Welcome to your online FCC Growth Group sign-up center. A Growth Group is a small group of 10-18 people who agree to meet regularly to check in with one another, to discuss a topic or share an activity, and to progress along our spiritual journeys. Churches are only as strong as the connection among its members, and small groups are the sinews that hold the body together. They are great ways to expand social circles, gain knowledge, support one another, and to serve God.
Joining a group indicates a commitment to attend as many meetings as possible and to pray for each other along the way. Group leaders determine the meeting days, frequency, time, and location/platform (see group descriptions for details). During sign-up periods, you are welcome to join a group for the first time, switch to a different group, or even sign up for a few complementary groups during the same semester.
Fall 2020 Growth Groups registration is NOW OPEN! Most groups begin meeting the week of September 20 and continue for 10-12 weeks. Some groups fill quickly so sign up now to get your first choice:
Christian Mindfulness
Weekly / Tuesdays / 9:30 a.m. / Zoom
Leader: Ed Hennig
Coordinator: Jonathan Page
Source material: various/provided
Description: All new members are welcome to join this group which is continuing from the summer semester. It is expected that all present will practice “beginner’s mind.” This means that ALL will be learning and experiencing, both individually and as a group, how mindfulness meditation and practice can aid us in gaining insight and practicing the healing of loving kindness of self, others, and the world and planet. It is a caring and lively group that shares in understanding, experiencing, and sharing such healing. What makes it CHRISTIAN Mindfulness Practice is the ethic to share the healing with others.
Evolving Toward Racial Allyship
Weekly / Wednesdays / 7:30 p.m. / Zoom
Leaders: Claire Cardwell and Krysia Lynes
Source material: White Privilege: Let’s Talk (UCC Sacred Conversations on Race Curriculum)
Description: This curriculum is a concerted effort to enable allies of African Americans to see with new eyes how privilege works. It aims to illuminate how white people in America, at every economic stratum and in a myriad of ways, receive privileged consideration simply because they are white. It offers the promise and the possibility that those who commit to engaging in this dialogue can develop higher degrees of awareness of privilege and its consequences. It is presented in the hope that such awareness, both in the individuals who participate in the curriculum and in the larger communities of which they are a part, will lead to more sophisticated and more impactful commitments to reducing the ongoing impact of white privilege as a means of distributing wealth and power.
GROUP FULL: God for the 21st Century
Weekly / Tuesdays / 7:00 p.m. / Zoom
Leader: Jonathan Page
Coordinator: Mary Lou Strange
Source material: How I found God in Everyone and Everywhere: An Anthology of Spiritual Memoirs, edited by Andrew M. Davis and Philip Clayton
Description: Few concepts vex contemporary, liberal-minded Christians more than God. Who is God? How do we know? How can we speak about God? Over the past fifty years progressive theologians have embraced the concept of panentheism, i.e. God in everything. This growth group explores this concept through a series of short, personal memoirs by theologians and religious thinkers.
Men’s Lunch
Monthly / First Fridays / 12:00 pm / Zoom
Leader: Steve Rosencranz
Coordinator: David Pelton
Source material: Social Group; Discussion based on current events.
Description: This is an ideal entry group for men who are new to FCC. We are a social group geared toward fellowship. Discussion is based on current events or other topics of interest. Join us!
Parenting & Family Life
Every Other Week / Saturdays / 4:30 p.m. / Zoom
Leader: Kelly Stevens
Source material: How to Stop Losing Your Sh*t with Your Kids: A Practical Guide to Becoming a Calmer, Happier Parent, by Carla Naumburg
Description: This group is ideal for parents who seek the opportunity to share fellowship with other families, develop a deeper understanding of God’s presence in our daily lives, and discuss ways and means of shouldering the responsibilities of parenthood. Casual and flexible by necessity (see: parenting), this group provides a safe space to share victories and challenges throughout this uniquely intense phase of the human experience.
Sisters of Mary Magdalene
Twice Monthly / Second & Last Mondays / 7:00 p.m. / Zoom
Leaders: Beverly Carson and Jane Holland
Source material: The Book of Longings, by Sue Monk Kidd
Description: Sisters of Mary Magdalene is a women’s book discussion group founded around 25 years ago. Traditionally, meetings include pot luck dinner, laughter and conversation, and about an hour of book discussion. During September-November, we will meet via Zoom. We will discuss Sue Monk Kidd’s The Book of Longings, published in April 2020. It’s a fictionalized story of Ana’s marriage to Jesus, and her growth from there. We will read and discuss a third of the book each month.
GROUP FULL: Wine Tasting
Every Other Week / Thursdays / 7:00 p.m. / Zoom
Leader: Katherine Arbiter
Coordinator: Krysia Lynes
Source material: Tasting Sheets
Description: Let’s have an exciting and fun adventure exploring together during this crisis to take our minds off making face masks and bleach wipes and focus on another important part of social distancing: drinking wine. In each class, we will either compare two grapes or a single grape from two different regions or styles. If we get really fancy, we might even taste the same wine from different years. But each week, two bottles will be compared. Suggested wine purchases for each week will be given in the syllabus. Sometimes case discounts are helpful! You will also need two wine glasses and a white napkin or paper towel.
Younger Adults
Weekly / Thursdays / 7:00 p.m. / Zoom
Leader: Peter Overland
Coordinator: KC Larraga-Neufeld
Source material: What’s So Amazing About Grace?, by Philip Yancey; plus articles by historically underrepresented authors
Description: This group focuses on connecting younger (or young-at-heart) adults who may be finishing school, entering the workforce, and/or continuing careers at work and at home. In his book What’s So Amazing About Grace?, Yancey explores grace at street level. If grace is God’s love for the undeserving, he asks, then what does it look like in action? And if Christians are its sole dispensers, then how are we doing at lavishing grace on a world that knows far more of cruelty and unforgiveness than it does of mercy? Weekly readings of short segments from this book will provide conversation prompts. We look forward to connecting with others in this crazy time as we bond together over the challenges and joys of life, work, school, and general adulting!
Additional Opportunity:
Adult Christian Ed Class / Bible Study
Weekly / Sundays / 7:00 p.m. / Zoom
Leaders: Karen Dees and Krysia Lynes
Source material: Feasting on the Word Curriculum (provided during class)
Description: Join us as we explore each upcoming Sunday’s Lectionary reading. We will follow the curriculum, Feasting on the Word. Questions to ponder include WHAT is important to know; WHERE is God in these words; SO WHAT does this mean for our lives; and NOW WHAT is God’s word calling us to do?
Note: All are welcome to attend on a come-as-you-can basis for this special-edition, Adult Christian Education class! No sign-up necessary. (This offering is not meant to replace a Growth Group.)