This is a safe place. People are respected, accepted and appreciated for who they are. We are committed to building trust which is a basic human need.
We honour confidentiality, which is different from secrecy. Secrecy is motivated by power and manipulation; confidentiality is motivated by a deep respect for the sacredness of people’s stories and experiences.
We understand that the presence of each individual is greatly valued and necessary for successful development of the group. As a valued group member we strive to attend each meeting unless unforeseen circumstances prevent us from doing so. In that case, we will try hard to notify the contact person of our absence.
We are responsible for giving one another space, both in the time allotted for group sharing as in an individual’s need for private space within the group. We watch that no one or two people dominate the group sharing time.
This is a sharing group, not a discussion group. The purpose is to deepen the connection between our faith in Jesus, the sacred Scriptures, and the ups and downs of our daily lives. Discussing church doctrines or contentious political issues both in and outside the church are kept at a minimum so as to preserve the objective of faith sharing.
If our sharing changes into discussing, if one person dominates or sets themselves up as an “expert,” the facilitator or other group members may gently remind the group of its primary purpose and redirect the conversation.
Since the Gospel invites us to grow, change and deepen our insights and our ability to love, we give ourselves permission to change our minds, to not always having answers to life’s challenges, to learn the value of silence and reflection, even in the group.
We believe in the dignity of each person, and in her/his responsibility to make life-giving and love-giving decisions and choices in his/her life. We refrain from giving one another advice unless specifically asked.
“In my Father’s house there are many rooms,” Jesus said (Jn. 14:2). We welcome the diversity of paths, personalities, life experiences, and perspectives which each person brings to the group. We admit that no one of us has the complete window on the truth, but that together we grow into reflecting God’s image and likeness.
We appreciate and respect that introvert and extrovert personalities have different needs when it comes to balancing reflection/silent group time and sharing time. Also, there are times when even great talkers may not feel like talking. We are responsible to communicate these needs in the group and we honour and try to accommodate this diversity as much as possible.
Many small groups are meeting regularly in parishes across our diocese and beyond. Whether these are Small Christian Communities, parish committees, parish pastoral councils, Knights of Columbus, such gatherings require some leadership and group facilitation. Below is a list of tips, designed especially for faith sharing based on the Scriptures. Many people are new in such a group setting and need time to become comfortable with this kind of group reflection. The following list can be helpful to both group leaders/facilitators and group members, as it will clarify the group process and helps define roles.
1. Creating an atmosphere of welcome and hospitality is crucial. Showing a genuine interest and appreciation of people’s presence will go a long way in achieving this.
2. Pay attention to your surroundings by the use of symbols. An open Bible or Lectionary with a lit candle, for example, draws participants into a tone of reverence and reflection.
3. Be clear in communicating the amount of time allotted to the faith sharing part of your meeting. Ask the group members’ contribution in respecting this time limit.
4. Take some time before the meeting to review the resource and the Scriptures you will use for your faith sharing time. If possible, pray and reflect on its content ahead of time. Familiarizing yourself with both the resource and the Scriptures themselves will increase your comfort level and ease of facilitation.
5. Explain the format for this portion of your meeting, ensure that materials are available and invite questions for clarification.
6. Allow a few minutes of silence after reading the Scripture.
7. At the appropriate time, invite participants to share experiences, insights, opinions while also encouraging a reverent listening to one another. If the group is too large to make sharing possible, invite people to share in two or threes only.
8. Encourage sharing on personal experiences rather than discussion on specific topics. Help participants to talk about their faith and how they live it. Invite everyone, but force no one.
9. Remind the group of their covenant to one another in respecting confidentiality. If needed, remind the group of the purpose of this portion of the meeting, i.e. deepen one’s faith, offer support, strengthen bonds of community etc.).
10. At the end of this portion of your meeting, thank everyone for their particip-ation, expressing your hope to be together in this way again in the future.