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WHAT ARE SMALL CHURCH COMMUNITIES
St Thomas More is
embracing a new vision of Church. It takes us back to the
earliest times of the Christian movement, when members met
in each other’s homes, feeling their way through the
phenomenon of the Holy Spirit working in their lives. The
early Church prayed together, shared faith, learned from one
another and supported each other. From this network of home
churches early Christians took the Body of Christ into the
world. The Small Church movement is a worldwide phenomenon
in the Catholic Church. St Thomas More is joining many other
Catholic communities in encouraging parishioners to get to
know each other, connect their faith with their lives, and
help build a strong and vibrant Church for the 21st century.
As Small Church Communities, we gather for fellowship and to
share God's Word. Meetings are centered on the Scripture
readings for the following Sunday. The discussions are not
theological and it doesn't matter how familiar we are with
Scripture. The emphasis is on reading the Word of God in the
context of our own lives. We share our understanding of
Scripture as applied to our own life situations and
struggles.
There are over
6.000 families registered in our parish. A parish that size
risks becoming impersonal, sterile. Our Small Church
Communities offer us a way to deepen our faith as
individuals and to connect our faith with life in community.
Sharing faith in small communities we become Church to each
other, engaging in prayer, faith sharing, mutual support,
learning, mission and service. Like strong links in a chain,
we strengthen the larger Church, and society as a whole.
Every parishioner
should strongly consider participating in this program. It
is open to any person who wants to grow in faith. Come join
us. It may be the best experience of your life.
For More
information call:
Fr. Bob Bolser 361-3022 or Sue Provost
523-8963.
* A
Small Church Communities section of the website is currently
being worked on.
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