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Small Christian Communities
Mission: Members work for compassion, justice, reconciliation and peace within the small community, in the family, parish, workplace, neighborhood and wider society.
About Us Join Us Member Comments Sign-Up Form
What's New?
New Communities are forming beginning February 1, 2008. Gather with friends and share your faith, your prayer, your struggles and your love. It's a chance for wonderful fellowship and Christian support, as well as growth in faith and knowledge.
Here's your opportunity. Some groups meet monthly, some bi-monthly and some weekly for 6 weeks at a time. The meetings are usually held in one of the member's homes or here at chruch. If you are interested, click on the sign-up form button above and follow the directions. You can also complete the form, print it, and drop in the collection basket or return it to the Parish Office. And...no previous experience is necessary!
History and Explanation of the Small Christian Community Movement
The Spirit of God is moving in wisdom and power within our church today. Throughout the entire world, people are coming together in small communities to listen to the scriptures, to reflect on how those scriptures impact their lives, to pray together, to support one another and to take concrete actions to live out the gospel in all aspects of their lives. Small faith sharing communities are becoming more a part of parish life.
In fact, in many instances the parish itself is becoming a community of many small communities. As Christians we are called to be a faith community, a community in which people can come to know one another and share their faith and life — thus unleashing the mighty power of the Spirit. A rapidly growing phenomenon in young churches…is that of “ecclesial basic communities”...These communities decentralize and organize the parish community, to which they always remain united...Within them, the individual Christian experiences community and therefore sense that he or she is playing an active role and is encouraged to share in the common task. Thus, these communities become a means of evangelization and of the initial proclamation of the Gospel and a source of new ministries. (Pope John Paul, II, Redemptoris Missio, #51)
Small Christian Communities offers parishes an opportunity to respond to the call of Pope John Paul II to join in the evangelical mission of the church in the third millennium with renewed faith and increased vigor. It is an effort to implement the United States Bishops’ plan and strategy for their national evangelization effort. Small communities offer the opportunity for parishes to develop an ongoing style of parish life for the 21st century — magnificent hope for the future of the church. St. Michaels joined Renew International’s RENEW 2000.
Renew 2000 was born of the insights and dreams of the original RENEW process developed in 1978 in the Archdiocese of Newark, New Jersey. The experience of over 120 dioceses in the United States and an additional 100 dioceses in other parts of the world involved in the RENEW process has indicated the importance of efforts to establish a permanent role for small communities in parish life. When Pope John Paul II focused the church's efforts on a Great Jubilee for the new millennium (As the Third Millennium Draws Near) and when the bishops of the United States called for a new evangelization plan and strategy (Go and Make Disciples), RENEW desired to respond with a pastoral approach that is centered in small communities and ongoing leadership formation.
Contact us: St. Michael the Archangel Parish Rectory 330-492-3119 or Mark Fuller 330-499-1605
E-mail: jmarkfuller@sbcglobal.net
Prayer
Loving and merciful Father,
You have answered our cry for Good News
by giving us nothing less than Jesus.
Help us, we pray,
that our deeds will be a resounding “yes”
to the love you have shown us.
Help us reach out to others with your Good News.
Give us courage and wisdom
to proclaim how much you mean to us.
We ask your special blessing
upon our St. Michael Community,
each small community,
and each new participant.
We ask this through the intercession of Mary,
the power of Your Holy Spirit, and in the name of
Jesus, your Son.
Amen.
Written by Fred & Annette CaChat
and Sister Carol
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