Small Christian Communities
"Sharing of faith in order to grow more aware of God's presence and action in our lives is essential in living out a Catholic Christian identity in today's world." Art Baranowski
Our task as a parish is to become a dynamic community of communities.
St. John the Baptist Catholic Community commits itself to be spirit-filled,
joyful, welcoming and ecumenical. We strive to build the Kingdom of
God in our hearts and in our midst. We are a community unified in Jesus
Christ and driven by the gospel's commission to justly share our spiritual
and material riches. We encourage the formation of small Christian communities
within the Catholic tradition.
Types of small Christian communities at SJB:
Small Christian Communities
"Sharing of faith in order to grow more aware of God's presence and action in our lives is essential in living out a Catholic Christian identity in today's world." Art Baranowski
Our task as a parish is to become a "dynamic community of communities."
In the U.S., many of our parishes are quite large and consequently,
may exhibit anonymity more than community. In such settings, it is often
difficult for effective evangelization to take place. A possible solution
is to restructure the parish as a community of communities. In such
a vision and structure, Catholics gather in small groups determined
by neighborhood, family, needs, interests, or a common ministry in order
to pray, read Scripture and share.
Authentic community is vital to effective evangelization. It nurtures
believers. If Catholics experience community on a smaller scale, they
may form and experience more of a community when they gather for parish
liturgies on the weekend.?
Cardinal Joseph Bernardin
St. John the Baptist Catholic Community commits itself to be spirit-filled,
joyful, welcoming and ecumenical. We strive to build the Kingdom of
God in our hearts and in our midst. We are a community unified in Jesus
Christ and driven by the gospel?s commission to justly share our spiritual
and material riches. We encourage the formation of small Christian communities
within the Catholic tradition.
Types of small Christian communities at SJB:
Seasonal Small Groups
Seasonal small group meetings are offered for the entire parish for
a shorter period of time (four to six weeks), usually in Advent and
Lent for the common purpose of growing in our faith life.
Advent Journey
Reflecting on the meaning of Advent and Christmas.
Lenten Journey
Ministerial Communities
Ministerial groups meet on a regular basis with the common purpose of
growing in their faith life and supporting one another in a particular
outreach or ministry.
Small Church Communities
Small Church Communities meet on a regular basis throughout the year
with the common purpose of applying gospel values to every aspect of
their lives.
Each small church community has a trained pastoral facilitator who helps plan and lead the meetings. Meetings include time for members to share what?s happening in their lives. The pastoral facilitator will lead the group in a discussion of specific material related to topics, such as Scripture, Catholic Spirituality, Faith Sharing, Social Justice. Meetings also include time for prayer and for socializing.
Each small church community decides on the frequency and the time of their meetings and chooses topics and materials for their discussions based on a consensus of the group members.
Pastoral facilitators meet for ongoing training and enrichment every other month. These meetings are open for all small church community members who are interested.
The Steering Committee of the Small Church Communities is made up of members and/or facilitators of small church communities who meet bi-monthly and help organize pastoral Facilitator Meetings, the days of reflection and the end of the year celebration and pot luck dinner.
Dimensions of Small
Christian Communities
* Faith Sharing
Participants discuss the experience of god in their lives and reflect
on meaning in the light of Scriptures and Church tradition.
* Prayer
Participants pray individually and communally to emphasize the centrality
of God?s active presence in each member?s life and community.
Mutual Support
Participants support each other in authentic commitment to Christian
living.
Learning
Participants learn the teachings of the Catholic church and the gospel,
and the relation of both to life.
Mission
Participants attend to the social implications of the gospel message.
Parish Day of Reflection
Saturday, November 3, 2007 9-12 noon Lyon Center
How to Join a Small Christian
Community?
To join a Seasonal Group or a Small Church Community contact L. J. Milone at
301 622 1122 x 104 or e-mail to adultdre@sjbsilverspring.org
Seasonal groups meet during Advent and Lent.
Small church communities meet on different days of the week both in the morning and in the evening. You can find the one that works best for you.
What Small Church Community Members
Have to Say about Their Experience
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