RBC LIFE Groups
Over the past few months we have been considering what we aspire to be as a church.
As I thought about what I could write about our Life Groups to encourage and challenge you to join a Life Group, consider hosting a group or even becoming a Life Group leader a thought occurred to me.
I was standing in our church hall and saw the poster with the church aspirations listed on it. As I looked it occurred to me that our Life Group are also working towards or currently include many of the aspirations we have for our church.
As a church we aspire to be a praying church and prayer is central to what we do in our Life Groups. Every session/term starts with an evening devoted to prayer and every Life Group meeting has a time set aside for prayer.
So whenever our Life Groups meet RBC is praying. In James chapter 5:16 we read this: “therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you might be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective"
Our Life Groups embrace that aspiration. Another aspiration that we seek to meet within our Life Groups is that of being a disciple making church.
Life Group is the place where you get the time and space to grow and develop your faith, as you study the bible together and make friendships that perhaps you don’t have time to develop on a Sunday. Hebrews 10 verses 24 and 25 say this: “And let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another.”
Our Life Groups seek to be inclusive. If you come to this church you can join a Life Group. If you have a friend who doesn’t come to our church but wants to come along them bring them too. If you are reading this as a visitor to the site we would welcome you too.
Our groups are not based on age, ethnicity or gender, everyone can belong to a group. And actually they are fun. Life Groups meet on a regular basis it’s where you will find out that you are not alone.
At RBC our groups are the pastoral heart of the church. They are the places where you can share your struggles and your successes. Where you can laugh together and cry together. It’s the place where you can be assured that you have support and you are cared for in Jesus name.
I hear many many stories of groups rallying round when a member of their group is ill or struggling with something. Of course this isn’t limited to Life Groups but it is another aspiration that our groups seek to be part of, that of serving one another.
We would like to encourage you join a group and to enjoy being involved in a Life Groups at RBC.
But we also need people to prayerfully consider whether your gifting may be calling you to host a group.
Friends I do not believe that our Christian walk was meant to be a solo effort. The early church lived together, ate together and worked together for the good of all so let’s build on their example as I firmly and truly believe that our Life Groups follow that model.
Our groups meet fortnightly on a Wednesday in various homes throughout the borough and we have 2 daytime groups that meet in the church. I