Purpose Shared Faith Communities encourage members to a celebration of God's gift of faith in their lives.  As members read & pray the Sunday Scriptures, they are led to a deeper appreciation of the Word and the Sacramental life of the Church. They often are given a stronger prayer life, a sense of community and support to one another, and they become more involved in the ministry of the Church.  SFCs strengthen their members to become more active parishioners with a sense of commitment to the community. Organization SFCs take their direction from the Pastor. An SFC coordinator works with a core team of 8 to 12 parishioners who plan how to make the SFCs a reality in the parish.  The core team is a task-oriented body, that meets four or more times per year to insure that the SFCs are viable spiritual assets to St. Jude's Church. Shared Faith Communities are connected to the core team and the parish through pastoral facilitators. Pastoral facilitators are trained by the coordinator and the core team to be caregivers and leaders of the groups. Four times a year the facilitators meet with the core team to keep the vision before them and to share ideas on how to continue to guide the small groups so that the SFC does not become elitist, self-serving, isolated or disconnected from the larger parish community.  All parishioners are invited to become members of an SFC. Formation At different times during the year a Newcomers' Night is held in the parish hall. Invitations are extended to the parish, to participants who have completed a Christ Renews His Parish Experience, to newly initiated members of the Church and to those who have completed an adult education series. Members of SFCs and the core team prepare an evening designed to give information about SFCs, lead the group in shared reflection and prayer, and invite those who are intersted to meet again to form a new group of 8 to 10 members. At this point a member of the core team assists in the training and formation of the new group.  The core team member meets with the new group for the first six weeks.  During this time they are learning about the SFC movement in the parish, the responsibilities of the group, the resources to be used and the process itself. This provides the members of the group with a good background and develops a level of comfort with the procedure.  Each meeting uses readings from the coming Sunday of the liturgical year for the reflections and prayer. Coming Events Information and coordination - Joyce Racine 484-6609 Frequently Asked Questions What is the Shared Faith Community? Is it a Bible study? Gatherings and discussions are normally held by small groups of members in their homes on a periodic rotating basis. Scripture forms the basis of SFC discussions and Sunday readings are the focus of the gatherings.  Each individual member reads and reflects on the Scripture readings for the coming Sunday with an emphasis on discerning how the reading applies to life situations. The Scripture challenges them to look at the readings in light of Christ's life and how we are called to imitate His life and live His message. Prayer, which leads to Christian action, is the mainstay of the process. When are the meetings? Meeting schedules are flexibly arranged by the 8 - 10 member group according to their needs and are set up on a biweekly basis.  Currently individual SFC meetings are set for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings and for Wednesday morning. What are the time commitments? Groups meet every other week for about 1 hr 30 min. Most members have found that the time spent has energized them and helped them to set priorities and focus on what is most important in their daily schedule. Many also find that the studies and shared prayer of the SFC more deeply enrich their participation in the Sunday liturgies. What can I do with my children while I participate in a SFC? Many people with children participate in a SFC. Each group sets up its own plan for what the children do during the meeting. In some groups the children play nearby, while in others an older sibling or other sitter tends the children in another part of the house. Some adults use the meeting as a night out and prefer to leave the children at home with a babysitter. What if I am uncomfortable with group participation? Or with sharing my thoughts and feelings with others? Listening is also a part of sharing and is fulfilling for the individual and the speaker. Often people who feel reluctant in sharing their thoughts and reflections in the beginning become more comfortable with time and are then more fully involved. Do you need to know the Scriptures to join a SFC? Of course not! The study and discussions in SFC meetings lead all participants to a greater knowledge and understanding of the Scriptures regardless of their previous backgrounds. Materials are provided which help you to understand the context and meaning of the readings and to apply them to your life. Resources provided include "Share the Word", "Exploring the Sunday Readings", "Workbook for Lectors" and "Word Among Us".  The footnotes in the Bible also provide excellent guidance to the passage and helps us to determine its relevance to our lives. How do I join a Shared Faith Community (SFC)? Call Joyce Racine at the Parish offices (484-6609).