Opening for Sessions

            Each session should begin with a time for group members to greet each other and converse. There is nothing small about small talk. Refreshments before or after the meeting are important, especially since some will be coming to group directly from work or taking children to various activities, or while caring for others. (Some of the experiential activities include recipes.)

            These sessions are meant to last an hour to 90 minutes, depending on the time you give to each element. Decide ahead of time how much time you will spend on each element. If you have only one hour, you may decide to eliminate one of the activities, depending on your needs. You may include additional activities from the "Experiential Options" to extend your sessions or to enrich them. Or substitute them for one of the elements you eliminate.

            Rituals help to set the tone of the group, and some of the most memorable have to do with hospitality.  Specific suggestions are given for some sessions, but every week is a chance for folks to build and deepen relationships with each other.  Having hot drinks or snacks available is probably a good idea; some people cannot talk without a coffee cup in hand. 

            Here are some suggestions for opening rituals:

            Light a candle or lamp. For some, lighting a candle is both a symbol and a signal.  There is something both ancient and archaic about the practice.  Since we don’t need candles, we must want them.  Be sensitive, however, to those of us who have allergies to strong scents.  Let your light (rather than your vanilla-mint-guava perfume) shine among all people.           

            Sing. Hymn suggestions are given for each session, but sing whatever appeals to your group.  Whether you sing one or two stanzas or a whole hymn is up to you. 

Each session includes these elements:

            A focus statement.  This is a sort of theme for the session.  The statements are used in various ways in the sessions -- sometimes as the core of a litany, sometimes as a discussion starter, sometimes as a posted greeting for response.

            Reading scripture. The sessions begin with a short passage to be read aloud.  These may be read in unison if participants all have the same Bible translation (the NRSV is used here) or be read by an individual.  The task isn’t to figure out what the scripture means but simply to listen to the scripture.

            "Marking the milestones."  This is the time in each session to discuss the previous week’s meditations in The Upper Room. Each session guide includes questions to spark discussion of each meditation, but these are only suggestions.  Group members are likely dig right in and be ready to discuss without prompting, and you should not expect to discuss every meditation in each session.

            Reflecting. Prompts for reflection are different than discussion questions.  These questions may be asked aloud by the leader to the group, but they do not require spoken answers.  Group members are encouraged simply to listen for an answer, from within or from beyond themselves.  This reflecting is primarily a time of silence.  This does not prevent people from discussing these questions later, of course.  But to reflect is to allow illumination to bounce off of you, not  to spout from you.

            Closing.  It is as important to honor the time of ending as it is the time of beginning.  Recognizing that we are never through, end on time for the benefit of those with baby sitters, obligations, or physical issues.  It may seem innocent for those with fewer ties to remain behind to continue the discussion, but for some this is almost a suggestion that there is an inner circle or a “real” meeting that takes place only after others are gone.

            Aside from this structure, be open to the unexpected.  Times of great emotion or revelation, the experienced presence of God, or some surprise may require a change in direction. Sometimes the framework for a small group proves to be the jumping off point so that the Spirit’s direction can be revealed.  If there is a time of great emotion and no one is sure where to go next, remember that prayer, both silent and spoken, is always appropriate.