Life Groups at Huron Chapel EMC

Life Groups (i.e. Small Groups) are an important part of Huron Chapel in helping us live out our mission of “Loving Jesus, Serving Others Together”.   The purpose of Life Groups is built on making reproducing disciples that will carry out this mission.  

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Why should I be a part of a Life Group?

As disciples of Jesus, we are called to be part of a community of Christ Followers in a local church.  But church is not just a building that we attend for a service on Sunday, or a ministry during the week; the local church is the people God has put together as one body in order to be Jesus to the world around them.  As Huron Chapel we want to be the church, not just when we gather on Sunday on the property in Auburn, but every day in the places God has us.  We want to live out our mission of ‘Loving Jesus, Serving Others Together’ as best we can, and to do that we need to be growing and maturing as disciples.  We see Life Groups as a way to help you become a reproducing disciple of Jesus in ways that are difficult to receive on a Sunday morning.  

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What is a Life Group?

A Life Group is simply a group of people meeting together outside of the Sunday Worship gathering of the local church.  These groups can vary in size from a few people (Matt 18:20) to a larger group of 10-20; an important element is that everyone is a participant in the group.  These groups can meet anywhere from a room at Huron Chapel, to a home, a business or even a shed.  The Groups sometimes have a specific demographic like Men’s or Women’s groups; or they may be a group of young families with kids, or, have no particular demographic at all.  Many of the members will likely be part of the Huron Chapel church body, but friends from other churches may be a part as well, and we welcome anyone who is still looking into who Jesus is to come join as well: we would love to have you!  You can see a list of the Life Groups available here: huronchapel.com/small-groups

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What does a Life Group Do when they Meet?  

When we look in the Bible we see a few important pieces that we feel should be at the heart of every Life Group in order to help us grow in becoming reproducing disciples of Jesus and carry out our mission.  

1. Fellowship. The early church was “devoted to the Apostles' teaching, and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers” -  Acts 2:42.  Fellowship is all about building deeper relationships with others so that we can help one another in our walk with Jesus.  Did you know that there are 59 commands in the New Testament concerning how we should be towards one another?  Life Groups give the opportunity to build deeper relationships and help one another; here are some examples…

   1. “Carry one another’s burdens” (Gal 6:2) – this means that we share what we are going through so that others can help.  

   2. “Build each other up” (1 Thes 5:11) and “Admonish one another” (Col 3:16), this is about helping one another grow in our faith in Jesus.  

   3. “Encourage one another daily” (Heb 3:13), this is encouraging us to connect with one another throughout the week and not just when we are face to face.  

   4. “Confess your sins to each other” (James 5:16).  This is a difficult verse to obey and is a great example of why a Life Group needs to be a safe place where we can help one another in overcoming the sin that is holding us back from growing as disciples (Heb 12:1).

2. Bible Study. The early church was “devoted to the Apostles’ teaching, and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers” - Acts 2:42.  The teaching of the apostles is distilled in the New Testament. We believe that God speaks to us through His written Word (the Bible) by the Holy Spirit taking what the Bible says and applying it to the situations in our life and directing us on how to obey what Jesus (the Living Word) wants us to do.  Life Groups may use lots of different forms for the study from video series, to Bible studies, to a book study of a work from a Christian author; but no matter what the format, the Bible needs to be the foundation, and the teaching should always be centered around Scripture.  Life Groups give the opportunity for everyone to interact with the Bible and to ask questions and seek to understand for themselves.  We see this format encouraged in the Bible; here are some examples…

   1. The early church met in homes (Acts 2:46, and many other passages).  

   2. We are told to “teach one another” (Col 3:16), which means that it isn’t just one person doing all the teaching.  

   3. We are to “speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs” (Eph 5:19).  This verse enjoins speaking to one another about the Bible and things that point our attention to worshiping God.

3. Prayer.  The early church was “devoted to the Apostles' teaching, and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers” - Acts 2:42.  Prayer is a great privilege for us to be able to converse with the God of the universe (Heb 4:16).  

   1. The Bible tells us to “pray for one another” (James 5:16).  In a Life Group you are able to share the needs you have so that others can be praying for you throughout the week, and be in prayer for you leading up to specific situations.  

   2. We see lots of examples of the early church praying together such as in Acts 1:14 and 4:31 in response to different situations they were in.  

   3. Prayer should include praises and seeking God to give opportunity to share the Gospel (Col 4:2,3).  

4. Service. One of the traps that can easily happen with a small group is that they can become very inward-focused and forget that Jesus told us to “go and make disciples”.  In the book of James we are reminded that “Faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (James 2:17) and so our service should flow naturally from our love for Jesus and the study of His Word.  It is important that Life Groups be intentional about serving one another and reaching out to serve those around us.  This could be something that the Life Group does as a group, such as meals or clothing for those in need, or it could be simply addressing individual needs that come along through the contacts that the members have (e.g. helping a neighbour of a group member move).  Jesus gave the example of service to His disciples when He washed their feet and then told us to do the same (John 13:13-15).  The Bible is full of examples of this command of Jesus…

   1. We are to “serve one another in love” (Gal 5:13).  A great way to do this is simply to ask the people in your group, “How can I serve you this week?”

   2. We are to “spur one another on to love and good deeds” (Heb 10:4).  This verse is about us encouraging each other to look for ways that God is asking us to be a blessing to those He put in our life.  This will be different for each person and it is really about putting our faith into practice in our everyday life.  

   3. 1 Peter 4:9,10a says, “Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.  As each has a gift, use it to serve one another.”  These verses are a great reminder to use the resources God has given us to serve others (hospitality), as well as the talents and abilities we have (gifts).  

 

Who leads a Life Group?

Life Groups typically have a leader or a couple of people who facilitate and organize the group, but much of what happens in a Life Group is often discussed as a group as they seek to fulfill the mission of Jesus together.   

The Elders and pastors of Huron Chapel are passionate about the church’s Life Groups ministry and are there to support you as a Life Group in a number of ways:

• They can help you in finding material to use for your study.  

• They can support you with any questions you have on how to organize your Life Group so that it works for your group. 

• They can offer suggestions of where you might be able to serve the community as a group.  

• They are part of the leadership team (including Deacons) at Huron Chapel so they are able to share what other ministries at Huron Chapel are doing, and what events might be coming up that would be good for your group to know.  

• They are a connection point for new people that are looking for a Life Group to join. 

• They are a point of connection between the Life Groups and the greater church body if there are needs or opportunities that you would like the church family to know.  

• They are also always on the lookout for where there might be a need for a new group, as well as looking to identify possible leaders for Life Groups.  

Huron Chapel wants to see you grow as a disciple of Jesus that makes disciples who make disciples.  We encourage you to join a Life Group and build relationships with others in the church body.  If there is anything we can do to help you, or if you have any other comments or ideas, we would love to talk to you – and you can contact any one of the pastors, Elders, or the Life Group leaders.