One of our goals at Union Grove is to make church accessible for everyone. We know your lives are busy and you have other obligations like work and family, and we know some folks are further limited by transportation, mobility, and health concerns. That’s why we live-stream our worship services and make the videos available on demand. And that’s why we hold our small groups virtually on week nights. Membership in the church is not required. We’re also aware that some folks may be logging into a group while at work, so unable to do more than observe, and that’s okay, too.
We are in the process of setting the schedule for this year’s small groups and will be publishing both those and the links for them here in the near future. Most small groups will be held on Zoom, although we’re looking into the possibility of duplicating the groups through TikTok Live. We’ve included a description of our groups below for your convenience.
Thomas Talks: Doubts Worth Discussing
We all have questions and we all have doubts. That’s what Thomas Talks is for … to talk through them together. At Union Grove, we embrace questions, doubts, and wrestling with God for the answers. We are a judgment free zone, and a safe space as well. We don’t claim to be the authority or even the final word, and we don’t promise to be able to answer every questions or assuage every doubt, but we do promise to be honest with you when we don’t, and to work to find others who may be able to answer something we can’t.
If you’re a searcher, a seeker, a doubter … if you left another church because your questions went unanswered or were answered inadequately … give Thomas Talks a try.
Traditional Bible Study: Learning & Discussing the Scriptures
While it may be being held virtually, this is a traditional bible study. We’ll work our way through the scriptures beginning in the New Testament and using John Wesley’s Quadrilateral. The Quadrilateral method recognizes the primacy and authority of Scripture as understood through the light of tradition, reason and experience (see below). We’ll learn about the authors, the world and times they lived in, the audience they were writing for, and we’ll look at if and how the scriptures apply to us today.
“Wesleyan Quadrilateral: The phrase which has relatively recently come into use to describe the principal factors that John Wesley believed illuminate the core of the Christian faith for the believer. Wesley did not formulate the succinct statement now commonly referred to as the Wesley Quadrilateral. Building on the Anglican theological tradition, Wesley added a fourth emphasis, experience. The resulting four components or “sides” of the quadrilateral are (1) Scripture, (2) tradition, (3) reason, and (4) experience. For United Methodists, Scripture is considered the primary source and standard for Christian doctrine. Tradition is experience and the witness of development and growth of the faith through the past centuries and in many nations and cultures. Experience is the individual’s understanding and appropriating of the faith in the light of his or her own life. Through reason the individual Christian brings to bear on the Christian faith discerning and cogent thought. These four elements taken together bring the individual Christian to a mature and fulfilling understanding of the Christian faith and the required response of worship and service.”
The Reading Room: Book Club & Discussion Group
If bible study isn’t your thing but you like reading and learning, this may be a good choice for you. In The Reading Room, we’ll work our way through contemporary and classic books by a host of authors with a mosaic of different perspectives. We’ll try to make sure that any books selected are available in two or more formats (print, e-book/Kindle, and audio if possible), and give you enough heads up to get any books you need to order in time for the class.
Coffee Talk: General Chat & Fellowship
If you’re looking for a way to socialize and talk about whatever comes up, Coffee Talk is a good choice. It’s a place where we can laugh, cry, lament, sympathize and empathize with one another. A place where we can get to know one another. A place where … well … you get the picture. So grab your favorite beverage and let’s chat!
