Becoming One Body

Introduction & Welcome (1 min.)

If you have any new members, introduce yourself to them and have them introduce themselves. Briefly have the other group members share their names and something about themselves. Explain the purpose of this meeting: to get to know each other and our hopes and desires for CLC.

I. Opening Prayer (5 min.)

Grace: For openness of heart and willingness to give of oneself in building a faith community of trust and love in Christ

Use the grace or a suggested scripture above to create your own prayer, or use the one below:

Lord, we thank you for all those gathered here. We believe You are here with us, for You promised to be present wherever two or three are gathered in your name. We ask You to open our hearts to Your love and blessings and to get in touch with our hopes and desires for CLC. Help us to become one with You and each other. Amen.

II. Check-In (5 min.)

If needed, re-explain this: We will do a short “check-in” every meeting. Just briefly share how you are doing right now. The point of this part of the meeting is to help us know how we each are feeling when we come to the meeting. We will have more opportunities later in each meeting to expand upon what we have shared.

III. Focus Exercise (40 min)

Materials Needed: CLC Supply Box (CLC Journal booklets, scissors, pens, etc.), snacks, the cross puzzle, and poster from last week

Introduction

Last week, we started to share some things about ourselves. This week, we will continue sharing, specifically by completing last week’s exercise in order to help us learn more about what CLC is and about each other’s hopes and desires in CLC.

Sharing

1. Let everyone take a minute to look at the picture in silence.
2. Ask: “What do you see?” (Allow each member to share. Listen to responses carefully and repeat key words or phrases).
3. If necessary, ask questions to deepen the discussion, such as, “Are there any commonalities in what we’ve written or shared?”

Explain

1. The cross puzzle symbolizes that we each bring our hopes and concerns to this community and to Christ. By bringing what is in our hearts to this community, we can become one in our relationship with God.
2. The Heart on the cross: write common hopes and concerns on the heart at the center of the cross. Explain that Christ cares for and guides each of us individually and also as a group.
3. The meaning of the CLC logo is as follows. You paraphrase the explanation

*CLC is a “School of the heart.” Don’t we all long for a safe place where we speak honestly about what’s going on in our lives? Without fear, without judgment? Together, we can help each other get to the “heart of the matter” through transparency, vulnerability, and trust. When we share from the heart, it goes to the heart. Everything you share stays in this group. Remind them about confidentiality.

*CLC involves becoming “Friends in the Lord.” As our mission statement claims, “CLC is a community of friends that helps one another discover and live out our personal vocations.” The CLC community strives to imagine a way of life that pursues wholeness and holiness. Together, we seek holistic ways of living that integrate the three values of community, spirituality and service.

*The CLC logo depicts this hope. We strive to be a community of people schooled in the heart, bound by our common familiarity and devotion to the heart of Christ. Being connected to Christ is the glue that binds each of us in strong and deep ways. This will take time, of course, but with God’s grace and our openness, it can become a reality.

*Preview: We will continue getting to know one another and learning more about CLC in the next few weeks.

Listening Deeper

• What has struck you as you listened to others share? Do you notice any patterns or commonalities?
• How have you been feeling during the meeting? Comfortable? Anxious? Curious?
• Is there anything you would like to share after having listened to other people share?

IV. Moving Forward (5 min.)

• Wrap-Up: Thank members for their openness and participation.
• Action: Prayer Partner
  • Explanation: Because tonight we talked about our hopes and desires to connect, to belong, and to become one body in union with Christ, for this week we invite everyone to have a prayer partner. It means two things: (1) pray for one another during the week, (2) get to know each other by getting together for lunch, dinner, or coffee, etc. We will switch partners each week.
• Announcements: Topic for next meeting and upcoming CLC events

V. Closing Prayer (5 min.)

Encourage everyone to pray in thanksgiving for each other by praying for the person to their left.

(Coordinator should begin first) I would like to pray in thanksgiving for...