Seedling Small Groups

WE ARE EXCITED ABOUT SEEDLING SMALL GROUP MINISTRY!



The Seedling small groups will meet in the home of their leader roughly twice a month for time of fellowship and discussions based on the sermons from worship and the Scripture texts that accompany each sermon. No book-reading is necessary! And if you miss worship, you can listen or read the sermons on our website here


The 2019-2020 Seedling small groups

are listed here. 

We hope you can find one that suits your schedule and needs:


Mechanicsville area (seeding group for couples): Jon and Lura Beck, leaders

Meets 2nd and 4th Sundays at 7pm beginning January 12

only space for one more couple!


West End area (seedling group for individuals and couples): Rob and Hanne Hamlin, leaders

Meets 1st and 3rd Mondays at 7pm beginning October 7



You may sign up for a Seedling group by using this link (Google Forms)




THE DISCUSSION QUESTIONS ARE HERE (BY DATE)

Click on the link to view and download the questions



This page will be your resource for Seedling group discussion material. Just as all sermons are accessible through the website, so will all Seedling group discussion questions be accessible/downloadable from this page.

Why the seedling?

At one point in his ministry, Jesus says to his disciples: "The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how. The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in with his sickle, because the harvest has come" (Mark 4:26-29)


The seedling is a powerful image of this growth that God's Word fosters within us. It may start small--almost imperceptible--but eventually it flourishes and bears fruit. When seeds are planted together in groups, they are able to grow closer to one another and provide protection and shelter for each other. 

Although everyone is at a different point in their faith journey, we hope that these Seedling Small groups will be occasions of growth for each person who participates--growth in friendship, growth in understanding of God's Word, and growth in faith.

information about Seeding groups

Why are we launching small group ministry?

We are forming them to provide opportunities for fellowship and spiritual growth among members of our congregation.

 

When will they start?

We will conduct sign-ups in September and then start the groups a few weeks after Rally Day (Rally Day is September 9). They will run for 10 weeks in the fall, ending before Christmas. Another round will begin after the new year and continue through the spring, ending before Easter.

 

Who are the small groups for?
Anyone at Epiphany can be in a small group! Some groups will be formed for couples. Other groups will be for individuals. Some groups may be single-gender and others will be mixed. We hope to provide a variety of different small group formats so that everyone will be able to find one they are comfortable with. Groups will range from 6-10 members (or 4-5 couples). Every group will have a leader who will organize and help run the meetings.

 

How often will each small group meet?
That will mainly be up to each group leader. We are hoping that they will meet at least twice a month (once every two weeks). Some groups may meet weekly.

 

What will happen in the small groups?

These will be sermon-based small groups. All the discussion will be based on one of the pastors’ sermons from the previous weeks along with the Scripture lessons those sermons use as their foundation. All sermons are downloadable from the website in both audio and print versions so people who miss worship can easily access what was preached. No special study or reading is necessary! Group reflection questions will also be posted on the website each week. Meetings will be about an hour and a half long and will include time for fellowship, checking in, discussing the reflection questions, and prayer.

 

What if I’m already in a kind of “small group”?

Good question. Several of our ministry groups already function as small group ministry. Mom’s Bible Study, Stephen Ministry, and the Men’s lunch groups come to mind. We don’t intend these new small groups to detract from ministry in other areas. The Mom’s Bible study (Thursdays at 9:30am) has already decided to use our sermon-based study in the fall as their curriculum. Other groups may decide to do the same. However, we encourage anyone to consider signing up for a new group. These groups are ideal for anyone wanting to grow in their faith and desiring to form deeper relationships with others in the congregation.

 

We have set a goal to have 80 people throughout the congregation involved in this ministry (not counting the existing “small groups” I just mentioned, which is approximately 20% of our worship attendance. We think we can do it! Watch for the sign-up sheets in the Commons in September.