Home Groups
At MCC, as a community of people who want to see ourselves and our nation transformed by God’s love and grace and to help others become wholehearted followers of Jesus, see home groups as absolutely central to our church life.
What is a home group?
A home group is a small group of people (8 to 14) who meet three times a month to enjoy each other’s company, study what the Bible has to teach and pray for each other. At the moment we have home groups meeting weekly in Leixlip and Maynooth along with a monthly group in Edenderry.
The purpose of a home group?
Home groups at MCC are a core aspect of our mission as a church. At home groups we hope: – people develop friendship, fellowship and mutual support amongst the members. – to accept, love and care for one another withing and outside of group meetings. – to encourage one another towards personal and spiritual growth through weekly Bible study and prayer. – to discover, develop and use the spiritual gifts which God has given (or will give) to each of us in ministry. – to be open to and welcoming towards any new members who may join us at appropriate stages of our group life. – to be faithful in attendance at worship services and other special events of the church.
What does a home group look like?
Home groups meet in people’s homes. It really is that obvious. We do this because it fosters a real spirit of openness. In Irish culture we have been blessed with a real tradition of hospitality and that is evident whenever you see a home group functioning well. It can be the most welcoming and comfortable environment in which to go deeper in your faith, study the Bible and build lasting friendships. It is for this reason that we see home groups as the first line of pastoral care in MCC.
At the start of every session we meet and chat over coffee and tea for about half an hour. Then we get down into the Bible study where everyone’s opinion is equally valued and where everyone is encouraged to share. For some groups this takes place in the living room, others meet around the kitchen table. At the end of every session we break down into small groups to pray for each other. Often people stick around to chat some more but usually after two hours, the homegroup officially ends.
