Small Groups

Small groups are essential to the mission of the Longbeach Anglican Church as they establish and equip people to become mature disciples who go into the work to make, mature and mobilise disciples which is the message of the great commission. Smaller gatherings are vital for people to connect into a community and to be given an opportunity to talk about life together, to experience care and to grow in their faith. Jesus himself drew together in small groups to grow in the Word, pray together and to have fellowship with one another.

Each group is encouraged to include 4 aspects into their time together.

Doing Life together

“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labour: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up.” (Ecclesiastes 4:9,10).  We need each other that’s the way God has made us.   “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” (Proverbs 27:17)

Small groups are there to help us to do life together well and we do this by opening God’s Word and discussing respectfully what this means for our lives. Most groups will meet in a home, and some will meet online through zoom but all groups are encouraged to spend some time together over a meal or supper to share their experiences in a more relaxed way.

Why Prayer?

One key reason to pray is because God has commanded us to pray and God has promised that wherever two or three meet in His name, there He is in the midst (Matthew 18:20). There are wonderful promises around prayer also, and so we encourage groups to pray believing that God will answer, and miracles will happen.

We want our Small Groups to place a great importance on prayer throughout the time together and during the week. We want to see the group praying together in a variety of ways for each other, those outside the group, our church, community and the world. 

We want all members to be taught to pray out loud for one another so that when the Holy Spirit guides them to friends or people in their community, they can give them the gift of praying out loud for them.  

Opening the Bible

Many people throughout the world today are biblically ignorant. Many claim not to believe the bible, even though they have never read it and so have no idea what it says. The Bible claims some amazing things for itself, among which are: it is a guide for life; through it God brings health, growth, peace, understanding, salvation and protection, just to mention a few.  Since God can do these things and many more through the Bible, people desperately need to know what God has to say in His Word.   People who are confused and bewildered by their own lives and the world around them, when exposed to the powerful Word of God, find answers to their deepest longings and needs.

Pastoral Care

Effective groups care about the individual members in their group and check in with people as they journey through the ups and downs of life. They are a great way for new people to connect with the community and to settle in quickly if they are the right fit.

The aim in the long term is for groups to train up new leaders and to multiply over time.

Please contact us if you would like more information.

Day and Time	Location	Leader
Monday 2pm	Peterson’s House	Hilary
Tuesday 11am	Chelsea Centre – Lunch Church Bible study	Bec
Tuesday 7pm	Zoom	Chris R
Wednesday 2pm	Chelsea Centre	Christine T
Wednesday 7:30pm	Zoom	Sue
Sunday 6:30pm	Zoom	Lyn