Our Lenten Small Groups are “listening groups.” They will meet during the Lenten season for 7-weeks. They are designed to create room for the Lord to work in a powerful but simple way.

1. The small group meeting opens in prayer, led by the facilitator.

2. After the opening prayer, each member is given the opportunity to share what has been happening as they participate in the “Greater Love” Lenten spiritual exercises. Participants are encouraged to share honestly and transparently. There is no “right thing” to share. It may be the difficult struggles one is experiencing; it may be blessings the Lord is giving; it may be messy areas in life that are being revealed; it may be hopeful changes that are taking place or the challenges one is experiencing. Whatever is happening as one takes part in the spiritual exercises can be shared.

3. As each participant shares, the other members are attentively, quietly, and lovingly listening. They do not interrupt. They do not give advice. They do not try to fix. There is no cross-talk. They do not say: “I know just what you’re going through!” or “That’s nothing! Let me tell you what happened to me…”

Confidentiality is expected so that each participant has the freedom to share honestly and sincerely.

4. Once each participant has been given the opportunity to share, the facilitator offers a closing prayer entrusting everything back to the Lord and the working of his grace.

The goal of our Lenten Small Groups is to offer encouragement and deepening of trust in the work of the Holy Spirit in our own lives as we witness His work in the lives of others. Additionally, this listening group model has been proven to open us to the healing work the Lord can do in us when we bring our prayer experiences to light by speaking it aloud to others. In spiritual direction this is especially true, but this listening group model offers a dynamic dimension of healing that allows the Holy Spirit, as the prime director, to truly radiate grace.

When we put words to our thoughts and feelings that come from our prayer times and share them aloud on holy ground with others who are compassionately listening, we allow the Lord to break open and bring to new life the action of grace in our lives. This gift of being listened to and honored by others without the fear of their potential reactions brings greater freedom in allowing the Lord to take us deeper into the truth of how He’s created us - out of love and for love.

When we compassionately listen to others and see how specifically the Holy Spirit is moving in their lives, it confirms His work in our own lives and inspires us to seek Him more fervently and be loved even more openly. Listening without thinking of a response frees us to really accompany one another with love, approaching one another with the same reverence that Jesus does.