Mid-week activity with Paddock Wood
Baptist Church
Midweek Groups - What are 2:42 groups?
2:42 groups are very small informal active groups
that meet during the week to be the Cell Life of the church, this is as
seen in the Acts 2:42 model, hence when the name comes from. Every member of
the group will get a chance to lead a section of the meeting at one time or
another. 2:42 groups seek to be outward looking and welcoming to visitors, and
so the meeting allows for that. There is an emphasis on the importance of each
member, and so people are looked after and discipled. Everyone is encouraged to
grow in their faith. The meetings are flexible; members can have a go at new
things and discover their gifts in a safe environment. We hope to see new
members come from the groups which will multiply by division when they get too
big, so that new members can be welcomed into a small group, especially new
Christians. The group leaders meet with the church leadership, so that there is
continuity across the church.
How does the meeting
function?
The groups meet on different evenings of the week.
The meeting lasts about 1-2 hours and usually includes the following (the four
Ws):
- Welcome - One person prepares an ice
breaker or conversation starter. We want to get to know each other better.
We want to be relaxed and informal. Asking a simple question such as, "What is
you favourite film or book, why?" can actually tell you quite a lot about a
person!
- Worship - We want to take every opportunity to
worship God. People take turns to lead a short time of informal worship. During
this time we can try something which may appear to be too daunting on a Sunday
meeting, where a broader range of people have to be catered for. We are all
friends together, learning together. We might suggest a song, pray out aloud in
a group for the first time and using spiritual gifts (1 Cor v 14; 26). This
helps us to be more sensitive to the Holy Spirit, and to be braver at
contributing to the open worship times on Sunday's!
- Word - This isn't supposed to be heavy, and is
often a follow up to what has been preached on Sunday, with a view to applying
it to our lives. Sometimes there is material the church leadership feels the
church needs to study as a whole. We use this time to discuss and pray about
issues raised.
- Witness - We want to reach out to our friends,
relatives and contacts. People will sometimes come to a small group initially
where they would not come on a Sunday morning. Some of out 2:42 evenings are
socials, such as, BBQ's, Pancake Parties, Christmas events and the like, but
guests are welcome to any meeting.
The key foundation in the group is Prayer. We do a lot of
this. The small group is an ideal non-threatening environment to receive
personal prayer - for healing, for situations being faced and also to receive
the Holy Spirit. We can expect real changes in our lives as we open up to God
and to each other, and as we seek to apply to our lives what is being taught in
church.