The Miraculous Network of Relationships
THE NEWSLETTER
Dig Into Big Ideas at Commons
The Miraculous Network of Relationships
Yelena Pakhomova
MIRACULOUS RELATIONSHIPS
My years of working with and participating in groups have helped me experience church as an invisible and somewhat miraculous network of relationships.
Recently, a friend shared a meme with me about small groups that said, "Instead of encouraging people to join a small group, churches should say 'Sign up to judge a stranger's house or feel more guilty for not reading a book you intended to.'"
I think we can all relate to that misconception.
Repeatedly, I am awed by the hospitality extended across differences and friendships. It starts with just one vulnerable and brave conversation in a safe space.
HOW GROUPS TAKE SHAPE
As we start a new season for Commons Groups, I look forward to the relational and personal growth it will generate in our community.
We always have a core of long-term groups where people engage with our Sunday teachings. The weekly discussion guide I put together for them focuses on generating personal engagement with a sermon and sharing stories.
Our short-term groups help people explore a topic of interest or dive deeper into a sermon series for four to six weeks. This offers a balance of community building and intellectual stimulation when you can only commit to a short amount of time in a year.
And our drop-in groups are a fantastic way to meet people with similar interests. These take the form of athletic and creative drop-ins.
WHAT’S NEW IN GROUPS
It’s pretty fun to look at some of the new groups starting this fall:
A Lethbridge Group
Two short-term groups for life-stage transitions: "Meaningful Retirement" and "Rewilding Motherhood"
"Commons 50+", a group connecting people over 50
Monthly dinner and conversation for family members of the LGBTQ+ community
Two new groups are still in the planning stage: board game nights for kids and parents, and a group for new parents
We are also redesigning our Women's Group this season
Additionally, many of our groups have adopted a hybrid model of online and in-person meetings post-pandemic, making them more accessible to families with young children, people who rely on transit, and those who live further away from Calgary.
I am currently looking for people interested in running a short-term group in winter or spring and for someone to facilitate our Commons Library Book Club. And if you have the capacity to start a group for young professionals, I'd love to talk to you about that.
Going back to the meme my friend sent me, I won't say, "Join a small group today!" but I will say sharing some of your life with eight to twelve people at church could definitely be a stretching and tremendously rewarding experience for you.
