Shine for Jesus

The golden lampstand in the Sanctuary stood as a reminder that Jesus Christ is the light of our world.

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” 

John 8:12

As Christians, we are to be reminded always to reflect the light of Christ.

You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.

Matthew 5:14

This is why a small group is a BIG part of our church and so it should be for any Christian community. Isabelle and Keira are sharing how they get together as a small group called CARE group (Christ Attitude Reflected in Everyone) and how this small group is an avenue for them to exercise their faith.

Isabelle

At our church, we have Care Groups. A Care Group is a smaller group of people within our church. We have 3 care groups running at our church at the moment. We gather together in smaller groups, share a meal, sing songs to praise God, study the Bible, and pray for one another. The purpose of a Care Group is to invite our friends so that we can build and strengthen our friendships. We may invite those who may not yet be comfortable with the idea of coming to church. Care Group is a place of fellowship, friendships and strengthening our faith in God and it is based on the 5 F’s – food, friends, faith, fun & fellowship. It is a place to build your character with people that you may connect with more. Building and maintaining these friendships through a care group allows us to have a connection with our friends that we may invite them to church once they are ready. 

I attend the Youth Care Group because it is a place for social gatherings and a place to study the Bible with your friends. Studying the Bible with your friends makes it a lot more fun and interesting and also allows you to build better friendships with those in your care group. Our youth care group consists of children from the age of 10-14 at the moment. Having everyone about the same age in a group allows us to do activities that we may have not been able to do with 2 years old which I find fun. The level of understanding of the Bible also is more balanced and is very understandable, rather than if we had an adult based care group or a toddler based care group. Care group allows us to nurture and grow in our character and build our relationship with both God and friends around us

Keira

We meet together on a Saturday afternoon after church, in lockdown, it’s on zoom where we would listen to Bible stories and learn about friendship God intended for us. When we still had fewer restrictions and we could still meet outdoor, we would have a nature walk and talk. In our care group right now we are on the topic of friendships and trust in others and God, we also sing songs, pray together, play games and have a potluck dinner together.

The activities I like the most during care group is playing games together and also between having dinner and leaving we would just spend time together playing games and talking with everyone around us. Anyone would want to attend a care group to socialise with others while also learning more about God and studying the Bible with other people around your age, it would also help you make close friends you can trust who also enjoys learning about God.

Do you meet together as a small group at your church too? What are the things that you enjoy doing together? Please leave your comments below. Head over to our church website, Gateway Lighthouse,  to see what other activities we do to fellowship with one another.

Blessings,
El