Regathering
Your SCC
Summer will soon be winding down. It's time to think about the direction that your SCC will take in the upcoming
year. Selecting faith sharing material is very important but so is commitment to the foundational principles of Small Church Community.
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Faith Sharing Resources
One of the most important things to keep your SCC on track, learning and anxious to attend your next gathering is a good resource. There are numerous materials available to SCCs. Check the parish website or call the SCC Office. Some new resources are featured in this newsletter.
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| Read More . . . |
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| We're Counting on You to Invite New Folks to SCCs! |
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On the weekend of September 19th and 20th there will be a special Celebration of Ministries in the newly rennovated Spirit Center. The weekend will provide an opportunity for all parshioners to learn about the numerous ministries in the parish AND an opportunity for folks to sign up to participate in new fall small groups. Please plan to attend the celebration after the Mass you attend and make a concerted effort to bring your "pew mates" to the SCC booth.
Each One
Reach One! |
| Prayer for S.O.N. Evenings |
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Would your Small Church Community consider preparing and presenting the opening prayer at an upcoming S.O.N. evening? The prayer need only be a few minutes in length and would be a loving service to those who are gathered for the presentation.
Upcoming S.O.N evenings are:
Sept. 21st
Oct. 19th and 26th
Nov. 10th
Dec. 9th
Please call the SCC Office
for more information!
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| September 21st
7:00 p.m. in the Spirit Center
Fr. Steven will present a S.O.N. evening
Mark Your Calendar!! |
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 Welcome to the New Electronic Version of the SCC Newsletter!
Hopefully it will be delivered with ease and will provide you with the information you need to continue to be a faith-filled, enthusiastic Small Church Community member! Be sure to click on the links that will lead you to other relevant articles and information. This new format will be an evolving project and your input is valued!
June and July have been filled with celebrations: family events, holidays and wonderful S.O.N. evenings presented by Thomas Smith and Fr. Justin Grose. DVDs of both Thomas' and Fr. Justin's presentations are available through the SCC Office. The DVDs will provide lots of food for thought and faith sharing at your upcoming Small Church Community gatherings! There are lots more exciting birthday events yet to come at Spirit of Christ as we look forward to the parish concert on Saturday August 15th and the parish picnic on Sunday, August 30th. Click on the Parish logo in the left hand column for more information on the August celebrations.
In July my family, our kids, their spouses and all the grandchildren took our annual mountain vacation - a time that we all relish to be together, uninterrupted by schedules. Also in July my husband, Mike, and I both participated in high school reunions, albeit, different high schools and different graduation years. Reunions are always interesting events. At reunions in years past, the focus seemed to be on how folks were looking and achieving "success": good or not so good and the desire to be included on the good end of the scale. As I've gotten older, it's much more comfortable to simply be grateful for life (even the disappointments, aches and pains) and for the ability to put old high school rivalries aside in favor of genuine conversation with former classmates. Everyone has a story and in the hearing of other's stories, I recognize my own. My small community has helped me to grow in that understanding. I hope yours has as well.
As we look forward to our Small Church Community coming back together in the fall for formal faith sharing, be sure to read the article on SCCs regathering. I look forward to seeing you at the August parish concert on August 15th, the birthday picnic on August 30th, and to the Celebration of Ministries on September 19th and 20th. Be sure to drop by the SCC booth on that September weekend. Please encourage folks who are not yet involved in the SCC experience to come along as well! If each one of us reaches one other person there will be lots of new small groups forming for fall. Your help and encouragement to invite new folks is really the key! |
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The Spiritual Journey
You do not ask that we all follow the same pattern or aim for the same achievements, but rather that we use what gifts we have in the situation in which we are placed.
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Regathering Your
Small Church Community
 When the church gathers there are four essential things that are needed: Prayer, Community, God's Word and Mission. This is true of the big church and it's true of small church. As Small Church Communities come together again in the fall, it's good to remind ourselves that those four activities need to be part of who we are and what we do.
Prayer keeps us grounded in our relationship with God. As we share the desires, needs and
thanksgiving of our lives in a prayerful environment, we also share our lives and our faith not only with our loving God but with one another as well.
Community is the fertile ground of respect and friendship that encourages our personal growth and helps us develop interpersonal skills such as good listening, patience, non-judgmentalism, and affirmation of others that spill over into our families, parish and public life.
God's Word proclaimed in our midst invites us to enter into the ancient faith journey of God's people and to connect those stories with our own. As we reflect on the lectionary readings and use faith sharing materials that lead us to deepen our understanding of God and God's action in the world, we are both challenged and affirmed in our individual and corporate journey of faith.
Mission keeps us in tune with Jesus' command that we go out into the world to share the Good News. That mission is lived in our families, parish, neighborhoods, places of work and particularly among our poor and disenfranchised brothers and sisters.
Claiming the name Small Church Community presumes that we incorporate all the essential activities of church. Keeping that goal in front of us as we gather helps ground us in our identity as disciples of Jesus.
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PARISH CONCERT - Sat., Aug. 15th PARISH PICNIC - Sun. Aug. 30th |
Faith Sharing Resources
Books, booklets, DVDs and videos are available in the Parish Resource Center/Library or may be ordered through the SCC Office or at Amazon.com. Resource Room location shown in [BRACKETED CAPITAL LETTERS]
Listening to God's Word Alice Camille, 5 brief chapters, Orbis Books, 2009. Designed for group or personal reflection and sharing. [CONTACT SCC OFFICE FOR YOUR COPIES]
In Alice's words "The generosity of Bible writers impels my own desire to share the Scriptures with others. But it also makes the task of biblical commentary exceedingly hard, because the best book about the Bible has already been written. It's called the Bible. And nothing a commentator writes will be better than that...Yet I still feel the 'burning in my bones' about writing books like this one."
Alice is coming to Spirit of Christ in October! You'll want to read and discuss this book before then!!
Catholics Going Green Walter E. Grazer, 6 sessions, Ave Maria Press [FAITH AND LIFE]
"Every believer should read this superb book. It shows why pollution is a social-justice problem and why its heaviest burdens are borne by the poor and the powerless. Down-to-earth, thoughtful, and insightful, it leads believers first to prayer and then to action to alleviate environmental problems. . . each chapter is filled with useful environmental discussions, relevant scripture readings, prayers, and stories of ordinary people who are making a difference. Especially important are its suggestions of specific ways in which people can take action to protect people and the planet."
[Go to www.350.org for additional information on caring for our environment.]
DVD of Thomas Smith's presentation on the Spirit (1 session)
DVD's of Fr. Justin Grose's presentations on the History of the Church (6 sessions)
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Please let me know how I can assist your Small Church Community. I'd also appreciate any feedback you may have on the new style and delivery of the SCC Newsletter!
Blessings,
Barb Howard
bhoward@spiritofchrist.org |
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