Lost in the Crowd

Have you ever felt lost in the crowd? For someone who loves concerts, there is always this heightened sense of anxiety for me being in a large group. I constantly catch myself looking around to make sure the people I came with are by my side, I avoid bumping into strangers, and I leave early so I'm not in this rush of people.

I've found that being in large churches can feel the same way. Most of my experiences of church is from the lens of the large church context. Before I got connected with any ministry areas when I first started going to church, I found myself lost in this sea of people coming and going. I could easily slip in and out of service without people noticing and I could even miss worship and no one would think twice about it. Reflecting back, I realize that I treated church like a crowded concert that I loved going to, but rarely interacted with others and take advantage of any chance to leave early.

It wasn't until I got connected to a small group that this large crowd of people suddenly came into focus and I felt a sense of belonging.  Still being new to the church, the other people in my small group helped to introduce me to others and my circle of people I knew grew rapidly. I was no longer avoiding "bumping into strangers" but found myself getting to church early and being one of the last to leave so that I could interact with this new community!

That wasn't the only benefit of being a part of a small group. While it didn't happen right away, as relationships and trust within my small group grew, barriers crumbled and it became a time where people allowed their true, authentic self to show. Where people asked each other how they were doing and stopped to hear the answer because we were invested each other. A place where questioning our understanding of God was encouraged and sparked long discussions. While Sunday morning worship provided a great foundation of Biblical knowledge and brought the larger community of believers together, I found that by taking personal responsibility for my spiritual growth and engaging in a small group it allowed me to take some serious strides in my relationship with God and others.

Leaving for college, I started attending a mega church. I found myself repeating old habits and feelings of being lost in the crowd as I sat in the balcony and would leave before the service ended. This church didn't have any small group offerings so for 18 months I found myself going to worship services but had little to no interactions with others. So I went from growing leaps and bounds in my faith to becoming stagnant and almost stuck during this time. After this realization, I started working for another area church and got plugged into a small group. Almost immediately after getting connected with others in a meaningful way my feeling of being in neutral immediately shifted into a  movement forward.

I also have found that the people you are in small group with start to blur into your everyday life. You can't open up and share about yourself and faith without connecting on a deeper level. You start to do life together inside and outside of the church walls. I don't think it's a conscience that my closet friends happen to be in my small group. 

When I first found out I was appointed by Bishop Palmer to Faith Community, I did my research. Did you know that Faith Community has over 50 small groups?! That's incredible and one of the aspects of the church I was most exited about! So the idea of starting a young adults' small group wouldn't be out of the question, but an idea that was welcomed and encouraged.

In a few weeks, Faith Community will have an all church study called "Ways of the Wise" where small groups will learn more about the book of Ecclesiastes. This study was put together by a talented team led by our very own Pastor Julie! The idea of everyone in the church diving into the same Scripture and study was a new idea to me, but how ingenious?  There is a new potential to Sunday morning interactions where we not only catch up on how the week has been, we can talk to people about what they think of this week's Scripture and study! Think of all the different perspectives and opportunities to learn more.  

So if you are involved in a small group, I want to know how long you've been engaged in a small group and what is your favorite aspect of being connected to others in this unique way? I'm learning that people in this church have a strong commitment to small groups and many groups have been together for YEARS! We need to celebrate that!

If you haven't connected yet with a group why not? What is holding you back? I encourage you to make this study and trying out a small group a priority this fall. 

Click here to follow a link to sign up for or start a small group. Small groups meet at various times throughout the week and we will work to connect you with people of similar ages and stages of life.