Lead a Circle

I’d like to invite you to consider leading a Circle in your community. What are “circles”?   Circles offer a method for personal growth through close personal relationships and living into community. Circles offer a way to move away from the “All Head” aspect of bible study, yet, with Christ, working toward a deeper understanding and living into our “everyday Christ.” One could think of circles as analogous to sitting around a campfire, reflecting, with a spiritual or scriptural theme in mind.  It is a sponsored and facilitated dialogue, usually lead through a weekly prompt that leads to a conversation about our spirituality in everyday life, and usually results in a “take away for my own life.”  Indeed, circles in church have a long history, starting famously on the US East Coast with two Anglican priests in the 1790s, John and Charles Wesley, who are the founders of the current day United Methodist Church. 

Several attributes of Circles that are worth calling out:

1. Confidentiality: While meetings are absolutely confidential, there is less emphasis on confidentiality, more emphasis on open discussion.
2. Goal orientation: The goal is to enhance spiritual knowledge and faith through study and discussion leading to growth, both personal and within the community. Circles also deepen participants' understanding of religious texts, doctrines, and theological concepts as applied to everyday living.
3. Nature of inquiry and participation: Participants discuss and analyze religious texts and concepts, with a focus on learning, as well as share personal stories and feelings, with a focus on mutual support in our collective journey toward living as “everyday Christians. ”
4. Meeting Structure: Somewhat structured and yet somewhat informal leader-facilitated, focused on studying and discussing texts in context of personal experiences that are meant to create a stronger community and relationships within a community 

 
Deacon Candidate Edward McEachern, MD is leading an informational session on September 12 from 4-5 pm (on Zoom).

Please register for free if you are interested. 
 
Two separate cohorts of Circle leaders will be trained:  Circle leader training will occur October 2nd from 4-6pm, and at the Episcopal Convention on November 8th