Why Community Groups?

WHY ARE COMMUNITY GROUPS SO IMPORTANT TO DEL REY CHURCH?

Del Rey Church is a community of people, not a building.  As a community, we care about relationships.  This means that our church life cannot be reduced to just attending on Sundays.  We firmly believe the church is gathered on Sundays, but that alone is not enough time in community for the biblical Christian.  This means participating in both the Sunday gathering and a Community Group is a normal expectation for biblical Christianity. Sundays are a time for celebrating in worship of Jesus together, hearing the preaching of the Word, sharing in Communion, giving our offerings, witnessing Baptisms and joining our voices in corporate song. Community Groups are the place where the seeds of the preached Word preached on Sunday take root and become real. It is the place where we build relationships with one another and living life together. As well, it is within the groups within the neighborhoods of the city that we can participate in the work that God has called us to as a church. Our groups are an opportunity to love and bless the city in unique ways.

COMMUNITIES  GROUPS ARE FOR YOU

We want you to identify with the mission and vision of a church in a particular context where you worship, serve and participate in community.  For most that will coincide with where you live and the church that is the closest.  We discourage people from attending one church and participating in a community of another as that disconnects community from the mission.  Our hope is to see people connect in attending Del Rey Church and being on mission with us in community reaching the lost in our community.  We would like to encourage you to consider where God has called you to participate and join in the mission of our church (or find one you can plug into) and then plant deep roots there attendance, service and community.

WHAT SHOULD  WE EXPECT IN COMMUNITY GROUPS?

Each Community Group is unique as the group reflects the neighborhood in which it exists. However, you can expect a weekly gathering that involves food, conversation, prayer, discussion for applying the Bible to practical living, and service in the neighborhood. Community Groups are an environment for building relationships with one another, which strongly emphasizes challenging one another to drive God’s Word deeply into our lives. Some groups follow the Sunday sermon series; some may choose to work through a curriculum approved by the church elders.  Community groups are much more than a Bible study however, they are community, a place where we can laugh, cry, work and play together for glory of Jesus. This means you could expect BBQ’s, yard work for an elderly neighbor, bowling, working in children’s ministry, visiting people in the hospital, birthday parties, etc.