OVERVIEW OF SMALL FAITH COMMUNITIES MINISTRY
- Each person joins a small group of 6 to 12 people, ideally about 8 people.
- Most groups will meet weekly for about two hours.
- The readings for the approaching Sunday Mass are prayerfully read together, especially the Gospel then, with the Sunday Scriptures as the context, each person shares his or her personal experience of the spiritual life in the everyday and listens attentively to the sharing that others have to offer.
- Each group decides where they will meet. Most will meet in homes. Ideally, there should be at least three host families per group.
- Each group will have a trained facilitator.
- Main books to use:
- The New American Bible
- PrayerTime by Renew International ($15)
- Catechism of the Catholic Church.
- Sign-up by filling out the form available in the Parish Office, or by calling the church office.
- Small Faith Communities Ministry has a core team that helps keep the whole ministry running.
BRING WITH YOU TO EACH MEETING:1. The New American Bible 2. PrayerTime from Renew International 3. Your “Facilitator’s Handbook” 4. Catechism of the Catholic Church 5. KMCC SFC plaque 6. KMCC bulletin and/or email news from the Core Team |
MISSION
Korean Martyrs Catholic Center (KMCC) Small Faith Communities Ministry strives to provide individuals a regular opportunity to come to a deeper appreciation of the love of God at work in their daily lives by gathering as a small community and prayerfully discerning their lives through faith sharing within the context of the Word of God and the beliefs of the Catholic Church.
GUIDING PRINCIPLES
- Unique and blessed faith lives. Each person is led by God on his or her personal spiritual journey. 1 This happens in the context of the Church. Therefore, every person deserves respect and love no matter where he or she is in his or her faith journey.
- Faith sharing. Faith sharing refers to shared reflections on the action of God in one’s daily life as related to Scripture and the Church’s faith. SFC meetings are not counseling or therapy sessions, nor are they Bible studies, catechism studies, or support groups. The purpose is an encounter between a person in the concrete circumstances of one’s life and the Word of God that leads to a conversion of heart.1 The dynamic of sharing and listening is the same dynamic in giving and receiving; both actions are acts of charity.
- Deeper and broader communion. Small Faith Communities Ministry is meant to enhance our union with Christ, his Church, and society. Each individual is supported by the community of believers for our mission in the world.1 Fidelity to the Magisterium of the Church keeps the bonds of unity strong. Our communion reaches its fullest expression in the Eucharist. Each small faith community should remain vigilant against tendencies to become an autonomous group that is relatively disengaged with the larger church community.
- Prayer. The entire faith-sharing journey is seen as prayer, that is, listening to the Word of God as broken open by others’ experience.1
- Evangelization and Mission. “The Church on earth is by her nature missionary, since according to the plan of the Father, she has as her origin the mission of the Son and the Holy Spirit.”2 Inviting is evangelizing. Evangelization leads to growth, and growth leads to multiplication. Every member of a small faith community must embrace the missionary spirit of Christ.
- Service. Along with efforts of evangelization, the fruits of small faith communities are the clear acts of service of each member for the betterment of the larger community of KMCC and beyond.
- Devoted to Mary. The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God and our mother, leads all participants in Small Faith Communities to have a heart that ponders deeply and praises wholeheartedly the greatness of the Lord and mystery of God’s personal love for us. This whole ministry is entrusted to her care.
1.From PrayerTime, Renew International.
2.From Catechism of the Catholic Church 850
To join an SFC email: sfc@kmccoc.org
