Living Life Together
Life Groups have long been a part of church life in Waringstown Presbyterian Church, and we want to give you a glimpse of who’s in them, what they do, and why they’re important.
What is a Life Group?
Essentially, a Life Group is just a group of people who follow Jesus. It might be three, it might be ten, it might be slightly more. But it is small – small enough to fit into your living room, say.
What are they for?
We think Life Groups are so important because they provide something that no other kind of church gathering can provide. Of course we highly value our weekly Sunday services as crucial occasions when we meet together as believers to sing to God and hear what He has to say through His Word, the Bible. And we feel strongly that calling ourselves Christians means that we should have a deeply personal relationship with Jesus; one that means regular, personal prayer and study of the Bible. But there is something unique about that in-between space where a small group of people meet regularly to share life together.
The Bible talks about the church – and that’s the people, not the building – as being like a body, made up of different parts. Each part has its function, and each part is different. And there’s no better way to appreciate our differences and to understand our unique roles than by sharing our experiences with others: our joys, successes, disappointments, anxieties and hurts.
There are lots of words in the Bible that we don’t use very often, but which have very specific, very useful meanings. One such word is ‘edify’. It comes from a Latin word which means ‘building’ or ‘construction’. That’s what Life Groups are for. Believers in Jesus Christ building one another up so that they can walk strong in their faith.
What do they do?
Life Groups in Waringstown Presbyterian meet twice monthly between September and June. A typical evening might see a group gather in the home of one of its members and usually beginning with tea and buns. But the core activity of any evening will be time spent together studying the Bible and praying. We usually use a book to help us understand the Bible passage we are reading, using a series of questions to guide our discussion.
But groups do more than that. A Life Group working as it should will provide a network of prayerful and practical support to all its members; it offers what the Bible calls ‘a friend who sticks closer than a brother.’ It should be the kind of group which people look at and say ‘see how they love one another.’
Who can join a Life Group?
You. And you. And you. Many of our groups reflect a particular demographic of the church community (young adults; those with young children; those at similar life stages). We find that works well when it comes to applying what God is saying to the nitty-gritty workings of our daily lives. But there are also groups for those who are still tentatively investigating the Christian faith. Life Groups are not (just) for ‘super-ninja-Christians’. If you are a follower of Jesus and hungry to learn about Him through the Bible and through the way his Spirit works through other people, join a Life Group.
For more info or to join a Life Group:
Telephone:- 028 3888 2654
Email:- info@waringstownpresbyterian.com
