CORE COMMUNITIES

“LOVE AND BELONGING ARE IRREDUCIBLE NEEDS OF MEN,

WOMEN, AND CHILDREN. WE’RE HARD WIRED FOR CONNECTION –

IT’S WHAT GIVES PURPOSE AND MEANING TO OUR LIVES”

BRENÉ BROWN

how we do Community

Sundays:Gathering together as a whole family on a Sunday is fantastic. We love the opportunity to catch up, worship and experience God’s presence, apply the Bible to our lives and bring friends along who are interested in exploring who Jesus is. Whilst our Sunday gatherings are an essential part of our church community, they’re only one aspect.

Core Communities:Our Core Communities aim to bring people together throughout the week on a regular basis. Meeting in different settings and for different activities creates space to spend time together, encourage each other and build friendships.

These communities will reflect how we build friendships in day-to-day life – around a certain place, for a given purpose, or around a shared activity. Though each community will look slightly different, they will remain unified around our core values. They will each be a place where:

Anyone can come to explore who Jesus is

We can be ourselves

We explore and apply the Bible to our lives

We include others in our conversations with Jesus

We look to the needs of others first

We expect God to be present and at work

As a growing church we believe in developing our relationships with others. We want to ensure that we build a community where everyone

can find a place to belong.

Core Communities

Home Communities:People spending time together in homes or in other regular venues. They create opportunity to encourage each other in their relationships with Jesus, through hearing each other’s stories, exploring and applying the Bible, worshipping together and praying for each other.

Training Communities:People gathering together for the specific purpose of learning and growing in practical ways. Providing space for people to deepen their understanding and experiences of God and be encouraged and equipped to pursue their God given passions and dreams.

Active Communities:People joining together and inviting friends to spend time around a shared interest, whilst helping one another to deepen their relationship with Jesus. The possibilities for these communities are endless!

These community streams create the choice and opportunity to:

Meet new people by being part of another Core Community

Remain in your current Core Community

Be intentional by spending a term training in a specific area or being involved with a particular activity.

Core Communities aim to reflect how we naturally build friendships in our day-to-day lives – around a certain place, for a given purpose,

or around a shared activity.

Connect

Equip

Sign-up:Each term cycle starts with a sign-up period of around 3 weeks, at the beginning of which Core Communities ‘go live’. All of the different groups available for the term ahead are published, along with information on each one.

During the sign-up period you can find out more about the groups’ aims and passions by talking with the leaders of each community. Once you’ve decided which community you would like to join you can sign-up at the welcome desk or visit the website.

Communities meet for a set period:Core Communities then launch and run for approximately 12 weeks. They run on different days of the week, but they begin and end during the same 12 week term.

At the end of the term the cycle repeats, and there is another sign-up period for the term ahead. If you choose to join a new group, you simply follow the same process as before.

Some of the groups, particularly Home Communities, will run for two or more terms to enable people to continue to develop the relationships that they have begun to form within the group. If you decide you want to stay in the same group for the following cycle, you can tell the leaders at the end of the term that you wish to continue. This flexibility allows people to either remain in communities with existing relationships or to try something new. Both options are valued and encouraged.

As with any growing church, new communities will always be starting, occasionally some may come to a natural transition, with some communities changing and morphing their focus.

Sign-up & cycles

Core Communities follow a termly cycle, reflecting the academic calendar that many of us already follow.

CORE COMMUNITIES GO LIVE

SIGN-UP PERIOD

CORE COMMUNITIES LAUNCH

CORE COMMUNITIES MEET WEEKLY DURING WHOLE OF TERM CYCLE

Cycle repeats - opportunity to join new community

FAQs

Q. Can I still join a Core Community if I’ve missed the sign-up?

A. Of course you can! The sign-up periods are designed to help as many people as possible find the right group at the start of each term, but we would still encourage you to join one, even if you’ve missed the sign-up. Speak to someone at the welcome desk and we will help you find a Core Community you can join.

Q. Can I invite friends?

A. All Core Communities are places of growth and welcome. Whichever community you choose, we’d love you to invite others to join in, even if the sign-up period has passed. Due to varying capacities and activities, some Core Communities will have more flexibility for new people to join on any given week. Please contact the leader of your group beforehand to confirm.

Q. Can I swap to another Core Community mid-term?

A. The term structure encourages people to commit to and engage with a particular community for a set period, but if for a certain reason you want to swap this is still possible. Please speak with the people at the welcome desk find which Core Communities are still available.

Q. Can I go to more than one?

A. We encourage everyone to intentionally commit to one group to allow us to be part of community, without completely filling up our weekly timetable. If you feel you have the time to commit to more than one then we recommend being part of a Home Community in combination with either an Active or Training Community.

Q. Can Core Communities meet outside of term dates?

A. Flourishing community will never be restricted or stifled by structure. Nor are our relationships and friendships meant to be contained to a given slot in the week or term. We do however recognise that certain periods of the year are quieter and we also value giving our leaders time off so that they can de refreshed for the term ahead. Core Communities will therefore have periods when they are officially ‘closed’, though many will continue to meet in a more informal fashion during the in-between periods.

Q. Do I need to sign-up again for the following term?

A. Yes. At the end of each term you can choose to sign-up to a different Core Community or to the same one. To allow for continuity in community, priority will be given to those who want to remain in the same group, before opening the group up to others.

Q. Are there limited spaces in each Core Community?

A. We hope that everyone can join the Core Community that they want to be a part of. Due to the venues used, however, some groups will have a limited capacity during a particular term. Whilst most communities should be able to adjust to extra numbers, sometimes it may be necessary to wait for the following sign-up period.

Q. Can someone help me find the right group for me?

A. Yes! Please talk to the people at the welcome desk who will be able to talk through the different Core Communities that are available and which might suit you best. You can also send a message to info@bathandavonvineyard.org.uk and we will get back to you.

We are excited to see how Core Communities widen and deepen our relationships in the year ahead!

If you have any other questions now or during the course of the term the please ask at the welcome desk on a Sunday and they will help answer your queries. You can also email info@bathandavonvineyard.org.uk and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

01225 464 508