Homegroups
@English Martyrs
The Mass is the source and summit of our life, homegroups help us in the journey of life. Our parish is a community, and homegroups lay at the heart of this community.
What is a homegroup?
For us, a Home Group is a smaller group of parishioners (maybe up to 12 people) who meet together mid-week to pray and share fellowship as well as having some sort of input and discussion. For the moment, our homegroups will meet on Zoom but will, as restrictions allow, begin to meet within people’ homes for a more relaxed setting.
But why go to a homegroup?
We are all busy, balancing work-life, home-life and church-life, homegroups give us the opportunity to deepen our relationships with God and each other, to grow in love and knowledge of God and to learn how best to support one another in the church amongst the busyness of life.
What do you mean by input?
This will be different each week. Homegroups are not purely Bible study, they are not a theological in-depth discussion of a certain document. They are life, people meeting together to do life together and to grow in their faith. Some weeks may be focussed on a Bible passage, another may look at the life of a saint, another may look at the Vatican document, another may be someone’ testimony. Each week has the same purpose; to encourage each member to grow deeper in their faith and understanding of God’s love for us.
When are they?
Our homegroups are going to be on Thursday evenings. the evening starts officially at 7.45pm but feel free to grab a cup of tea and join from 7.30pm. Each evening will finish at 9.00pm.
How many weeks do they run for?
Homegroups are different to courses, there is not a definite end date. The idea is that we continue to grow in these small communities, inviting people to journey with us and when they get large enough they multiply to continue growing together. Of course, you are not signing up for life! But as the groups continue to meet over long periods of time you will find that deep, lasting friendships occur that will encourage all people involved.
How do I start coming?
Our homegroups are officially launching in our parish on Thursday 27th May at 7.45pm. If you are interested, let us know! We will then make sure that someone contacts you to answer any questions that you may have and will make sure you have the Zoom details.