Connect Groups
At St James, we believe that it is important for our members to get to know others in the church and build relationships so that they feel connected to the church family. Our Weekly Connect Groups and our Focused Connect Groups encourage belonging and connection.
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Weekly Connect Groups are small groups of church members that meet regularly together in our Parish and across Bishop’s Stortford. They meet on different days and at different times during the week. Each group has its own identity, but they all encourage the building of relationships with God, with other members of the group and with the community around us following our vision to Gather, Grow and Go.
Focused Connect Groups encourage connection for a particular group or to serve a particular need or interest within the church community. These groups are different to our weekly Connect Groups in that they may meet less regularly, their focus may not be Bible Study and Prayer in the same way as our weekly groups but they will operate within the Gather, Grow, Go framework that we use. Members of these focused groups may join for the long term or just for a season depending on the focus of the group.
Our Church Vision is supported by three words: Gather, Grow and Go. These words serve to underline some of the things we see as important in living Christian lives of community, mission and ministry together and provide a strategic framework for us to grow and develop as a church community. Our Weekly Connect Groups and Focused Groups support our church vision in the
following ways:
Gather
We build close relationships by connecting with others to give sense of belonging to our church family. We support one another pastorally and practically through the ups and downs of life.
Grow
We support members in developing spiritual maturity by studying the Bible, worshipping and praying together. We minister to one another through acts of service, prayer and spiritual gifts. We encourage each member to develop their own ministry.
Go
We encourage members to serve the church community. We reach out into the community as a group, by supporting an outward looking project or mission focus so that we can be an influence for good and make a difference.