It’s 4:45 on a Sunday afternoon and my wife and I are finishing up putting away, or more honestly hiding, the mess around the house that comes with having two little ones. It’s one of my favorite parts of the week. Soon our small group will be showing up with their kids, to go bags for dinner, and the house will be full. Even though I’m an introvert and often prefer quiet, this is an exception. This is the best opportunity I have to sit across from my brothers and sisters and discuss our faith. We use this time to eat and fellowship, then discuss the sermon from that morning (using discussion questions on the back of sermon notes), and we end the night by splitting up by gender and sharing more details about our walk and how we can be supporting and praying for one another. 

Hosting a small group is surprisingly simple. Step 1: Open your home. Step 2: Talk about your walk with the Lord. That’s it! OK, maybe there are a few more steps but that is the main idea. We hope for our small groups to simply live out the command of Hebrews 10, “Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” Small groups are just one of the many ways that we find helpful to be faithful to this and other passages that communicate the importance of relational discipleship.

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A few weeks ago, I was approached by a member of Emmaus who said that while they weren’t in a small group, they met with another believer to talk about their faith and pray for one another. My response was that is exactly what we hope for all of our members! It doesn’t have to look like a formal small group, it can be just a few believers meeting together for encouragement. 

If this is something you are interested in, email Jeff Hemphill. Also, we are always looking for more people to host a group. As I mentioned, this is not a burdensome task, it’s simply communicating about time and location and opening up your home. I hope you will pray about how the Lord can help you and your family grow through small groups!