How
cell groups can help you belong at St Luke's and grow as a Christian.
This article tells
you about our cell groups, how you can become a member, and why a group
can be a helpful, even important part of your life.
Would you like to join a cell group?
We believe that cell groups
offer an important way to grow as a Christian. They can be of enormous
value and a real help for anyone wanting to grow in their faith and to
follow Jesus more fully in their lives.
Cell groups here are different to those of many other churches. Cell groups
are about growing closer to Christ, growing up as Christians and growing
the church. They are much more than Bible Study groups. Our groups try
to offer everyone, of whatever age, encouragement to live the sort of
life to which Jesus calls us. We believe that cell groups are not just
for keen Christians, but everyone who God loves.
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The Value
of a cell group
A cell group is valuable in
many ways, for it helps its members grow as Christians in their relationships:
- With God
By prayer, worship, through God's Word, and being open to the Holy Spirit;
- With the Christian Community
By meeting and sharing together, by our love, care and encouraging one
another;
- With the world where
we live.
By living out our faith, through acts of grace and service, and being
prepared to help others find God in their lives.
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Cell Groups
and our Church vision
Our vision as a church is :
Bringing God's grace to life
Through our cell groups we want people to know God's GRACE and to grow
in it. That is, to know and receive God's love and to live life to the
full in the light of Christ, his cross-shaped love, and life-giving spirit.
This is easier to say than to do, for we live in a real world with real
people. But it is in the nitty-gritty of everyday life that we face our
challenges and difficulties, opportunities and let-downs. Through the
growing relationships we encourage cell group members to have, we hope
that each member will find the love, care and support that help them to
know the power of God's grace and the key to being disciples of Christ.
Cell groups and the church will grow as we both experience and share God's
love and his grace in their world around us.
Our cell groups
meetings
Most cell groups meet, usually
weekly, in the homes of its members. The groups range in size from six
to a dozen or so people. The format of the meetings aims to help the members
grow in the three key relationships.
A meeting format usually looks like this:
| Activity |
What we do |
Why we do it |
| Welcome |
Refreshments and ice-breaker |
To relax together and
to value everyone present |
| Worship |
Sing, prayer, listen,
play a CD etc. |
To worship God and draw
near to him again |
| Word |
Read, understand, discuss
and apply a Bible passage to our lives |
To learn God's will and
to live it out |
| Works |
Prayer for each other
and for the world in which we work and live |
To look out to the world
to offer God's love in Christ |
We hope you
will want to:
- Find a place within St Luke's
where you really can belong;
- Learn to love and be loved;
- Discover the grace of God
in your life and share it with others;
- Grow in your faith by trying
to live out the teaching of Christ alongside others;
- Grow in confidence that
God can and does work through you to touch the lives of others;
- Experience the love and
power of God through the Holy Spirit as you seek to serve others;
- Have a rewarding and enjoyable
time in the company of other Christians;
We invite you to give a cell
group a go and discover for yourself the value and benefits it can bring.
How to join
a cell group
At St Luke's we have both adult
and youth cell groups (for people aged 13-18). Because cell groups are
encouraged to grow naturally through friendship relationships, please
be free talk to cell group members, if you know any, and try out their
group if you wish.
You are welcome to talk to any of the group coordinators (listed on the
back of the church's weekly noticesheet), the youth cell coordinator Steve
Roy (steve.roy@saint-lukes.co.uk),
or the vicar, Revd Mark Slater (mark.slater@saint-lukes.co.uk)
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