. How do we do that? Sister challenged us very practically to expand our notions of community. Think of a spiral:
More than the awe and wonder of the communal life of God coming to be in human history is the responsibility for us to build community, to make God’s life visible. The Church as a human social institution is frail and weak. It is always in need of changing. However, it never changes from being a community of believers. God has chosen to speak to us, to live with us, to save us as one people. We reach out and invite others to join us. We work to create the best community, the most inclusive community, but it is never complete. We work to keep expanding that community, the “Reign of God,” to the far reaches of the earth turning, as Jesus did, the understanding of reign or kingdom upside down. In God’s kingdom, the least is first, the servant is leader. All are welcome, all are One in the Eucharistic Community. The body of Christ is broken. In Eucharist, “we receive who we are and become what we eat.” With Sister Catherine’s own stories of parental care-giving and other examples of diminishment and vulnerability in our institutional church and nation, she kept leading us downward, deeper into an awareness of our individual and communal brokenness. We own our sinfulness and vulnerability as we tell and experience with one another, our personal stories of struggle and failure. In fellowship and with the support of others, we confront and accept ourselves, our church, our nation, as broken and surrender (kenosis), allowing God’s forgiving love to transform us. We cannot have communio without self-emptying. An example of communio came from Sister’s recent visit to Rwanda, where she witnessed people who had been involved in the genocide of 1994 publicly acknowledging the evil that they had experienced and participated in. With humility and remorse, they are accepting the evil and saying, “I/we will not pass it on.” In this model of kenosis, the self-emptying of guilt and revenge, God transforms the evil into the new life of peace and reconciliation. We were all grateful to learn that from instances like these and our own shared in community we experience the church’s sacramental character as a reality, simultaneously, human and divine. Janet Srebalus, MM *** Keynote 2006 Convocation: Fr. Jose Marins Fr. Jose Marins speaks from years of experience with small church communities (SCC) all over the world. Starting as a parish priest in his native Brazil he discovered a passion for BEC (Basic Ecclesial Communities – the name commonly used for small Christian communities in Latin America) and now travels with Sr. Teo Trevisan, preaching and teaching about small church. He used the opportunity of our 2006 convocation to provide us some background in theology, history, and the place of small church communities within the larger Church as it looks towards the future. Marins described small Christian communities (SCC) as church at the most basic level. The phenomenon is not a movement; movements have founders but no one “founded” them. SCCs are an inexhaustible gift from God. He believes that we are only working with the seeds of this new model of church under construction. The full development is not of our hands. Just as we only see our destination at the last moments of a plane trip, we in small Christian communities cannot see our goal but we’re moving towards it nonetheless. He began by talking about the Church as Sacrament (the divine breaking through within history). His words reminded me of Richard McBrien’s statement in his theology textbook “Catholicism,” p.731: “Everything is, in principle, capable of embodying and communicating the divine…Just as the divine reaches us through the finite, so we reach the divine through the finite. The point at which this “divine commerce” occurs is the point of sacramental encounter. For Christians, the point of a sacramental encounter with God is Jesus Christ.” Jesus is the primary sacrament. Fr. Marins explained that the relationship between God and man is not exclusively, nor even primarily, individual or personal. Catholicism has historically emphasized the Church as the mediating principle for sacramental encounters. This is very important when discussing the possibilities of small communities being truly “Church”. If SCCs are truly Church, they participate in the Church’s sacramental character/mission. In the past, the Church’s single-minded focus on only the seven Sacraments and reserving those exclusively to the episcopate has been a barrier to thinking about small church communities as Church. We are all Church. Only when laity and clergy all work together are we truly the Body of Christ. Vatican II changed our thinking about who and what is Church. Based on its new ideas about church, and responding to local needs in South America, the Latin American Church has embraced the sacramental role of small Christian communities. The leaders of such small church communities witness marriages, perform baptisms, visit and anoint the sick, and officiate at Sunday liturgies of the Word. When possible, they also distribute Eucharist consecrated elsewhere. Marriages and baptisms may be confirmed later at large ceremonies by a priest or bishop. Small church communities have other characteristics of Church as well, such as service and outreach. Fr. Marins took some pains to point out that SCCs are not intended to serve the larger church or do its work. As church, they have their own special role and charism to reach out to the borders (of the church and of the world) - to connect with, and serve the needs of those who are “outside” – to bring “church” to them. Several of Marins’ specific comments struck me.
Finally, Fr. Marins announced news of a 2007 general council of Latin American bishops. It is expected that basic ecclesial communities will continue to be affirmed as church. His session ended with a challenge to us that we identify specific strategies for the future development of SCCs in the United States. The Catholic Church has always been both universal and local. In each country or region, the universal Church has developed its own unique local flavor, customs, style. Fr. Marins said that “inculturation” is not optional. “Church is more than an institution. It is inculturated. We can’t separate the two. The future development of SCCs within the United States must serve the needs and honor the traditions of the “local” church in America. We were individually, and as a group, challenged to direct and nourish that development and growth. Discussion and faith sharing questions for small groups:
If you wish, share the answers to these questions with others by sending them to info@sccconnect.org. *** Presenter 2006 Convocation: Barbara Darling Participating in a Small Christian Community Printable Copy In order to share our sacred, ordinary lives in the context of a small Christian community, we must (1) be open to the Spirit’s plan for our lives, (2) capture the plan, and (3) work the plan. There are many ways the Spirit may move us to participate in a small Christian community gathering, such as through the invitation of pastoral staff, SCC advocate, or by an individual member of an SCC. SCC groups gather as a result of the needs of the participants and the needs of the greater community to have a place whereby participants may recognize their own as well as others’ sacred, ordinary lives. There are many different materials for small group gatherings, such as lectionary-based, topic-based or a combination of both. The second aspect of sharing our sacred, ordinary lives involves “capturing the plan.” We do this by regular reflection on the gospel and being a part of an SCC. Regular reflection on the gospel compels us to bring our relationship with Jesus to life and nurtures a desire to live counter-culturally. Being a part of a small church community triggers and enhances this relationship. However, being a part of an SCC requires group decisions, group setting of goals, and group strategizing. This is where facilitation skills and the understanding of group dynamics are important. There are many ways to set communal goals and strategies. One way is to refer to a written resource on the topic such as Getting a Grip on Your Group (www.goodgroundpress.com) or Small Christian Communities: Vision and Practicalities (www.columba.ie). Another way is to utilize an outside consultant. In order to set up the goals, a series of gatherings or a weekend retreat may be helpful. It is important to set communal goals because it leads to a realization that we need others to help us live out our baptismal call. Also, it leads to group continuity and may likely anticipate group disagreements and problems. The final aspect of sharing our sacred, ordinary lives is “working the plan”. It is important to understand why we commit to a long-term relationship. A long-term relationship provides us support in living an alternative lifestyle, in particular by living a Eucharistic life despite our culture’s pressure not to do so. Also, a long term relationship provides us the strength to seek Jesus’ presence in our daily lives and to form an understanding and interiorization of the gospel. Once this decision to commit to a long- term relationship is made by the group, the group is free to focus together on the formation and mission of the group. But how do we commit to a long-term relationship? The first step is to intentionally set communal purposes, goals, and strategies. The group will choose its mission and structure to support individual outreach projects. The group will also choose faith sharing materials and other resources based on the group’s chosen strategies. The second step is to intentionally connect with the larger picture, such as partnering with other small Christian communities in other churches or sending one or more members to national networking opportunities. The third step is to focus on continued personal and group formation and set aside quality time for prayer and meaningful ritual. Lastly, everyone must take responsibility for the success of the group. This can be accomplished by dividing up duties such as connections, outreach, resources, facilitation, and hosting. Through our participation in small Christian communities, we begin to see that our ordinary lives are indeed sacred. *** Presenter 2006 Convocation: Amy Sluss Intergenerational Groups Growing in Faith Through Your SCC – With the Kids!! Printable Copy The title of Amy Sluss’ workshop at the 2006 Buena Vista Convocation in Phoenix was Intergenerational Groups. For at least one of the participants, there was an expectation we would be exploring the blessings of an SCC with a wide range of ages among the adult members. Instead, our eyes were opened to the enormous potential of sharing the SCC experience with our children. As Amy explained her own personal journey to the experience of an intergenerational SCC and the many things she and her group has learned along the way, a very clear and simple thought began to emerge. We are our children’s first teachers and in many ways their best teachers. Even in those difficult teenage years we have the opportunity to make lasting impressions on our children and provide them an anchor and starting point for their own journey of faith. Through the experience of an intergenerational SCC our children have the opportunity to meet and interact with other adults who share our Christian faith and gain an understanding of the blessings of having good people in their lives. They also have a chance to see the adults in their family sharing their faith with other adults and children in ways our larger church settings do not provide. While the whole concept of an intergenerational SCC may be a little difficult to grasp at first, Amy offered the following key points during her workshop:
The ideas and concept of an intergenerational SCC clearly broadens our options for church and community and can give us new and exciting ways to share our faith with others. ***
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