Discipleship Circles
Gathering Safely
During this phase of accelerated spread we are experiencing, the safest option is for circles to meet online for now.
If circles choose to meet in person, each member should fill out a covenant agreement (see example).
In-person gatherings should be in a large room where it is easy for people to be more than 6 feet apart. If possible, open a window to allow for more airflow. If distributing and consuming Bread from the reserve Sacrament, people may remove masks briefly and then sanitize hands after replacing the mask.
ABOUT GETTING STARTED RESOURCES
Resources
CONNECTION
Zoom: Groups can meet for 40 minutes using a free account. Alternatively, with a paid church account, groups can meet after Sunday worship or coffee hour held on Zoom using the breakout room feature. A host would need to assign people to their individual groups (see instructions).
Free Conference Call: a free conference call service
Scheduling Space: allow groups to schedule space at the church for their circles to meet safely. Establish a protocol for the groups to wipe down the surfaces they used as they are leaving and do not schedule groups back to back. Use a service like Sign-up Genius or a Google Form for groups to indicate their scheduling preference.
Establishing groups: Circles can self-select if there are existing social networks in your church that have been already meeting together safely in this time (i.e. two families that have been meeting together for play dates or online learning). A family might decide to be its own circle in this time. Invite people to fill out a Google Form and indicate their interest, available times to meet, preference for in-person/online, etc. Update your church website and social media presence with instructions for joining circles.
PRAYER
Set aside time each week to invite each circle member to share their blessings and needs. Blessings are where they have seen God at work in their life in the past week - an answered prayer, a joyful event, etc. Needs are concerns they have in which they want to see God at work in their life, in the lives of others, or in the world. A useful question to help people share is, “What one thing do you want us to pray for or for others in the coming week?”
Take turns praying for each member.
Worship
Eucharist from Reserve Sacrament: If the group would like to receive Eucharist from the reserve Sacrament, they may use this form for their circle gathering. Bread from the reserve Sacrament can be delivered to people’s homes (in a safe way) or a group member can arrange to pick it up from the church if the circle is meeting in person.
Daily Prayer for All Seasons: Daily Prayer for All Seasons offers shortened version of the Daily Offices, where a complete service covers one or two pages at most, thereby eliminating the need to shuffle prayer books and hymnals. Daily Prayer for All Seasons works for individuals, small groups, and/or congregations. This prayer book presents a variety of images of God by including inclusive and expansive language for and about God, and it presents a variety of words by including poetry, meditation and prayers from the broader community of faith.
STUDY
African Bible Study: One person reads the passage slowly. Each person identifies the word or phrase that catches their attention. (1 minute). Each shares the word or phrase with the group. (3-5 minutes, NO DISCUSSION) Another person reads the passage slowly (from a different translation, if possible.) Each person identifies where this passage touches their life today. (1 minute) Each shares. (3-5 minutes, NO DISCUSSION) Passage is read a third time (another reader and translation, if possible.) Each person names or writes: “From what I’ve heard and shared, what do I believe God wants me to do or be? Is God inviting me to change in any way?” (5 minutes) Each shares their answer. (5-10 minutes, NO DISCUSSION) Each prays for the person on their right, naming what was shared in other steps. (5 minutes).