Connect Groups

Whoever wants to – especially newer members. Connect Groups are intended for all confirmed adults of St. Paul’s to be more connected to fellow Christians and Christ’s Word. Help us welcome our newer members to these groups to get to know our congregation.

The members of the group spend time socializing and getting to know each other over snacks and refreshments. The comfortable setting fosters building Christian friendships. They also discuss the previous week’s sermon in a relaxed setting in a one hour Bible study using interactive discussion questions written by a St. Paul’s pastor, downloaded from the St. Paul’s website or emailed from the facilitators on Mondays at 10 am. They will pray for each other and encourage each other.

Connect Groups will generally be from 8 to 14 people, depending on how many couples or singles are in the group.

The members of each group may decide for themselves if they want to bring their children along to the meetings or to make their own arrangements for child-care. Teens have the option of participating.

A Connect Group will meet each week for a 4-week session. The host will decide what day/night to meet (based on feedback from the group). There will be three sessions during the year: January-February, April-May (with a break for summer), and September-October. Each week’s study will last about an hour (45 minutes of Bible study and 15 minutes of conversation).

Each group will need a host and a facilitator. The host will provide the place for the group, welcome each participant, and coordinate snacks. The facilitator will be someone who has demonstrated spiritual maturity, will coordinate the discussion, and keep the conversation going by using the guides prepared by Pastor Oelhafen. The facilitator is intended to be more of a “guide on the side" than a “sage on the stage” to promote group discussion. Both will be the primary recruiters for all groups. At the end of each week’s group, the host will email a summary of the week’s activities to Pastor Oelhafen for appropriate pastor support (difficult question to answer, pastoral care, etc.) and follow-up. Participants are all asked to actively help the host & facilitator (bring drinks/snacks, set-up, clean-up, recruiting, participate in the discussion, etc.).

Each group will meet where and when they choose – likely on most days/nights of the week. Groups will be encouraged to primarily meet in members’ homes, at a local restaurant, or other comfortable surroundings like our church facilities (Fireside Room, Fellowship Hall, etc.).

Absolutely! At the end of each session, members are free to join a different group to get to know more members or even better -- start one themselves!

Absolutely – you will have as much fun as you bring. Groups are also encouraged to enjoy food/drinks together (like dessert night, appetizer night, potlucks, etc.) and maybe even get together outside the study for fellowship (such as a movie, watch a sporting event, game/trivia night, etc.), and serve together in the congregation (Sunday morning donut time, Advent-Lenten meals, ushering, help bring meals to a new mom/bereaved, etc.).