Resources for Developing
Small Christian Communities
[Most articles can be downloaded; if you see no download form, write to us.]
Note: These Sample Bulletin Announcements — and all pages about developing Small Christian Communities — can be downloaded as a printable PDF set, scroll down to the order form at the bottom of the Table of Contents.
Bulletin Announcement
FOR GETTING FACILITATORS:
DO YOU HAVE THE DESIRE TO DO A LITTLE EXTRA AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE WITH GOD’S HELP? WE NEED MORE FACILITATORS FOR NEW SCC GROUPS THAT ARE BEING FORMED! It’s easy! It’s painless! Training is provided. Qualifications: 1) love God, 2) love the members of your group, 3) say yes! That’s all. You don’t need to know the Bible, you don’t have to have any special skills. Being a facilitator means starting and ending the meetings on time, making each member feel welcome, and serving as liaison with the SCC Director. Call (phone number) for more information.
Bulletin Announcement
INVITING NEW MEMBERS, WEEK 1:
Q: What value might a Small Christian Community have for you?
A: It takes a little sacrifice to attend a meeting in someone else’s home week after week, but the new spirituality-based friendships we gain from the meetings help us experience more of God’s love. How? God reaches out to us through other people. Through them, He gives us acceptance and companionship for the Christian journey and support for the struggles of everyday life.
Watch the bulletin every week for more answers to common questions about Small Christian Communities. If you’d like to submit a question or find out more about joining or leading an SCC in our parish, call (name & phone of SCC director).
Bulletin Announcement
FOR WEEK 2:
Q: The readings of Mass: Do they make sense for your needs? Do they help you with your everyday struggles?
A: In Small Christian Communities, there’s always new insights we receive from the Scriptures, insights that benefit us the rest of our lives. By studying the weekend liturgy’s readings with others who have similar needs, we discover that God is speaking to us directly. Then, the Mass itself becomes more meaningful, more alive!
Watch the bulletin every week for more answers to common questions about Small Christian Communities. If you’d like to submit a question or find out more about joining or leading an SCC in our parish, call (name & phone of SCC director).
Bulletin Announcement
FOR WEEK 3:
Q: What is a Small Christian Community?
A: A group of 8 to 10 people meet weekly in someone’s home to study Sunday’s scripture readings. Each person discovers, at their own pace, how God has been actively loving them and helping them. In this environment, mutual trust grows, and members share their individual faith stories. The group becomes a small church in the large parish, so that everyone experiences the concern, prayer and emotional support of the Body of Christ.
(Name of Your Church) Parish will soon be forming Small Christian Communities. We are looking for facilitators; training will be provided. To find out more about joining or leading an SCC, call (name & phone of SCC director).
Bulletin Announcement
FOR WEEK 4:
Q: Why should I join a Small Christian Community?
A: In today’s busy world, our lives are in upheaval. Relationships fail. Much seems out of our control. Our consumer society preaches “the good life” but we can’t quite feel that good no matter how much we strive for success. As individuals, we don’t seem very important. We feel alone, dissatisfied, empty, tired. And yet, as Christians, we search for God’s help. In small parish groups, we discover the conversion that leads to true inner peace, caring relationships, spiritual success, the importance of being God’s partner, and the fulfillment of our purpose in life.
(Name of Your Church) Parish will soon be forming Small Christian Communities. We are looking for facilitators; training will be provided. To find out more about joining or leading an SCC, call (name & phone of SCC director).
Bulletin Announcement
FOR WEEK 5:
Q: Where is the love?
A: One purpose of a parish is to give people an experience of love. How often do you leave church more aware of being loved? It’s difficult to feel loved when attending Mass with several hundred other people. A Small Christian Community is a little church where members get to know each other, care for each other and develop a sense of responsibility for and involvement in each other. In an SCC, you will know beyond all doubt that you are loved by others in your parish. You will be known and respected and admired as an individual person instead of forgotten as a face in the crowd.
(Name of Your Church) Parish is developing Small Christian Communities. We are looking for facilitators; training will be provided. To find out more about joining or leading an SCC, call (name & phone of SCC director).
Bulletin Announcement
FOR WEEK 6:
Q: Do you have enough faith?
A: You do have some faith, but you don’t trust it, right? You’re not alone! We’re all in need of letting others join our faith journeys so we can receive caring support as we learn to trust our relationships with Christ. God is such a mystery, but He becomes more understandable when we share our faith–or lack of faith–with those who’ve had similar experiences. Small Christian Communities provide us with the opportunity to take our spirituality more seriously and to discover Who God really is for our everyday lives.
(Name of Your Church) Parish is developing Small Christian Communities. We are looking for facilitators; training will be provided. To find out more about joining or leading an SCC, call (name & phone of SCC director).
Bulletin Announcement
FOR WEEK 7:
Q: What skills are needed to be a group facilitator?
A. Small Christian Communities need committed facilitators in order to survive and grow and provide spiritual growth and bonds of friendships. The role of a facilitator is fairly easy; it is NOT to teach or control the meetings, nor to provide expertise on the Bible or Church teachings. Facilitators FACILITATE! They serve as God’s partners in guiding the meetings to start and stop on time, encourage participation, and create an atmosphere of prayer and friendship. Facilitators will discover how awesome it is to be God’s partner in this format!
(Name of Your Church) Parish will be starting Small Christian Communities in the Fall. We are looking for facilitators; training will be provided. To find out more about joining or leading an SCC, call (name & phone of SCC director).
Bulletin Announcement
FOR WEEK 8:
Q: What kind of person makes a good group facilitator?
A: Are you a spiritual person? Do you like people? Do you have a desire to serve God? If you answered yes to these three questions, God might be urging you to get involved! Caring about others is more important than having leadership experience. Commitment is greater than knowledge of scriptures and Church teachings. A willingness to be stretched by God as He serves others THROUGH YOU you is very necessary. A facilitator is God’s instrument of love.
(Name of Your Church) Parish will be starting Small Christian Communities in the Fall. We are looking for facilitators; training will be provided. To find out more about joining or leading an SCC, call (name & phone of SCC director).
Bulletin Announcement
FOR WEEK 9:
Q: What if I can’t commit to weekly meetings?
A: SCC meetings must take a high priority in order for the experience to make a difference, but being part of a Christian community means your needs are understood and you are cared about. Therefore, if you miss any meetings, you will be accepted, not condemned. Don’t say no to joining a Small Christian Community just because you have a busy life or an unpredictable schedule. God is inviting you to take time out to nurture your relationships with Him and other parishioners. Your life will be enriched, and you will find peace in the midst of the busy-ness of the world.
(Name of Your Church) Parish will be starting Small Christian Communities in the Fall. We are looking for facilitators; training will be provided. To find out more about joining or leading an SCC, call (name & phone of SCC director).
Bulletin Announcement
FOR WEEK 10:
Q: Are they Bible Study Groups?
A: No. Although the weekly meetings are built around a guided study of the readings from the weekend’s Masses, the focus is on being community. The experience is not so much the study of scripture; rather it is the sharing of insights and experiences THROUGH the scriptures. It is a time of faith growth. It is journeying with people who care about you as you take new strides in your spiritual walk. It is discovering from the insights of friends what God is doing in your life. And it is a time of making a difference in the faith growth of others.
(Name of Your Church) Parish will be starting Small Christian Communities in the Fall. We are looking for facilitators; training will be provided. To find out more about joining or leading an SCC, call (name & phone of SCC director).
Bulletin Announcement
FOR WEEK 11:
Q: How will people be grouped?
A: When joining an SCC, you choose the time of day, day of week, location, and general groupings (young adult, seniors, parents of young children, etc.) and you are encouraged to gather your own friends and neighbors into your group. But Jesus is the head of each group, and He will form bonds between you and the people you least expect for friendships. In the world, personality conflicts often cause division in groups, but in the Christian environment of small church communities, we experience genuine love for and from all kinds of people.
(Name of Your Church) Parish will be starting Small Christian Communities in the Fall. We are looking for facilitators; training will be provided. To find out more about joining or leading an SCC, call (name & phone of SCC director).
Bulletin Announcement
WEEK 12:
Q: What does it mean to be part of a group called “community?”
A: This is more than a bunch of people gathering for a meeting every week. SCCs are people of similar beliefs meeting WITH (“com”) UNITY. Oneness does not mean alikeness; rather it means agreeing to join in the journey of uniting ourselves to God and His love. Members feel connected to each other due to sharing their faith week after week, but it is more than that. Groups will occasionally gather outside the meetings for social events such as barbecues and pool parties, with all family members invited. During parish missions or retreats, they often attend together and go out for coffee afterward. Why? Because the love flowing between the members cannot be contained within a mere hour and a half meeting per week.
(Name of Your Church) Parish will be starting Small Christian Communities in the Fall. We are looking for facilitators; training will be provided. To find out more about joining or leading an SCC, call (name & phone of SCC director).
Bulletin Announcement
WEEK 13:
Q: Can non-Catholics join?
A: Yes. Although these are Catholic groups, and members will feel free to share their experiences of growing in faith through the Blessed Mother or the Eucharist (for example), no one who wants to join will be excluded. Non-Catholic spouses or friends are always welcome. The meetings will NOT be times of debate or discussing differences; rather, the meetings WILL be opportunities of accepting the differences and sharing what unites us. The unifying force will be Jesus Christ, and His instrument for implementing unity will be the scriptures from which the faith sharings emerge.
(Name of Your Church) Parish will be starting Small Christian Communities in the Fall. We are looking for facilitators; training will be provided. To find out more about joining or leading an SCC, call (name & phone of SCC director).
