Home Groups
We have small groups usually (7-14 members) meeting on different days of the week, both during the day and in the evenings. All are welcome, even if some members are unable to come on a regular basis. Home groups allow members to relax and get to know and share with one another in an informal atmosphere. Each group meets in a home, some choosing to meet in each other’s home on a rotational basis.
Subjects discussed are varied, and the use of DVD, music as well as studying the Bible are all instruments used at various times. Prayer support is very important, and members are able to share confidentially the needs they have, within their small group as well as support others facing the nitty gritty of life.
Here are some examples of what members have said about home groups:
"We are a close-knit group of friends who offer one another valuable fellowship and support. The leading is done by three people alternately and our members take turns hosting our meetings so it is a truly shared experience."
“We support each other in prayer through particular difficulties and rejoice in the many answers to prayer in difficult situations. We have been working through a study book of the Holy Spirit and this went well. We try to have a social evening twice a term. This is often in the form of a meal. Inviting those who are not able to come on a regular basis, enables us to keep contact with them and know they are missed, hoping that they will be able to come in the future.”
“We are a large group who have gelled together after a time of getting to know one another. We have studied a variety of subjects over the past year, with the use of DVD, and group study books. We recently attended the Lent course on Gifts of the Spirit, which we hope will be beneficial to us as a home group as well as in the wider family of the Church. We have also helped support Alpha, by taking our turn with catering.”
“For 30 years I have had the pleasure of attending a Home Group, sometimes things changed or leaders changed, but I have always enjoyed it very much, even if it meant sometimes getting out of your warm home to meet with your group. Then I became a Leader myself for many years and now we have 11 members: a super bunch of people, committed and faithful and what is even more encouraging: 3 young women, who have just joined us from the Alpha course!”
Ladies' Bible Study Groups
There are two Ladies' Bible Study Groups. One is held at the home of Susan Harrowing and is led by Mary Chandler. It is open to any ladies of any age and meets during the Spring and Winter terms only, every other Monday at 8.00pm. For further details please call Susan Harrowing on 01732 355035. The other meets between 10.00am and 12.00pm on a Monday and is led by Ruth Crouch, who can be contacted on 01732 838142 for further details. Each group provides fellowship and seeks to find how God speaks through the Bible into our busy world. In addition, a post-Alpha group for ladies meets weekly at the home of Diane Black and is led by our curate, Simon Braid, who can be contacted on 01892 871453.
Church Youth Home Group
Older teenagers meet regularly on a fortnightly basis in a home - for fellowship, support and learning from the Bible - to discover its relevance for their lives and the pressures they face. For further details contact our vicar on vicar@stjohnshildenboro.co.uk