Community - by Erika

Some excellent comments on building community reposted with permission from Erika

More thoughts from the bottom of the chili bowl...

We begin every group with some kind of icebreaker (Kudos to Barbara who started this trend =) ). Sometimes it is a game to get to know each other better, such as CCCC's favorite "I never" other times it is something to just have a little fun together before digging in such as playing a round of Cranium. One of the easiest ways to build community is to laugh and have fun together!

When all five areas...Scripture, Prayer, Service, Care, and Filling that Empty chair happens at group not necessarily in the same group meeting, but periodically...community is bound to be the result.

Coming to a small group can be scary/intimidating. It is by creating Medium sized group environments both social related and worship related that we have seen our greatest growth, but more than that it is these medium sized events that have resulted in a "community of small groups" not just one group. This takes away some of the anxiety with "growing" and multiplying our groups because while we won't be meeting on a weekly basis, we can be in community with our friends at our mid-sized group meetings.

Don't just show up to group, be an active part of the group. As a group leader it is one of my jobs to help each member of the group feel valuable by letting them share their gifts and talents with the group. This creates a team environment in which every member is able to invest and feel ownership of the group.