The Good News about Community
God created humankind to live in community. We were not made to go through life alone, God said it himself when he created Adam and then Eve saying, “It is not good that the man should be alone.” Even Jesus Christ, the very Son of God, surrounded himself with disciples with whom he could experience the fullness of his earthly life. Together, Jesus and his followers ate and drank, spent time on the lake fishing, told stories, celebrated weddings, and made sure to include the children too.
In this digital age of social media and livestreaming, we easily fall for the illusion of more connectivity when, in reality, our lives have never been more disconnected in person. It is vital, then, for the church to be more intentional in building community and in connecting people to each other because that is what connecting to Jesus not only inspires in us but also requires us to do. Obeying Jesus’ command to make disciples cannot happen outside of community, and once disciples are made they are not meant to be cast off to fend for themselves. Rather, together as one family of faith united by the Spirit, we eagerly maintain that unity in the bonds of peace. We strive to do this in a handful of ways:
In this digital age of social media and livestreaming, we easily fall for the illusion of more connectivity when, in reality, our lives have never been more disconnected in person. It is vital, then, for the church to be more intentional in building community and in connecting people to each other because that is what connecting to Jesus not only inspires in us but also requires us to do. Obeying Jesus’ command to make disciples cannot happen outside of community, and once disciples are made they are not meant to be cast off to fend for themselves. Rather, together as one family of faith united by the Spirit, we eagerly maintain that unity in the bonds of peace. We strive to do this in a handful of ways:
How We Connect
MIDWEEK GATHERINGS
After Jesus ascended into heaven, he sent his Holy Spirit to grow, lead, and unify the church. But these new followers of the Way were not people that simply “went to church” on Sundays. Rather, their desire was to “move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity (Heb 6:1a) and to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” to his glory forever. (2 Peter 3:18). This is in part what we strive to do with our midweek gatherings where groups of all ages from the very young to the much more “seasoned” and everyone in between come together for a meal, fellowship, fun and a time of learning.
After Jesus ascended into heaven, he sent his Holy Spirit to grow, lead, and unify the church. But these new followers of the Way were not people that simply “went to church” on Sundays. Rather, their desire was to “move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity (Heb 6:1a) and to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” to his glory forever. (2 Peter 3:18). This is in part what we strive to do with our midweek gatherings where groups of all ages from the very young to the much more “seasoned” and everyone in between come together for a meal, fellowship, fun and a time of learning.
LIFE GROUPS
While friendships are certainly made at our midweek gatherings, more intentional relationships are made in life groups. Like the early church who “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer” (Acts 2:47), Life Groups provide a similar opportunity for friends to become more like family by regularly gathering in each other’s homes and sharing food, devotions, and praying together. Life group meetings are not always long in duration, but they are frequent in occurrence so that “foreigners and strangers become fellow citizens and members of the household of faith” with Christ himself as the cornerstone. (Eph 2:19-20).
While friendships are certainly made at our midweek gatherings, more intentional relationships are made in life groups. Like the early church who “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer” (Acts 2:47), Life Groups provide a similar opportunity for friends to become more like family by regularly gathering in each other’s homes and sharing food, devotions, and praying together. Life group meetings are not always long in duration, but they are frequent in occurrence so that “foreigners and strangers become fellow citizens and members of the household of faith” with Christ himself as the cornerstone. (Eph 2:19-20).
Opportunities to Connect
At Bethany we have numerous opportunities to engage and grow with one another. Take a look through all our Ministry pages to find out more.