What is a Life Group? A group of 8-16 people where we find significant, Christ-centered relationships and gather regularly to “do life together.”
What is “doing life together?” We use the phrase “doing life together” to indicate our hope that our groups are not limited to simply getting together for meetings. Though we value what happens in group meetings, we want our groups to find ways to get together outside of official group time to experience the fullness of life together with each other. We hope that our groups get together informally to hang out and have fun together, serve each other and those outside the group together, potentially attend weekend worship together, and just generally experience life together.
Do the groups still have regular meetings? Absolutely. Most of our groups meet weekly, while a few of them meet every other week.
What happens during group meetings? Our groups are very diverse with quite an array of interests and passions. However, we expect all of our groups to experience the three parts of Calvary’s church without walls (C-WoW) mission together in the context of group life:
To glorify God by transforming people, community, and culture through life-giving relationships…
…with God. (C-WOW1)
…with each other. (C-WOW2)
…with the world around us. (C-WOW3)
We hope that our groups foster life-giving relationships with God, through Bible study, prayer, and worship; develop life-giving relationships with each other through support, accountability, and friendship; demonstrate life-giving relationships with the world around us by serving together and inviting others to join the group. Each group looks quite different, but every Calvary Life Group reflects these three missional values.
What kinds of groups are there? There are three basic types of groups at Calvary: life-stage, neighborhood, and common interest. Life-stage groups are the most common, composed of people of the same age and life situation (i.e. twenty-somethings, young marrieds, families with young kids, empty nesters, etc.). Neighborhood groups are organized around some basic geographic definitions (i.e. Zion/Bellefonte, Boalsburg, Lemont, Port Matilda, etc.) or even within just a few blocks of each other. And common interest groups share a common interest (clever, eh?), such as youth ministry or international students.
What do groups study? Our groups have a great deal of autonomy, so groups are able to decide what they want to study, whether that's books of the Bible, books by Christian authors, or some of the great DVD resources that Calvary owns. We have compiled a curriculum guide to assist groups in selecting what to study. We also encourage groups to simply discuss the weekend sermon when they get together for group meetings, as a means of investing more in the sermons and allowing God to further the work that He does during weekend worship. Check out the sermon discussion guide.