Please spend time reading through the following list and the Sunday Liturgy in order to be prepared for your Sunday LifeGroup Gathering.
HOSTING
Select a place to host Sunday LifeGroup Gatherings. We’d encourage you to select a different location than where you meet during the week for LifeGroup night to take the hosting burden off of one person or family.
Prior to gathering together, the host should clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces (e.g. door knobs, light switches, countertops, faucets, chairs, etc.) and primary communal areas (e.g. kitchen, bathroom, living room, dining room, etc.) in their home. Consider reaching out to everyone in LifeGroup to see who’s coming to make sure you have enough seating for everyone.
Because Sunday LifeGroup Gatherings still involves teaching, please make sure you have access to technology (e.g. laptop, tv with internet access, etc.) so you can watch and listen to the teaching.
Note: Sunday LifeGroup Gathering should last 60 to 90 minutes.
SAFETY & SANITATION RECOMMENDATIONS
In order to ensure the safety and health of those gathering together, we recommend the following precautions be taken before and after people gather.
Follow CDC Environmental Cleaning and Disinfection Recommendations
Do not attend a Sunday LifeGroup Gathering if you are sick, might be sick, or have any reason to think you have been exposed to COVID-19.
Make sure shared surfaces (e.g. doorknobs, light switches, countertops, faucets, chairs, etc.) are disinfected before and after each gathering.
Wash your hands thoroughly (more than 20 seconds with soap and warm water) upon arrival and upon returning home.
If serving food and/or drink, serve individually and with washed hands.
Keep as much distance as possible between members of different households and their belongings.
SUNDAY LITURGY
Before Sunday you will be provided a Sunday Liturgy. A “liturgy” is the arrangement of elements that Christians follow when gathered together. It’s a practical way of doing the “one anothers” that the New Testament calls us to. Those elements traditionally involve singing, praying, and reading/listening to God’s Word.Your leader should look over the Sunday Liturgy to familiarize themselves with the flow of the gathering. The leader can also divvy out responsibilities (such as singing, corporate prayer, etc.) to Core Group members in the LifeGroup so as to share the ministry weight with others.
KIDS
Families make up a large part of our church and LifeGroups, so children should be a part of your Sunday LifeGroup Gathering experience. There are two primary options for your group:
Include kids in your LifeGroup Gathering time. This option is more ideal for groups with older kids and a fewer number of kids.
Benefits: Kids get to see adults being the church and learning together. It’s also logistically simpler.
Negatives: Kids can be very distracting to the group and the content isn't geared toward their learning level.
Run a Kidtown space for the kids in your LifeGroup. This option is more ideal for groups with younger kids and a larger number of kids.
Benefits: Kids get to learn on their level and adults aren't distracted by their kids during the gathering.
A great way to do this is to have kids leave to go to a separate room after the music portion of the Gathering.
Based on Kidtown guidelines, there should always be at least two adults in the room with the kids.Rotate adults each week, so the adults also have time to engage in the Teaching and Discussion portions with other adults.
Another option could be to find a LifeGroup with kids that meets at a different time and swap childcare with them.
Lead kids through the Kidtown curriculum that will be most easily understood by every child.
TEENS AND PRE-TEENS
Teenagers are in a massively important transitional and formative stage. They aren't adults yet but they certainly aren't kids anymore either. The best options for them during LifeGroup Gathering time are to include them in what the adults are learning or to have them help with childcare for younger kids.
Each week we provide a Student Conversation Guide to help you debrief and engage with the teens in your LifeGroup.
SHARING A MEAL
While optional, part of being church family together includes sharing meals.
f you do decide to eat together, use GroupMe a few days out to decide who’s bringing what or set up a list through PerfectPotluck.com
Remember to take proper precautions as we eat together. Serve food and drink individually and with washed hands.
Through this all, please remember to follow the safety and sanitary regulations according to the CDC.
FAQ
What do we do if our group is too big?
First make sure to send out an RSVP event via GroupMe. While your group may be large on paper, it could be only some will actually attend.
If your group is too big for everyone to gather comfortably and safely, we’d recommend the following.
Sitting outdoors with your electronic device connected to a speaker.
Splitting your LifeGroup into smaller groups to practice social distancing.
If your LifeGroup is near multiplication, consider using this as an opportunity for the new group to begin meeting together.
Other options could include separating a LifeGroup according to gender, geographic location, or a 50/50 ratio of Core Group to non-Core Group.
How do we incorporate those who aren’t able to attend in person?
While we would encourage people to meet and think it best, we also understand if people aren’t ready to meet face-to-face. For those in LifeGroup who can’t attend, create a zoom link for them to watch the sermon with your group.