First meeting
Facilitator Notes
The goal of this night is to create a warm, welcoming tone as well as create the expectation that we will
share our faith together.
Check in
1. Share your name and if you have ever been in a small group before.
Opening Prayer
Open the night in prayer asking God to be with all of you.
Icebreaker
Each person needs to have their own color marker (no one with the same color)Have each group
member draw their life (however they interpret that)
1. Crumple them up and put them in the middle of your circle
2. Have one person pick up one that is NOT their own
3. Uncrumple them and then try to explain what is going on in the picture and then who you
think it is. Then have the “artist” share what it is.
4. Now the person who was the artist gets to pick one from the circle.
Focus
Read this quote: It is important to tell, at least from time to time, the secret of who we truly and fully
are—even if we tell it only to ourselves—because otherwise we run the risk of losing track of who we truly
and fully are, and little by little we come to accept instead the highly edited version that we put forth in
hope that the world will find it more acceptable than the real thing- Frederick Buechner observes in his
book Telling Secrets.
Now remind people that we are inviting folks to share a bit deeper:
1. When did God become more than a word to you?
Read this verse:
Acts 2:42-47The Message (MSG)
41-42
That day about three thousand took him at his word, were baptized and were signed up. They
committed themselves to the teaching of the apostles, the life together, the common meal, and
the prayers.
43-45
Everyone around was in awe—all those wonders and signs done through the apostles! And
all the believers lived in a wonderful harmony, holding everything in common. They sold
whatever they owned and pooled their resources so that each person’s need was met.
46-47
They followed a daily discipline of worship in the Temple followed by meals at home, every
meal a celebration, exuberant and joyful, as they praised God. People in general liked what they
saw. Every day their number grew as God added those who were saved.
Small groups are not a new fad. The earliest church met in both large groups and small groups
(verse 46). Today, as in the early church, people need to experience God in two different ways.
In a large group they experience God’s greatness and feel like they are part of a movement. In a
small group they experience God’s closeness and feel like they are part of a family. Like the
early church we want to see God work in powerful ways. We want to see miracles. We want to
share deeply with each other in practical ways. We want to encourage and support and challenge
each other and see others drawn to him. Our purposes our fourfold:
1. Reaching Upward to God – Experiencing God’s power, love and gifts.
2. Reaching Inward to One Other – Experiencing deep, authentic community.
3. Reaching Outward to Bring Others to Christ
Listening Deeper
Is there anything you would like to share after listening to another person share?
Is there anything you would like to return to in prayer later in the week?
Moving Forward
Share prayer requests. Have one person close.