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Smaller Groups within Kern Road Mennonite Church
In the early church, Jesus’ followers knew how important other believers were to the mission of the church and ongoing growth in faith. Early Christians and Mennonites experienced persecution as a result of their faith commitments. Clearly, Christian community was important for learning, discernment, prayer and support. Kern Road Mennonite Church affirms the importance of gathering in smaller groups for fellowship, community, recreation, service, study and prayer as we seek to learn, love, and live God’s dream each day. Groups in the congregation form by interest, proximity, annual commitment to one another, and geographical area group. Current interest groups include: Thursday morning Women’s Bible Study, Contemplative Prayer, Quilting, and a Sustainable Living group. There is also support for groups of households living in closer proximity. These groups sometimes have a missional commitment to their neighborhood and thus are not exclusive to Kern Road attenders, but include Christians from other traditions. These groups form around relationships where meeting is likely to be more frequent and spontaneous. Groups may have certain evenings of the week or month when they intentionally meet together for fellowship, eating, sharing and prayer. Finally, there are a variety of different small groups of individuals that meet because they have made a commitment to fellowship and support one another during a given church year. The make-up of these groups generally changes from year to year, but some groups have a core that has met for many years. Responsibility for determining meeting time and agenda varies and is left up to the group participants. |
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