House Groups

Why Have House Groups?

Aren’t midweek bible classes and Sunday worship services enough? Must we change them; they have been institutions for years and years? When we first started House Groups in Castlemilk, these are the kinds of concerns that people raised. There is plenty of New Testament evidence to support house groups. Not as doctrine, but as a practical Christianity.

Sure, meeting in bible classes and worship services is uplifting, encouraging and biblically sound. However, meetings of this type (large group) could never provide some of the benefits of House Groups (small groups). It is not right to suggest a replacement of large groups with small groups, and this is not what is being offered. At Castlemilk, we offer the best of both worlds. Large groups consist of Sunday morning bible class, Sunday worship and Sunday evening. These are the times that we unite to praise God, and the benefits of such experiences are obvious. We have no midweek Bible Class as such. We felt that House Groups would not flourish while in competition with Bible class, so we reasoned for an "all or nothing" approach.

What Are The Benefits?

The main benefit of House Groups is their intimacy. People meet in the comfort of homes in a time of sharing, service, prayer, bible study and fellowship. Because the numbers are small and in homes, the members feel much more at ease while opening up with their struggles, their successes and comments during study. The Bible study is less formal and intentionally pitched at a lower level; this encourages participation. The study is less scholarly and more practical. Usually, the group leader will provide a small 10 – 15 minute lesson and then the content and application is discussed among the group. Again, the application is aimed at the practicalities of Christianity. Those favouring more in-depth study, still have personal study time and also the Sunday morning Bible class. Since the inception of House Groups, midweek attendances have improved greatly.

Outreach

House Groups provide another dimension that Bible Class never could; outreach. We participate in various activities like, collecting and distributing food; helping nursing homes; helping Old Folks homes; helping children's homes; gardening; donating all sorts of goods toward the Glasgow City Mission Centre; decorating; and much more.

Where and When?

Our groups meet weekly in the homes of members in and around the local community. We currently have three groups meeting on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Group times and locations change from time to time, so please get in contact for more information, should you like to attend.