A Circle of CARE is a small group of 8 to10 people who gather regularly in the home of one of the Circle participants and who band together around the promise to grow in love for God and for others. Each group uses a common Study Guide, formed as practical life application focusing on the weekly message. It also contains challenging questions for self-reflection, exercises for listening for God's call and opportunities to serve together.
Care, nurture and support are central to the gathering time with the expectation that Christ is experienced among the gathered community. A Circle spends time in fellowship and hospitality; meditation/centering; reflection and study; worship and prayer. Each Circle is committed to growing deeper through the Crossroads core mission of a transformational journey with Jesus ... Inward, Outward and Together.
Circles of CARE are defined by a four-point covenant:
CALL It is in the community of small groups that we discover our call -- God`s plan for how people use their gifts to make a difference in the world and to reveal the character of Christ in our personal lives, families and communities.
ACCOUNTABILITY Being held in a bond of grace-filled confrontation that keeps us conformed to the character of Christ
REFLECTION - spending time practicing the spiritual disciplines that help us create inner sacred space in which God`s voice becomes distinct and clear; studying scripture with the aid of the Circles of CARE Reflection Guide as a group, and with the Crossroads Daily Guide on an individual basis.
ENGAGEMENT Learning to be the hands of Jesus to the church through ministry and to the world through mission
A TRANSFORMATIONAL EXPERIENCE
For any one of us to experience the transformational nature of small groups, we must:
Transform our Heads -- Change our thinking and worldview so we see through Jesus' eyes
Transform our Hearts -- Change the way we feel through inspirational and community worship
Transform our Hands -- Change the way we act and focus on making a difference in the world
Transform our Habits -- Change the way we behave by practicing the spiritual disciplines and entering into genuine Christian accountability through small groups
FIND OUT MORE
Jean Boren, 703-729-5100, Ext. 133 or by EMAIL
THE ROOTS OF SMALL GROUPS
