Small Groups
Book Group | Couples Communication | Friendship Circles |
Families with Young Children | Joey’s Restaurant Review Club | Marriage Enrichment |
Men’s Group | Outdoor Spirited Group | Parents’ Night Out | Partnership with UCC Church in Zimbabwe | Saturday Stitching | Scrapbook Club | Sibling Support Group | Sisters for Sisters | Stewards of the Earth | Tuesday Morning Meditation
Updated November 2011
Small groups help members of a congregation feel included and engaged and help meet people’s diverse spiritual, educational and relationship needs. These are not service boards or committees, but groups that are formed for mutual education, support and benefit. There are currently 16 small groups at CCC which offer a variety of experiences and ways to foster spiritual growth. These groups are open to new members at any time, unless otherwise indicated. Here are snapshots of the small group offerings at CCC, and how you can become involved. All are welcome to join these small groups, and we hope you find a group that is right for you! E-mail or call the church office to obtain small group facilitator contact information, cccoffice@cccsilverspring.org, 301-585-8010.
Book Group
The Book Group gathers at a member’s home to discuss a mutually chosen book. The group is open to anyone and meets at 7:00pm on Sunday evenings approximately once a month. It is posted in the church bulletin when a new book is being read.
Couples Communication
Couples Communication teaches basic relationship communication skills and provides the opportunity for the application of these in a supportive environment. The workshops begin periodically for any committed couple dedicated to fostering positive growth in their relationship.
Friendship Circles
There are currently two women’s groups meeting. One meets on Sunday nights at the church for group sharing and activities. Another group meets on Saturday mornings for a different activity and time of fellowship each month. The Saturday morning group has met at the Silver Spring Farmers Market, Brookside Gardens, local coffee shops, and in a group member’s home for holiday cookie baking and valentine crafts.
Families with Young Children
This group is open to all families with children from newborn to second grade. Beginning in January 2012, the group will meet for lunch and a spiritual discussion on fourth Sundays after worship. Child care is provided. May-August, the group meets at various members’ houses for more informal fellowship. Watch for announcements in the worship bulletin.
Joey’s Restaurant Review Club
This has developed into an opportunity for senior members of the church to socialize while sharing a meal together. The group generally meets monthly on Wednesdays at 5:30 pm and varies the venue of the gathering at a number of restaurants in the area. A sign up sheet is placed on the church bulletin board about two weeks before each event.
Marriage Enrichment
This group provides support to, and enhances the relationships of, participating couples with the primary focus on improving communication skills. The group is open to all couples who see themselves as married in the eyes of God. The size of the group is limited to ten couples, and it meets once a month (usually on the first Sunday).
Men’s Group
The CCC Men’s Group provides support to each of its members, starting each meeting with, “How was your week?” The group currently meets on Tuesday nights from 8:00-10:00pm. The current size is a few, but the group has no size limit. To join the Men’s Group, just attend a meeting!
Outdoor Spirited Group
CCC Outdoor Spirited plans and conducts year round day hikes to various locales within a few hours travel of the metropolitan area. Past tours have included the Harper's Ferry backcountry, Catoctin National Park, Sugar Loaf Mountain, Patuxent Wildlife Refuge, Antietam National Battlefield, and Shenandoah National Park. Participation is open to all in the congregation and the community. Outings are announced in the Sunday service bulletin and by email.
Parents’ NightOut
Parents’ Night Out allows parents an evening out while church members babysit. This is a cooperative experience – parents are expected to babysit once for every 3-4 times they use the service. Parents’ Night Out is held on the third Friday of each month from 6:30 -10:00 pm. There is no size limit.
(Sign up on Church Life bulletin board.)
Partnership with UCC Church in Zimbabwe
The late husband of Vesta Sithole of our congregation, Rev. Ndabadingi Sithole, founded the Zimbabwe African National Union – a liberation party (ZANU), and played a key role in the liberation of Southern Rhodesia. The Mbare Church of Harare has long served as the “mother church” of the United Church of Christ. It is the first church built in Salisbury, now Harare, in the early 1950s. Due to the despotism of President Robert Mugabe, the church has fallen on hard times. This group explores ways to offer tangible support for this important church of struggling Christians and Mt. Selinda Orphanage, which is located on the site of the first Congregational mission in the country in 1890. They have had direct contact with the church and have sent donations which have been used to do repair work on the church.
Saturday Stitching
Each Saturday morning from 8:30 – 10:30 am women gather in room 208 at the church
to do knitting crocheting, quilting or any other craft project they would like to work on. It is an informal gathering open to all who are interested.
Scrapbook Club
If “a picture is worth a thousand words”, then a scrapbook must be….invaluable! Get your photos out of your drawers and boxes and into albums you can enjoy, by coming to CCC’s Scrapbook Club. Anyone is welcome to come and at any time – no need to feel that you have to come regularly, just come when you have the time or the spirit moves you! Also you don’t have to be working on a scrapbook – sometimes we just come and sort/label pictures. This group meets at 7:30pm on the third Tuesday night of every month, beginning February 21, 2012, at the church.
Sibling Support Group – for People who have Adult Siblings with Disabilities
This group will provide an opportunity for those who help care for their adult siblings with disabilities to come together for support, ideas, and encouragement. The group meets about every 4-6 months on Sunday evenings, 6:00-7:30pm, with announcements in the bulletin and News Notes when they are scheduled.
Sisters for Sisters
This is social group open to the women of the church. The group meets September – May, usually on the 3rd Sunday after worship services for bag lunch gathering. In September there is potluck lunch, in December a Christmas party with a gift exchange and in May a luncheon at a local restaurant. The group has no size limit and interested persons may join by attending a meeting or contacting the group facilitator.
Stewards of the Earth
This group addresses how individuals and the church as a body can be more environmentally sensitive, as well as live up to our principles of economic justice. Past and current projects have been starting the printer cartridge recycling program, starting and running the fair trade coffee project, organizing the Earth Day/May Day fair, and arranging for the use of reusable cups and glasses at coffee hour and other church functions. In addition, Stewards of the Earth works with other small groups to organize educational programs and field trips that combine fun with learning about our environment. This group meets at CCC on an as-needed basis, depending on what projects they have going on.
Tuesday Morning Meditation Group
Anyone is invited to join a small group that gathers each Tuesday morning from 7:00-8:00am in the Meditation Room (Room 201). They sit in silent meditation for about twenty minutes and then share and discuss any concerns that arise – personal, spiritual, social. You are welcome to come and explore your journey with them. Please call if you plan to attend.
CCC Calendar
