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As
we read the Bible, we see from the earliest times, Christians
have gathered together in large and small groups. We see
the Church is Jerusalem that meets together in the Temple
to worship, pray and hear teaching from the Apostles; and
in smaller configurations in different houses to have some
food together, pray and remember what Jesus had done for
them. These gatherings have different purposes, but both
are important for a healthy church.
The
large meetings allow us to catch sight of God's greatness,
to worship together and hear from God as a Community.
The
small meetings (we often call these "Cell Groups")
allow us to connect with other people, to share our lives
together, and pray together, especially for our work and
other friendships. While the Leadership of the church, might
give some guidance or suggestion as to which small group
someone might like to be part of, this is a group that people
choose to be part of, rather than be placed.
We have
noticed that, people tend to gravitate towards a small group
of like minded people, as this enables us to make connections
with others most easily. While this facilitates ease of
relating to others it does mean we miss out on the broadness
of the wider community.
Therefore
Clusters were created to fill the void in the middle of
the large and small meetings. They are a gathering of 3
or 4 small / cell groups (about 30 - 40 people) of differing
ages and visions, to cultivate an environment where we can
meet and learn from others who are different from us.
A Cluster
will gather together about every 6 weeks or so, in the King's
Hall as the only available place to house that number of
people.
Why
do we have Clusters?
-
To promote Connection and Growth
A key
ingredient to church life is a sense of connection with
each other and with God, which enables us to continue on
our personal journey of growth. The core aim of cluster
gatherings is not for us to learn more from another expert,
but to become more curious …
-
to see the miracle of each human being created in the
image of God …
- to
engage in the dance of giving to others and receiving
from others …
- to
wonder at who it is that God has put around us that we
need to grow to all He dreams of us becoming …
We need
other people to grow. We were never designed to do it alone.
It has been said that in Africa "it takes a village
to raise a child". These evenings are designed to facilitate
a little of the connection that we need to grow.
As you
might guess from this, it is not the place for a budding
preacher to strut his stuff, but somewhere for us to engage
in real conversation; to listen and speak; to learn together
about God and real life … desire; bereavement; community;
pain and suffering; hope; friendship; stress; laughter …
and to engage with your & others' journey with God through
all this stuff.
- To
connect the Generations
To really
become the people that God is calling us to be, we need
people who are different from us! They are the ones who
shake us out of our comfortable way of seeing the world;
our sureness of being right; our arrogance that we know
it all; and our insecurity of thinking that we have nothing
to offer others.
We all
need the wisdom of those whose journey has taken them to
places we are yet to travel; we need to be spurred on by
those who challenge us; to be accepted by our friends; and
those who just see things differently to open up new horizons
and possibilities to us.
In the
church we have a unique opportunity to be with others who
are different from us. There are not many places where this
diversity exists, let alone is encouraged. We believe that
Clusters will encourage this kind of connection.
- To
help New People integrate into the church
Making
friends is a key for people wanting to stay part of a church.
In a large meeting that can be difficult for a visitor,
faced with a sea of unfamiliar faces, many of whom don't
seem to be there the following week!
While
the small group seems the obvious solution to this, sometimes
the group can be too intimate, or there aren't enough people
to find meaningful connections with.
The
Cluster group should be small enough not to feel anonymous
and isolated, but large enough not to feel conspicuous and
out of place. There should be a good cross-section of people
to find some that they can relate to.
Read
more about Pastoral Care
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