Grace Groups consist of the Thursday evening church cleaning and
intercessory prayer time and weekly gatherings at the homes of members of Grace
Family Church. If you would like to join an existing group, or start one
of your own, you may contact the individual group leaders or in the case of
starting a new group, please contact Pastor David Stanly by e-mail or by phone.
God did not intend Christian living to consist only of you, Him
and your Bible. The Bible clearly teaches that we need each other.
Jesus did not meet with His twelve disciples only on an individual basis, but
they often stayed together, prayed together and ate together. The church
model itself demands a gathering of believers in God and His word.
We are supposed to meet together. Each person in the
church is a part of the life of the church. We are all parts of the same
body. It doesn't make any sense to have the many parts of the church body
be separate from each other.
1 Corinthians 12:12-17 (New International Version)
Unity and Diversity in the Body
12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ.
13 For we were all baptized by[a] one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
14 Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.
15 Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body.
16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body.
17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be?
We are all part of one body, but the church consists of
individuals. Regularly gathering together for worship and fellowship helps
us grow in unity, allows us to encourage each other and teaches us more about
each other.
Grace Groups, also known as 'small groups', 'cell groups' or 'home fellowship
groups', are quickly growing in popularity throughout the world and not only in
the United States. Most often the entire church membership meets on
Sundays and in some cases Sunday nights and even Wednesday night worship services, but
Grace Groups can be more flexible as far as days and times to accommodate the
highest number of interested people.
Grace Groups provide a unique opportunity for church members and
adherents to get to know each other better. Often while in the worship
service we tend to see each other differently than we really are. Meeting
in these groups during the week has many advantages.
Some of the advantages of joining our various Grace Groups are:
People talk more in these groups. Whether or not these
are home-based groups or groups that meet in church mid-week, we are more
likely to participate in discussions. Since there are much fewer
people in these groups than in worship service, there is more opportunity to
talk and share with each other and less room to hide.
When we meet in these small groups, we tend to recognize that
friends that we see each week in the worship service have very similar problems,
struggles and difficulties, that you likely would not notice at all
otherwise. It can be both a relief and an
encouragement to find that someone you once thought was an immensely strong
Christian powerhouse, deals with the same battles that you do each and every
day.
Meeting in Grace Groups allows us to share our talents,
gifts and strengths with each other. God does not expect all of the
ministering, caring, praying and teaching to be done through pastors,
assistant pastors, deacon board members and teachers. Every one of us
has unique experiences, strengths and abilities that we can use to
encourage, teach and challenge each other.
Hebrews 10:23-25 (New International Version)
23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Grace Group participants encourage each other in their
faith. When people see faith being exercised as faith in action, it can
be inspiring to others.
Many dedicated followers of Christ have a rather small
circle of friends with whom they can confide in and share their life
experiences with during the week. When people get together in these small groups,
friendships can be formed that last for a lifetime.
Opportunities to build meaningful lifelong relationships don't happen often
with only attending weekly worship services.
Current Grace Groups
Thursday Evening Church Cleaning and Intercessory Prayer-
Every Thursday evening at 6:30 PM we meet at Grace Family
Church for a time to clean, vacuum and polish our church and after that,
continue with an intercessory prayer time to pray and intercede for various
needs of people in the church and the community. This group started out
with two or three people meeting, cleaning and praying and has grown and is a
blessing to our church. You can call Jan Bergeron for more information.
Simon and Rebecca Plourde's group at the parsonage
Simon and Rebecca Plourde have a get-together each week at the
parsonage on Monday evenings at 7:00 PM. Please give them a call in
advance if you plan on attending.
Jeff and Lauri's Home
Jeff and Lauri are conducting a group every other Tuesday
evening. Please give them a call if you plan on attending for specific
days and times.
(Note: The webmaster would like some photos of these groups to
post here if possible.)
Meeting in regular Grace Groups during the week can bring
opportunities to share our faith, encourage each other and open ourselves up so
people can see and interact with the real you. Grace Groups are one proven
method of closing the curtain on what is becoming known as the Stained Glass
Masquerade where we all put our masks on at worship service and keep our
struggles tucked away safely inside us. Please take a few minutes to watch
the following video. It is a short music video and production, featuring
Casting Crown's Stained Glass Masquerade.
